Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking

When she was sent flying, Stelle briefly lost consciousness. However, when she opened her eyes again, she found herself floating in the vast expanse of space.

An invisible path of destiny extended beneath her feet, its distant endpoint shimmering faintly.

This wasn't her first time here, so after an initial moment of panic, she quickly calmed herself.

The last time she arrived in this space, Nanook had cast her a glance. Who would it be this time?

With no one else around, Stelle could only walk forward alone. Eventually, she encountered a peculiar chess piece.

It was a figurine of a young girl dressed as a warrior, holding a sword—a piece that exuded the aura of a hero.

"..."

If her guess was right, this must be one of the lost hero pieces the gods misplaced. But why was it here?

Stelle didn't understand, but that didn't stop her from picking up the chess piece.

At every node along her path, the hero piece conveyed fragments of memories from past heroes to her.

Scenes of slicing through monsters with a single strike.

The rush to a city under siege, only to find its inhabitants slaughtered by monsters long before her arrival.

And… a distant image of lofty gods with blurred faces, issuing divine commands to her.

The hero was meant to have the freedom to choose. She always believed in her luck and the determination to carve out a new future—to end the endless cycles of repetition.

But why?

Before becoming a hero, she was nothing more than a village girl.

She knew nothing. Even her companions had been assigned to her by the gods. From the moment she grasped the holy sword, she had been endlessly running, tirelessly saving others.

In the end, even though she vanquished the Demon King, she still couldn't fulfill her wish of returning to her hometown.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Stelle asked the hero piece.

"Defeat... the Demon King... end the war..."

The thoughts from within the chess piece came through broken and fragmented.

"Is this your own desire, or a mission forced upon you by the gods?"

Just as the stories endlessly repeated: where there was a Demon King, there would be a hero.

The Demon King destroys the world, and the hero saves it. The two are inherently opposed, with no chance of reconciliation.

"I'm not sure... but I cannot stand by and do nothing..."

The hero's will was naive yet pure.

Stelle couldn't understand how she could be so steadfast. Drifting in the cosmos for who knows how long, the hero had never forgotten her resolve to protect.

From the chess piece, Stelle felt a profound solitude and despair that had accompanied the hero through countless ages.

How did she maintain her resolve without faltering, despite enduring the gods' betrayal and watching her homeland wither under the influence of the Stellaron?

Perhaps hearing her unspoken thoughts—or perhaps because they were approaching the final node on the path of destiny—the hero piece began to radiate a warm light, like a miniature sun.

"—Because I am a hero."

And then, the hero's holy sword appeared before Stelle.

"Take me. Save the world."

Stelle didn't ask why it was her or why it wasn't her companions.

From the moment she set foot on this planet, it seemed as though she had simply followed everyone else's rhythm passively, but she had never once missed a battle.

Quieter than Dan Heng, more passionate than March 7th, more diligent than Venti—within her abilities, Stelle had done all that she could.

It was for that reason that it had to be her.

The person who met the hero in this place could only be Stelle.

She reached out and touched the amber glow.

In that moment, she felt a gaze—warm, approving, and slightly intense—fall upon her.

The air carried the warmth of a forge, mingled with the smell of lime. The majestic Amber King descended, offering his protection.

The holy sword transformed, adorned with patterns resembling stars—elegant yet sacred.

"Finally... you have been acknowledged..."

An ecstatic voice echoed faintly from within the holy sword.

Meanwhile…

At the moment when the Demon King struck Stelle away, a trace of burning star-like energy lingered on his claw.

"—The hero!"

Even if he were reduced to ashes a hundred times, the Demon King would never forget that power.

The instant he sensed the hero's presence, the Demon King flew into a rage. The skeletal structures surrounding his body twisted and mutated further, and the blood and flesh beneath his mask began to burn away, leaving behind only a starry void of cold silence.

He unfurled his massive, bat-like wings, his movements so fast they defied sight. Before the gray-haired girl could hit the ground, he appeared above her, raising both arms for a devastating hammer-like strike.

With a deafening "BOOM!" a figure was sent flying.

But it wasn't Stelle—it was the Demon King.

The starry void of his face betrayed no expression, but anyone could sense his astonishment.

Sizzle. Blood spurted from the severed stumps of his arms, gushing like torrents.

Both arms had been severed at the elbows—clean, smooth cuts.

And the one who accomplished this?

A girl, gripping the holy sword with both hands. Her disheveled gray hair billowed in the radiance of light, and her usually stoic face bore a rare hint of determination.

"—Backup hidden energy source, activated."

At her feet lay two massive severed claws, consumed instantly by star-like flames that left no trace behind—not even ashes.

"Whoa! Even Stelle has unlocked her hidden power?!"

March 7th gasped, covering her mouth in astonishment.

