Honkai: Star Rail – From the Moment Tom The Cat Became My Passenger

Naturally, Yevenko had no idea that his and Tom's antics had broken Pela's mind.

After all, for a gag character, crawling through pipes was perfectly normal, wasn't it?

He and Tom twisted and turned their way forward through the pipe. Yevenko had no idea where exactly the pipe would come out—maybe the council chamber, maybe not—but his gut told him that wherever the end was, it had to be the council chamber.

After a while, they emerged from the end of the pipe.

Their bodies, squished into a cylindrical shape, flopped out onto the floor, little paws dragging them forward until—pop!—they returned to normal form.

Tom followed closely behind.

Yevenko looked around and, sure enough, this was the council chamber where he'd met Cocolia the day before.

At the moment, the place was empty—except for one woman on the high dais. Blonde, her hair styled dangerously, her black bodysuit showed off every mature curve, covered only by a lightly adorned white coat.

Her thighs were full, hips swaying with every step, strips of pale skin exposed along her sides. Like Bronya, she wore knee-high boots—standing there in utter confidence.

Her pale violet eyes were thoughtful, her lips moving in a quiet voice even though there was no one else present, as if she were speaking to someone invisible.

"I understand. I'll move quickly."

"Don't worry. No one will stop me. I'll make Belobog great again—let its name resound through the universe!"

Tap.

"Who's there?!"

Hearing the faint commotion, Cocolia snapped out of her trance. Her pale violet gaze sharpened as she looked over and saw—two cats, appearing out of nowhere.

Her brows furrowed as she demanded,

"What are the Silvermane Guards even doing? You two managed to sneak in and no one noticed. Looks like I need to crack down on discipline."

She had no idea what to make of the "cats"—just as the outsiders had said yesterday. But how had these two gotten into the most secure room in Belobog without a single guard noticing?

Still, to her surprise, it was just the two cats; none of the outsiders had come. That would make things easier.

After all, the timing wasn't right. She didn't want to reveal her full strength yet.

If certain people caught a glimpse of her Stellaron powers, even under her authority, it would have consequences.

But these two? They wouldn't cost her any effort.

Cocolia slowly stepped down from the dais. Gravity itself seemed to bend toward her—her every motion radiating presence.

Her voice was cold as a blizzard, solemn and unfeeling.

"I didn't plan to kill you. I wanted you to be the first outsiders to witness the new world."

"But now—"

"Be buried beneath the eternal winter's ice!"

A storm of wind and frost erupted, centering on Cocolia, her aura surging higher and higher.

In a blink, Tom appeared behind her, swinging his baseball bat with no warning at all.

Duang—!

A crisp thunk echoed through the hall as Cocolia froze midair, then tumbled head-first down the steps.

A pink, cartoonish bump rose on her head.

Tom wasn't done. He sat on her back, bat whacking her head again and again, the lump growing ever larger.

Seeing this, Yevenko burst out laughing, slapping his thigh.

"Hahahaha!"

But then, he froze, realization striking.

Wait! I'm here to rack up Exploration Value!

This is the perfect chance to farm Cocolia—can't let Tom have all the fun!

With that, Yevenko's legs spun like mini-tornadoes as he rushed over, stopping at Tom's side.

He pointed at Tom's baseball bat, then at himself.

Tom nodded, handed over the bat, and scooted aside, even gesturing at Cocolia's back—it's easier if you sit while you hit.

What a considerate little guy.

Yevenko quickly rewarded Tom with a bottle of milk, plopped down on Cocolia, and grinned a wicked Tom-like grin, raising the bat high.

SMASH!

Cocolia jolted awake, seeing a cat on top of her. She swung her right fist at Yevenko with all her strength.

Yevenko was sent flying through the air, slamming into a wall.

BANG!

He hit, body going soft and flat—then oozed down the wall like liquid, slipping into a drain.

Tom, still next to Cocolia, stuck a finger in his mouth and swallowed, neck stretching like a cartoon.

Gulp.

Then, in a flash, his legs blurred and he dashed away from Cocolia.

Cocolia was still baffled by her sudden blackout—but the bizarre attack made one thing clear: these two cats could hurt her, and she couldn't underestimate them.

And now, with the cat running away with its back to her, she saw her chance.

She had no desire to feel that helpless dizziness again—not even for an instant.

Frost gathered thickly in her palm, and in an instant, an icy spear appeared.

She hurled it at Tom, aiming to pierce his head.

Whoosh—!

Tom glanced back, just as the spear shot into his open mouth.

It drove right through his body, stretching him to two, maybe three times his normal length, before he flopped to the floor and blinked.

But the scene Cocolia expected—Tom skewered and dead—never happened.

Her eyes went wide, disbelief etched into her face.

"How is this possible?!"

"Even iron ore would shatter under my ice spear—so how could this happen?"

Being blocked was one thing. But this… this defied all logic.

A living, breathing creature stretching like rubber?

Pushing aside her confusion, Cocolia prepared to go all out.

"In that case, feel the bone-shattering chill of the storm!"

Her expression turned severe as she conjured another ice spear, holding it upright. A maelstrom of wind and frost roared around her, turning the council chamber into a frozen wasteland.

Duang—!

A familiar thwack sounded above her.

Cocolia's body snapped straight, suspended midair—her momentum and aura vanishing in an instant.

Skill interrupted. She toppled stiffly to the ground.

Behind her stood Yevenko, restored to normal, bat in hand, Tom's signature mischievous eyebrow arching as he gave a wicked grin.