Honkai: Star Rail — Kamen Rider!

The fleet of starships cast a sprawling shadow, plunging the city below into darkness.

Yet, far beyond those ships, a place remained strangely detached from the planet's current condition.

It was as if a transparent elliptical dome covered the area, causing the upward-flowing raindrops to skirt smoothly around its perimeter, ascending unimpeded into the sky.

But this was no ordinary dome—it was a fixed field of stasis.

Within that field, everything was isolated from the outside world, frozen exactly as it had been the moment the field had expanded. Even the radiant glow of the Stellaron remained locked in place.

And standing within that isolated zone were two striking figures:

Titanironia, clad in pure white, and a massive, dark-red suit of armor burning fiercely before her.

At first glance, one might mistake the flaming armor for some great villain, and the delicate girl in white as a helpless princess at his mercy.

Yet reality was very different.

That pure white figure was preparing to unleash a calamity upon not only the galaxy, but the entire universe. Should Titanironia complete her ascension, the cosmos would plunge into unprecedented terror.

And the burning giant before her was merely a replica formed from her own genes before her evolution. In truth, he was desperately trying to hold her back, fighting only to buy time for his friends to escape.

But the stasis field holding them had grown fragile.

While it had fully separated this space from normal time, effectively freezing the moment, this was merely Hotaru's desperate, final act, holding Titanironia at bay with every ounce of his strength.

Yet even now, Titanironia's consciousness was gradually awakening. A faint light had already returned to her eyes.

She saw clearly the fleet of ships poised for escape above and calmly observed the armored figure before her—his immense, twisted metal body illuminated by fading golden streaks, oddly mismatched yet strangely cohesive.

Crucially, those golden streaks were slowly fading. And as they disappeared, the power that froze time itself was slipping away as well.

When exactly did this power start to fade away?

Titanironia considered briefly, and the answer readily formed in her mind:

Nearly a week had passed, measured by the standard time of this universe.

But what had caused the field to deteriorate?

Wasn't it sustained by the memories embedded within this replica armor—formed after absorbing the shattered remains of that man's gear?

Titanironia couldn't fully comprehend why all this was happening, but she knew clearly one thing:

She was about to break free and resume her ascension.

She didn't care about the escaping ships. The influence of an Aeon wasn't limited to mere physical surroundings—it extended across vast stretches of space, spanning many light-years. Unless those fleeing could instantly cover thousands of light-years, they would still eventually fall under her sway.

But for now, all she could do was wait.

As the [Super-Heavy Acceleration] field dissipated, fragments of memory trapped within it flowed into her mind. Through genetic resonance, Titanironia absorbed and decoded these memories:

It was nearly impossible to pinpoint exactly when Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance, had first emerged in the galaxy.

All that could be confirmed was that Remembrance's presence was first truly felt many years after the universe had endured a plague of cosmic-scale calamities.

At the beginning, Fuli's Path had been incredibly weak, emerging seemingly without reason. The earliest Pathstriders, drawn by a simple desire to collect scenery or images, had inadvertently stepped onto this Path.

Yet those who followed Remembrance recorded their lives—and everything around them.

The first walkers of Remembrance tried desperately to store every detail of their experiences in their minds. It was immensely difficult; the distractions of life were many, and Remembrance was initially too weak to help its followers overcome them.

This challenge made Remembrance's early followers exceedingly rare. Yet some, by circumstance or personal strength, could maintain that unwavering clarity.

For instance, a certain girl had been unable to speak from birth. This limitation allowed her to fully dedicate herself to recording every detail around her.

She recorded a life others deemed defective.

Despite being labeled a failure, she was still assigned supportive, high-speed armor—not meant for frontline combat, yet vital nonetheless. Quietly, from the battlefield's edge, she recorded everything, engraving each comrade's silhouette into memory.

She watched as comrades changed one after another, yet each new ally instinctively protected her.

Why do they keep protecting me? she wondered.

Unable to speak, her communication was painfully limited. Thus, she was always seen as flawed, never expected to survive.

Yet against all odds, she persisted—battle after battle, eventually becoming her squad's oldest veteran.

And yet, she remained invisible, perpetually underestimated by all.

[This is why I seek companions.]

With companions, there would be no loneliness, no sadness.

If surrounded entirely by companions, the universe would surely become a paradise.

That was why she had to succeed, transforming the universe itself into a place free from isolation. She would fill every corner of the cosmos with companionship.

She would spread this beautiful companionship across all creation, making every living being into companions—into herself.

[And you… become my companion as well.]

Titanironia's fingers twitched slightly.

She could finally move again, if only faintly.

She reached toward the towering, flame-wreathed figure in front of her.

She wanted to use her strength to erase his loneliness, to bring him back into her embrace.

Here, you'll never feel sadness again. Here, you'll never feel loneliness again.

Because I… we are always by your side. You are me, and I am you.

Yet, just as Titanironia's fingers were about to touch Hotaru, about to rescue her companion who had sunk so deeply into loneliness…

Countless black arms suddenly erupted from nowhere, madly stretching outward and halting Titanironia's outstretched hand mere inches from Hotaru.

Upon contact, those arms instantly disintegrated into black ash, scattering away like dust.

Titanironia froze in momentary surprise at this unexpected interference. From those wildly sprawling arms, she sensed a familiar yet distinctly different power—

The power of Nihility.

