Shining Star: Part Three

SHINING STAR: PART THREE

After a few minutes of silent marching, Anicet's team stepped into the next cavern, where dozens of armored goblins were waiting for them, yielding small but sharp weapons.

“It’s showtime.” Bradamanthe drew her Valkyrie Claymore and charged into the horde, cleaving through the goblin lines with the fury of a wild beast. With each swing, three goblins were sliced in half—their blood staining her golden braid—and the more she killed, the more bloodlust radiated from her delighted sneer.

“[Strength]. [Dexterity]. [Constitution]. [Perception]. [Luck].” A rainbow wave bathed the little farm boy. ”Miss Rolandsson—wait for me!” He shouted, pulling a longsword from his [Inventory] and charging the nearest goblin.

The green-skinned creature dodged the initial blow, but Armen reacted instinctively by spinning on his heel and slashing across its side—cleaving the monster in half. Two goblins rushed to avenge their fallen brother, striking in unison, but Armen ducked at the last second, avoiding the hits. From beneath their blades, he sprang upward with a crushing overhead strike, smashing the first goblin’s skull, and, without wasting any time, he lunged forward, piercing the second goblin’s heart.

“Miss Rolandsson, I did it! I've killed my first monst–” He looked up, searching for praise from his princess, only to find himself surrounded by twelve goblins. “Oh, come on. It’s my first real fight.” He cursed whoever thought it was a good idea to send a Class E into a Dungeon designed for Class S. However, Armen didn’t give up, zigzagging between jagged rocks to break their formation and keeping his back against the wall to make sure no more than three goblins could attack him at once, and, one by one, they all fell, meeting the same grim fate.

For someone with all his [Static.Stats] around 100, he’s pretty good at fighting. The ’Shining Star’ thought, watching the little farm boy carve his way through the green sea to reach his princess.

“Good job, little boy. As a reward, just for today, you can do it with me—be grateful.” A blushing Armen took position back-to-back with Bradamanthe, raising his bloodstained sword while waiting for her signal to begin with the carnage.

“KILL THEM ALL!” The ’Fullmetal Maiden’ roared as a golden aura, stained by a crimson hue, engulfed her. At first, her eyes filled with blood, then the veins visible across her muscular arms started to bulge, and finally, her body began to inflate into grotesque proportions—tripling in size. When the transformation ended, no trace of humanity remained in the six-meter-tall creature—just the raw fury of a beast born to kill.

“[Emulate]!” Armen shouted, and his body began to grow as well, bones cracking and muscles tearing just to reform larger and stronger, until he matched Bradamanthe’s monstrosity in both size and expression. Now, the two towering monsters stood shoulder to shoulder, breathing heavily as they lust-eying the swarm of terrified goblins surrounding them. The fake beasts pissed in their pants, while the real ones licked their lips.

Even the low-IQ goblins recognized the threat, but all they could do was freeze in fear, until the weakest link of the chain broke the formation, selfishly abandoning its brothers to their fate to save its worthless life. *SPLASH!* Instead, the goblins powerlessly watched as the Princess crushed its skull in her bare hand.

*TA-RA-TA-DA!* The blare of trumpets heralded the arrival of reinforcements, charging in to save their doomed brothers. A horde of Hobgoblins—larger and sturdier cousins clad in patchwork plate armor—flooded the room atop massive rats. The strongest among them charged toward the towering beasts, while the rest split into two groups, directing their fury at Anicet and Astary.

The Nixie prince capitalized on his superior [DEX], adopting a hit-and-run strategy. With precise footwork and flawless timing, he lunged forward with his long spear to strike, then retreated before the enemy could respond, and when a Hobgoblin broke its formation in pursuit—Bad Ending showed no mercy.

He’s fast…faster than Chad. Astary thought, risking her life amidst dozens of monsters just to admire the living artwork that was his combat style. Not that she was in any real danger. Only the smallest Hobgoblins had targeted her, naively assuming she was the weakest member of the human tribe. A mistake rewarded with a shining arrow that easily blinded the cave-dwelling creatures before piercing straight into their brains.