"It seems she has drawn the Aeon's attention once more."

Himeko was less startled, having encountered similar phenomena in her dealings with the Black Tower. Her broader knowledge of the Aeons gave her some context, though she still instinctively glanced toward the Silver Branch Knight.

He, too, had noticed.

Though his face initially betrayed a flicker of surprise, it quickly softened into a genuine smile.

He felt honored to witness such a moment, as if it were destiny itself unfolding before his eyes.

Both the wielder and the holy sword radiated an unyielding spirit, shining as brightly as the stars.

Dan Heng, however, remained silent. He stepped to Stelle's side without a word, forming a duo to face the Demon King together.

The Demon King, momentarily stunned, quickly regenerated his severed arms. The stumps writhed and reshaped into claws as cold and vast as the starry void.

In an instant, the Demon King moved at near-teleportation speed, appearing before them. Crimson lightning, thick as ancient tree trunks, crackled and converged between his claws.

The energy radiating from it was unmistakable—if unleashed, it would turn the entire battlefield into a scorched wasteland.

Stelle steadied her breathing. Although she had never wielded a greatsword before, the sensation was as if she had swung it countless times. It was as if the holy sword's will and hers were one.

She targeted the weakest point in the Demon King's energy field, slicing through his defenses with the holy sword and aiming for his neck.

At the same time, Dan Heng's expression grew focused. He evaded the first wave of attacks and countered with a swirling strike of his Cloudpiercer spear. Streams of azure and crimson energy surged along the spearhead, his movements sharp and precise as the tip drove toward the Demon King's heart.

Had this been any ordinary giant demon, it would have been decapitated and rendered lifeless in an instant by their combined assault.

But the Demon King abruptly canceled his lightning attack, crossing his arms to block. His void-like claws caught both the holy sword and the spear mid-strike.

Stelle and Dan Heng exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously.

The holy sword ignited with blazing star lotus flames, racing along the Demon King's arms. Dan Heng seized the moment, twisting Cloudpiercer and wrenching it free.

The Demon King reeled back, dodging the spear's tip just in time. At the same moment, skeletal structures extended from his ribs, encasing his arms and forming massive bone blades.

He spun in place like a top, creating a miniature cyclone that forced both of them to retreat. But as his gaze flickered, a volley of icy shards rained down from behind him.

Even Mimiya took the opportunity to shoot several arrow-like saplings, their attacks seeming small and insignificant.

If this had been the original Demon King, he might have spared them a glance. But with the Stellaron's amplification, he didn't even bother looking.

Raising his massive bone blades as shields, the Demon King deflected the attacks with ease. The sound of arrows clattering and snapping echoed as ice crystals and sapling arrows either shattered or planted themselves into the ground, quickly growing into enormous carnivorous plants attempting to devour him whole.

The bone blades made a single sweeping motion, cutting the plants apart effortlessly.

Though March 7th and Mimiya's attacks merely stalled him for a moment, they bought Stelle and Dan Heng enough time to launch another coordinated strike.

"Breakthrough formation—now!"

Stelle channeled the energy of the holy sword, unleashing a radiant wave that caught the Demon King's attention. Meanwhile, Dan Heng moved into his blind spot, readying a surprise attack.

"Now's the time!"

With Stelle delivering a horizontal slash and Dan Heng aiming for a vital point, their synchronized offensive was swift and fierce.

Though the Demon King's mind had been eroded by the Stellaron, leaving him half-mad, he retained enough instinct to counter their strategy.

"ROAAAARRR!!!"

His massive bat-like wings suddenly unfurled, unleashing a swarm of small gargoyle-like creatures. The creatures, though too weak to stop the duo, provided the distraction the Demon King needed to escape their encirclement and soar into the sky.

Dan Heng, lacking an effective way to counter airborne foes, turned to Stelle. She smirked, gripping the holy sword tightly as tiny stars shimmered along its blade, igniting into a blue-green flame.

"Limiters off!"

The holy sword, already grand in appearance, transformed further as it shed its restraints. Torrents of searing energy radiated outward. Stelle leaped high into the air.

As the Demon King merged his bone blades into one massive weapon, red lightning arced across his body, preparing to strike. But before he could, Stelle delivered a ground-splitting slash directly to his face.

This time, the Demon King neither dodged nor blocked. Instead, he channeled his lightning to absorb the hit, planning to trade injury for injury.

However, he failed to notice the star lotuses spreading across his body. The blossoms intertwined, forming a shield-like barrier that trapped his attack, causing the black-red lightning to lash back and ravage his own body.

"Blazing Starfall!"

With a final, devastating strike, Stelle drove the holy sword downward. The blazing energy cleaved through the Demon King, sending him plummeting like a shattered bird back to the ground.