Fragments of comrades she had once sought within the Void now wrapped themselves around the figure before her, coalescing into a suit of armor. And in that instant, Titanironia clearly understood the truth of her opponent's existence:

A Sin Thirster. A residual Nihility entity, born from a Pathstrider's lingering obsessions after death.

Sin Thirsters unwittingly repeated the actions of the Pathstriders they once were. And this one's past had been spent endlessly searching the Void for fragments of fallen comrades.

Gathered within Nihility, those fragments had accumulated, resonating with her former Path of Remembrance, finally forming this twisted yet powerful form.

[A dead woman cloaked in countless gathered memories, hiding her Void essence.]

She had died long ago, though she herself did not yet realize it.

She believed herself to have escaped the Void, unaware that her fundamental nature was gradually infecting the surrounding memories, slowly revealing her true identity. She was merely an entity spreading Nihility's contamination wherever she walked—an anomaly that never should have existed in this universe.

Yet her unconscious wandering along the Path of Remembrance, combined with the lingering consciousness fragments trapped in Nihility, had granted her this illusion of life.

She was useful to Titanironia—to the propagation of companions (herself).

Titanironia's genes naturally carried the power of Propagation. Because of this, clones based on her genes rarely succeeded in following other Paths.

Yet here stood someone who had not only walked another Path but could even manipulate memories—

[I'll reshape her into my servant, using her to help spread companions throughout the universe!]

Instantly, Titanironia determined the purpose of this existence before her. The combination of Nihility, Remembrance, and Propagation could transform even dead Pathstriders from the Void into loyal companions (herself).

Imagine: a universe where even Nihility overflowed with companions.

How glorious that would be!

Stepping fully into the Path of Propagation, Titanironia's very thoughts now focused solely on expanding the presence of companions. For that goal, she had made her choice.

Though this being had briefly disrupted her ascension ritual, she was perfect as a vessel to spread companions everywhere.

In a heartbeat, all the arms protecting Hotaru crumbled to dust. Titanironia's hand surged forward, piercing through crimson flames and thick armor, plunging directly into Hotaru's chest!

Propagation's power surged violently, and Hotaru began to transform beneath that irresistible force.

Hotaru's consciousness, previously trapped in unconsciousness, jolted awake at the sudden intrusion into her chest. Strangely, it wasn't painful, yet the overwhelming torrent of energy forced a tortured expression onto her face.

"Ugh—agh!" Hotaru gasped sharply, instantly realizing the danger. "What…what are you doing!?"

[Merely making you into my companion. Together, we'll spread more companions across the universe.]

"You…dammit…no…!" Hotaru desperately resisted. Nihility's rootless nature made her consciousness fade further, memories fracturing and merging with something else entirely.

Her personality began dissolving, slowly overtaken by Titanironia's identical visage. Her motivations shifted, from protecting her clan to solely expanding the spread of companions.

Every precious memory she had painstakingly recorded suddenly became worthless. Faces blurred and vanished, familiar squadmates fading into strangers. Even the one face she swore never to forget—the man she had desperately wished to preserve forever—was slowly disappearing.

"No…no, please…"

That's my most precious treasure…

Yet Titanironia showed no sign of empathy, only gazing at Hotaru with cold indifference.

Suddenly—

A massive burst of dazzling white light erupted from above, accompanied by a violent wave of energy cascading across the planet.

Under that colossal impact, the celestial curtain shattered completely.

With it shattered the last vestiges of the [Super-Heavy Acceleration] Field restraining Titanironia.

The golden lines tracing Hotaru's armor completely vanished, and the frozen barrier holding Titanironia faded away.

The Stellaron's brilliant red-golden radiance once again blazed across the heavens.

Titanironia's conversion accelerated even further.

[Become part of me. Here, you will feel neither loneliness nor pain ever again.]

Hotaru could no longer reply; all her strength focused solely on resisting the erosion of her memories. Yet, even now, faces once engraved in her mind faded into blankness, squad numbers merging until they became one name—"Titanironia."

I don't want to forget…!

Even the hand signals deeply etched in her memory, gestures made by the one man who had changed everything for her, now faded to white.

You, the first true friend I made as Hotaru…I refuse to forget!

"Someone… please… help me…"

The dark crimson armor slowly turned white.

Hotaru stared blankly into the blinding white glow filling the sky, her world dissolving into blankness.

Is this… my end?

Before I could even properly say goodbye to everyone…to him?

Now, I'll become Titanironia's puppet.

Perhaps even attacking him myself...

Silence was her only answer.

But then, softly, she heard a song…

"Huh?" Hotaru's vacant eyes refocused. She looked up. Something is coming…

'[Bujin Sword Victory]!'

'Living by helping each other until we can see the future'

'Chasing the happiness in our hearts that no one can take away'

'Watch I'm a tycoon!'

A dazzling emerald-green radiance slashed through the sky, carving a brilliant arc hundreds of meters long as it crashed violently onto Titanironia's arm—the same arm piercing Hotaru's chest.

Shinnnng—!

A crisp, ringing note echoed as Titanironia's arm cleanly split in two.

If anyone described this scene to others, they'd be dismissed as insane. Titanironia, while still merely the Larva of Propagation, possessed power approaching an Aeon. To physically breach her defense, much less sever her arm, was unthinkable.

Yet it had just occurred.

Hotaru felt the invasive memories recede like rainwater. Finally relaxing slightly, she watched as a black cloak slowly descended before her.

A familiar voice echoed calmly from within:

"I'll use this power…to face another imperfect god."