Now, all four team members were engaged in a demanding yet manageable battle, where patience was the key—or so they thought.

“Astary, change your weapon. I’m paranoid,” Anicet ordered her, tightening his grip as he channeled darkness into his dragon-shaped lance.

“Tsk. When aren’t you? [Change.Slot2]!” Her diamond bow vanished, replaced by a gleaming diamond saber. She, too, had noticed that despite Bradamanthe and Armen mowing down goblins by the dozens, their numbers weren’t decreasing. Worse, both of their [HP] were steadily dropping. Mold? She thought, alarmed by the black spots spreading across their muscular arms and bulging veins as black as coal.

“Poison—watch out!” Anicet shouted toward the armorless Astary, but their problems were only beginning. A new green wave flooded the cave, swelling the goblin horde into the thousands, and even the raging fury of the two beasts wasn’t a dam strong enough to stem the tide. Each of Bradamanthe’s slashes cleaved dozens in half, but twice as many took their place, and at least one always managed to land a poisoned strike.

A steady drip can fill a bathtub. And strike by strike, eventually, the Red Bars of the 'Fullmetal Maiden' and the 'Recruit' got wholly grey, triggering an emergency teleport and leaving the ’Nostalgic Reactionary’ and the ’Shining Star’ alone like two lone islands in a green ocean.

The two survivors carved a desperate path through the goblins, miraculously reuniting amidst the chaos. Now, Astary and Anicet stood back-to-back with no clear way out. “We’re doomed, aren’t we?” The Starfolk lady admitted bitterly, her breaths rapid and shallow—a clear symptom of [Fatigue.SecondPhase].

“I still have a few tricks left,” The Nixie Prince replied calmly, showing no sign of [Fatigue.FirstPhase]. “But if I use them now, we’ll have nothing left for the next room.” He glanced at her. “Do you have any multi-target [Skill] that can handle thousands of enemies at once?”

“I do,” Astary said as her radiant light began to dim. “But to take out that many…I’d need at least a full minute to charge it. And even if we somehow survive that long…they’d all have to stay completely locked in place while my arrows pierce their heads…” She gave him a breathless laugh. “Pretty unrealistic, right?”

“Nothing could be simpler.” Anicet crouched low, wrapped her legs, and, with a fluid motion, hoisted Astary onto his right pauldron.

“What are you doing?!” She shrieked, her glow flickering in embarrassment.

“I’ll protect you for this minute,” he said, eyes locked on the approaching horde. “Now charge your [Skill].” Astary swapped her saber back to her bow, channeling every drop of radiant energy into its core.

The goblins rushed forward, but their chaotic charge left many holes in their formation for Anicet to exploit. In the next instant, a hundred goblin heads rolled on a ground stained by a line of thick darkness, while, on the opposite side of the room, the ’Nostalgic Reactionary’, with the ’Shining Star’ perched on his shoulder, stood untouched, shadows evaporating from his obsidian sabatons.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The darkness beneath his feet let him glide across the ground like he was skating on ice, turning what should have been a deadly minute into an effortless feat.

”Charging complete—make me fly.” Astary leapt, landing with perfect balance atop the Ambered-Lava blade Anicet held horizontally, and, with a powerful thrust, he launched her skyward. As she soared toward the ceiling, Anicet stuck Bad Ending into the ground, unleashing a pulse of darkness that spread throughout the room like a stormcloud, anchoring the goblins in place.

High above the battlefield, the ’Shining Star’ shot with her shining bow an even shinier arrow that struck the ceiling before shattering into a thousand shimmering shards that rained down like divine judgment, punishing the sinners below.

image [https://files.catbox.moe/f3si0v.png]

A goblin orchestra of hopeless screams masked the notification sound. From above, the ’Shining Star’ admired in awe the convulsions, vomit, and lifeless expressions of her blood-soaked victims—she couldn’t help but feel proud of herself.