The impact carved a deep fissure in the earth, exposing molten lava below. The Demon King clung desperately to the crumbling edges of the chasm, his body scorched and broken. Even his ribcage-like bone armor had cracked and splintered.

His distorted, frozen face let out a roar of pure hatred.

"Hero!!!"

Before he could crawl out, Stelle descended from above, driving him deeper into the molten abyss with a single, decisive strike.

Raising the holy sword high, its tip gathered streams of starlight. Stelle's face, framed by flickering flames, was both solemn and divine.

"The time of reckoning is now!"

"—This is the Radiance That Ends the Eternal Cycle!"

The dazzling light from the holy sword surged forth like a torrent from the galaxy, engulfing the Demon King completely. Within the sheer purity of that radiance, he was instantly vaporized, leaving behind not a trace of flesh or blood. Only a dim, lifeless Stellaron floated in the air where he once stood.

As the Stellaron attempted to expand its rift and shift itself to another continent, Himeko, prepared for this moment, deployed her containment device.

It was the small suitcase she had been carrying all along. Previously, March 7th had seen her use it to pull out wrenches, screwdrivers, and other repair tools. No one had suspected that such a humble-looking object could also contain a Stellaron.

Much like capturing a creature in a certain game, the suitcase rattled twice before emitting a confirming ding.

"Wait, that worked?"

March 7th was taken aback, but Himeko simply gave a small smile.

"Before we came here, I had Welt modify it for me. I'll have to thank him properly when we return."

As the battle-worn Stelle staggered toward the group, the light of her holy sword dimmed, leaving it looking as drained as its wielder.

"Ha… finally over…" she muttered tiredly, her voice laced with exhaustion.

"You've done well, Stelle," Himeko said warmly, offering a word of comfort. She then turned to the others, her expression just as gentle.

"And it's thanks to everyone working together that we managed to contain the Stellaron."

"Hehe, no problem at all! That means this planet's crisis is officially resolved!" March 7th said, her eyes squinting into cheerful crescents. But then her gaze shifted to the retreating remnants of the Demon King's army.

"Though… I suppose we won't be rid of all those monsters anytime soon, huh?"

"The Demon King's army is vast," Dan Heng replied, exhaling softly as he eased out of his battle-ready stance. "It's unrealistic to expect them to be eliminated in a short time."

Earlier, when he saw Stelle being knocked back, he had nearly lost control, tempted to activate the forbidden power within him. But seeing her overcome the Demon King with the Aeon's favor had filled him with relief—and no small measure of admiration.

Unlike Dan Heng, who managed to maintain his composure, Mimiya had no intention of hiding her emotions. Her face blossomed with an unrestrained smile.

"Regardless, the Demon King is dead. The stragglers can be left to the nations to clean up over time."

Her gaze shifted to the holy sword in Stelle's hand, her eyes shining with fervor.

"And I can't believe the hero turned out to be Stelle! That makes us an official hero party now, right?"

"You're really hung up on that title, aren't you…"

"Of course I am! I've been a fan of heroes since the day I was born!"

"Just the previous heroes, or all of them?" Stelle teased, raising an eyebrow.

"All of them, of course! Every single hero is a legend!" Mimiya declared unabashedly.

"Let's hope Nahida doesn't get jealous when she hears about your hero obsession."

"Ah—! Speaking of which, we should head back and—"

Before Mimiya could finish, the ground beneath them began to quake violently.

It felt as though a dormant volcano was about to erupt, and to make matters worse, the inverted green moon above them began to crack and fragment.

"Whoa! What's happening now?!"

March 7th struggled to keep her balance, clutching the Silver Branch Knight for support. He steadied her, his expression grim.

"The rules of this world seem to be shifting."

"Why does it always come to this?!"

They should have been celebrating their victory and preparing to head home. Surely, there wouldn't be a third phase to this boss fight… right? That would be just absurd. March 7th grumbled internally, her frustration growing as Dan Heng gazed toward the horizon.

In the distance, mountains moved, oceans boiled, and the entire world seemed to be plunging into chaos, replaying the scenes of an ancient apocalypse.

It wasn't just the retreating Demon King's forces. The same upheaval struck the nations of other races. Natural disasters unfolded as if heralding the end of days.

Even Venti, who had been eagerly waiting for everyone to return to the train so they could relax, couldn't ignore the escalating chaos. It only reinforced his distrust of this world's unreliable deities.

The death of the Demon King had triggered the gods to adjust the world's rules, but the lingering influence of the Stellaron had caused further disruption. The resulting fusion and corruption of the four corners of this world sent everything spiraling into disorder.

For the Trailblazers, however, this wasn't a problem they needed to solve.

The main story of Snail Star III had been completed. There was no need to take on extra work.

Venti, for one, was more than ready to leave things as they were.

---

T/N: I wonder if this is a new path? and if so which one :o

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