Anicet caught her mid-fall with a swift motion of his arms, and when they opened their eyes, they found themselves locked in a tight embrace—their faces mere millimeters apart. Anicet gazed at the Starfolk lady, who shone amid his darkness, and Astary stared back at the Nixie prince, illuminated by her light yet claimed by shadows. When the magic finally faded, Anicet moved to break the hug, but Astary didn’t let him go. Her arms stayed firmly around his neck as she beamed at him with her large eyes. “Now that I see you this close—you’re truly handsome.”

For the first time in his fourteen years of life, the Scion of the Evernightmare Kingdom felt something he could only describe as—confusing.

***

No monsters. No doors. No instructions. Anicet and Astary stood alone in an empty cave, surrounded by silence as their uncertainty deepened.

“Maybe…we must to fight each other and the winner gets to proceed.” Anicet reluctantly suggested, though he made no further move.

“Likely.” Astary shrugged. “Or maybe it’s a test to see if we’d betray each other. I’m leaning toward the second option. And if I’m wrong, at least I’ll be proud of my choice.” Anicet nodded in agreement, and they sat down near each other.

“So, Scion of the Evernightmare Kingdom.” The ’Shining Star’ cast a sideways glance. “How does it feel, knowing that, one day, you’ll be the second most powerful man in the Holy Rolandish Empire?” She teased.

“Has anyone ever dreamed of being second?—Me, of course.” It was meant to be a joke, but neither his tone nor his expression changed—cold as ever. “Unlike most, I’m content ruling my peaceful homeland. A land whose soil, for two thousand years, hasn’t tasted the bitterness of blood—aside from the Marian Wars, of course.” He paused, inhaling slowly. “The Eleutheria Republic still holds Bloodmarch, the Starship Commando is trying to unify Lawfullia, and our political parties are so childish that they’ll fracture the Empire just to feed their egos. Your dear Chad will inherit a hill stuffed with dynamite, ready to ignite at the smallest spark.” He saw a crack in her shining mask. Small, but deep enough to know he’d struck an exposed nerve. “So be wary. All of this, and more, will weigh on Chad’s shoulders, and as his Queen, you’ll share the burden. Why? Because after witnessing betrayals by his dearest friends and the failures of his most competent ministers, you will be the only person he trusts in the entire world.” He finally found the courage to face her. “You both are going to live in an everlasting nightmare.” It was the kind of brutal honesty he always ended conversations with, but this time, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain—he felt a little guilty.

“You idiot!” Astary snapped but kept her charm intact, burying her real emotions beneath the hundreds of layers covering her heart. “This is exactly why you’re all alone! People don’t look for friends who remind them of their responsibilities—they already get that from their professors, their parents, and the whole damn world! Friends are supposed to help you forget, even just for a while. So the next time you try to start a conversation—mind this!” Anicet frowned as she stuck out her tongue at him. “And by the way, your reasoning has a flaw—Tsuki. But unlike you, I refuse to be second place in someone else’s heart.”

The Nixie Prince felt a hit to the stomach, then a faint yet persistent urge to ask her something. “But…it’s still a possibility. So, in that case…would you cons—” His gamble was cut short by the sudden grind of stone and the creak of metal. A new passage opened in the wall, and from it emerged two familiar figures—Chad Rolandsson and Tsuki Hakka. The two teams locked their eyes for a couple awkward seconds, until both realized what monsters they needed to kill to complete the test.

In an instant, Anicet and Astary dropped into battle stances, weapons at the ready, while, on the other side of the room, Chad loaded his fist, ready to smash Anicet’s skull.

“Wait.” Tsuki stepped forward, stopping her future husband with a calm hand. “Let me try first.” She advanced alone, hands resting lightly on the hilt of her katana. The rhythmic click of her wooden sandals echoed through the cave, a delicate rhythm that contrasted with the heavy thud of Anicet’s sabatons as he moved to meet her.

”Miss Von Sternenstaub, please—stay behind and support me.” Unwillingly, Astary stepped back, positioning herself just far enough for her light to barely kiss the battlefield. Still, the fiery glow of the Flaming Nixie Cross on Anicet’s Black Anguish and the violet shimmer of the three-tailed scorpions embroidered on Tsuki’s haori lit the area, bright enough for both fighters to gauge their surroundings and prepare for the coming clash.

Anicet moved first, using the darkness beneath his feat to skate over the ground, but the moment Tsuki’s blade left its sheath, he froze—completely paralyzed. Now powerless, he watched as the Moon Princess of Joseong vanished from his sight, only to reappear an instant later—her white katana on his neck.

*Twang!* *Twang!* Astary’s shining arrow intercepted the blade in time, while a second one struck Anicet in the back, releasing a golden wave that freed his body from the paralysis. “If you want to repay the favor—smash that ugly face of hers!” She shouted.

The Nixie Prince counterattacked, releasing a pulse of shadow to trap Tsuki’s feet as he lunged at her. But, just as Bad Ending neared the princess’s heart, Chad shoved her aside, letting the dragon-shaped spear pierce his own arm instead.

“Fool.” The ’Nostalgic Rectionary’ capitalized on his courtesy and twisted Bad Ending with a circular motion, carving a spiral wound deep into Chad’s arm before retreating swiftly to Astary’s side. The ’Hero’ apathetically examined the injury, confused by his [HP], which wasn’t regenerating it. Worse, dark shadows were now expanding like roots inside his arm.

“Let me take care of you.” As the corruption spread, the ’Time Samurai’ placed her hand over the spiral wound and a white aura radiated from her palm, restoring the arm of the ’Hero.’ Then, together, they marched toward their enemies.

In response, the Nixie prince swiftly took Astary by the waist, pulling her into his arms. “What are you doing?!” She shrieked as Anicet wrapped them both in his cape. Then, the eyes of his dragon-shaped pauldrons flared red, their jaws creaked open, and a dark liquid began to drip from their mouths, which evaporated the instant it touched the soil, releasing a thick and black smoke that swallowed them. The fog expanded outward, then curved, forming a dark ring that spiraled around Chad and Tsuki, who reacted instantly by pointing her white katana in every direction, but nothing seemed to happen.

”There’s no space or time inside that cloud…as if it comes from another dimension…one where the laws of physics are merely opinions.” Her grip tightened. “Be ready. It’s coming for us.” As the Lawfullian Princess said, the ring began to close in, and back to back, the future husband and wife rotated in sync, creating a seamless defensive circle to brace themselves for the inevitable.

Suddenly, a dark javelin shot out from the shadows, aiming straight for Tsuki, but Chad reacted instantly, deflecting the obsidian weapon with his mighty arm. Simultaneously, a shining arrow darted toward Chad, but Tsuki returned the favor with a rapid swing of her katana. Attack after attack relentlessly rained down from all angles, but the Imperial Couple moved in perfect sync, covering each other as the smoke ring slowly tightened toward them.

”I’ve had enough of your dirty tricks, Anicet!” Frustrated by the stalemate, Chad roared as he punched the air in front of him, unleashing a golden gust that shattered part of the shadow ring, unveiling Astary and Anicet. The ’Hero’ didn’t hesitate, charging straight at them.

Anicet moved to intercept his nemesis, but as they crossed paths, Chad swirled around him, slipping past the Nixie prince and launching himself at his true target.

"Wha—" Astary didn’t even have time to understand what was happening when the prince's golden fist struck her face like a meteor, sending her flying across the cave. Her body slammed into the wall, her [HP] dropped to zero, and she got teleported away.

Anicet stood in disbelief as he stared at Chad’s back. Slowly, the ’Hero’ turned his head, staring at the ’Nostalgic Reactionary’ with a bright smile—the eeriest expression the Scion of the Evernightmare Kingdom had ever witnessed.

“I’ve won.”

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image [https://files.catbox.moe/s6yxur.png]