Chapter 3: Young Man, Do You Desire Power? (Part 1)

Hua Ling and Gao Fushuai stood on stage, visibly embarrassed as they watched the wildly excited audience. Left with no other choice, they reluctantly performed more absurd Honkai-themed songs. Gao Fushuai managed alright, but when Hua Ling sang Teacher Hua Ling's "De De De"—a song perfectly suited for Theresa—the atmosphere changed completely.

Hua Ling's feigned loli voice, complete with a childish lisp, created such a convincing illusion of Theresa's presence that the anime fans in the crowd went wild.

"Theresa, I'm your biggest fan!" someone shouted, lunging forward.

"Hehehe, adorable Theresa, I'm your favorite Cecilia!" a girl cosplaying Cecilia giggled madly.

"Theresa, I'm your Bitter Melon Spirit!"

"Family, does anyone understand?!" A particularly peculiar Bitter Melon Spirit yelled excitedly, his grotesque expression causing those around him to recoil in embarrassment. Even Hua Ling couldn't resist the urge to hurl the Oath of Judah at him—the spirit's appearance was just too bizarre.

Hua Ling and Gao Fushuai finally managed to leave the stage, surprisingly clutching the trophy from the cosplay competition. They stood awkwardly amidst a crowd of onlookers snapping photos, especially the many enthusiastic young women who swarmed Hua Ling, hugging him tightly and ruffling his hair.

Some might wonder if Hua Ling's true gender would be exposed, but that wasn't an issue. Theresa's renowned lack of physical attributes was so deeply ingrained in everyone's minds that no one noticed Hua Ling's flat chest. It was a testament to how unremarkable Theresa's appearance was.

For what felt like an eternity, the crowd swarmed around Gao Fushuai, cosplaying as Otto, and Hua Ling, as Theresa, taking photos. Both felt blinded by the constant flashes, utterly bewildered by how celebrities endured such a relentless barrage of light.

Finally, as the sun began to set and the convention drew to a close, the exhausted pair abandoned their concerns about returning home in their cosplay outfits. After all, the streets were already filled with people in equally outlandish costumes.

One figure stood out: a silver-haired Person cosplaying Vergil. He sat defiantly with his back to the crowd on a plastic chair at a street food stall, his replica Yamato resting on the armrest, radiating an overwhelming aura of power.

Feeling the power~

Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, a Dante in a Hatsune Miku cosplay calmly approached Vergil.

"Hey Vergil," Dante called out to Vergil's back, "your days of randomly opening portals are over. Hand over the Yamato!"

"If you want it, come and get it yourself," Vergil replied, standing up and turning to face Dante. Vergil's eye twitched at Dante's bizarre attire.

"You know the rules," Vergil said, barely suppressing a laugh as he looked at the absurdly dressed Dante.

"Just knew you'd say that," Dante replied. As he spoke, an inexplicable drumbeat began—someone had started drumming the rhythm from Devil May Cry.

"How many times have we fought?" Vergil asked, looking up at Dante.

"Hard to say. It's the only thing I've remembered since I was a kid," Dante replied, stepping closer to Vergil, who mirrored his movement.

"It ends here, Vergil!"

"Once and for all!" Dante declared, brandishing a giant green onion like a sword with a grin.

Vergil couldn't help but laugh. He gave Dante a thumbs-up.

"Hahaha, I can't hold it in anymore, bro! This is too hilarious! Your Dante is completely off the rails!"

Vergil finally finished his lines for the mental hospital skit and burst into laughter, everyone else joining in with hearty roars.

"Haha, even a Miku Dante is still Dante, right? No problem there!"

"Let's go, bro! My treat for bubble tea!"

"Alright, let's roll!"

Vergil and Dante strolled off, arms slung around each other's shoulders. The crowd, having had their fill of amusement, gradually dispersed. As for the folding chairs scattered around the makeshift food stall, they'd been borrowed from nearby.

"Haha, those guys were hilarious, weren't they?" Hua Ling said cheerfully to Gao Fushuai, completely forgetting he was still using his fake voice.

"Mhm." Gao Fushuai nodded with a faint smile, instinctively reaching for Hua Ling's hand. But something seemed to stop him; he sighed wistfully and lowered his raised hand.

[Path of Heavenly Origin]

Suddenly, Hua Ling and Gao Fushuai froze, hearing Bronya's voice. The world around them came to a standstill, even the light drizzle suspended mid-air. In stunned silence, they watched a car with a Bronya car skin careen toward them from the distance, its voice booming from the vehicle.

[Here, we forge a new path!]

[Damn you heterosexuals! Hurry up and reincarnate!]

Amid the car's furious shout, Gao Fushuai and Hua Ling were sent flying by the anime waifu Car. Soaring high into the air, they were suddenly swallowed by a newly formed void, which then vanished without a trace.

[Hmm~ Another pair of detestable heterosexuals dealt with. May you both be reborn as girls and start new lives. Mission complete—time to scram!]

The Bronya Car transformed into a robot, its mechanical fingers clacking away at a keyboard. Nodding in satisfaction, it reverted to its car form and sped off with a triumphant roar.

As it departed, time, which had frozen in place, resumed its flow, ensuring ordinary people remained unaware of the bizarre events.

In the serene cosmos of the Star Rail World, a void suddenly materialized and expanded, spewing out Hua Ling and Gao Fushuai. It then expelled an air bubble that enveloped the unconscious pair, allowing them to briefly survive in the vacuum of space.

Buzz...

The void emitted a peculiar sound before collapsing and vanishing without a trace.

After a while, the two slowly regained consciousness inside the air bubble.

"Gao Fushuai, did we just get hit by a Bronya Car?" Hua Ling mumbled, still dazed and rubbing his head.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I remember being sent flying by one. What's weird is that I didn't feel any pain," Gao Fushuai replied, scanning their surroundings. When he peered through the transparent air bubble and saw the cosmic void outside, he froze in shock.

"I think we're about to join Kars, the legendary thinker who stopped thinking. The good news is we definitely transmigrated. The bad news is we're about to become space debris..."

Gao Fushuai stared at Hua Ling, his face crumbling in despair. "If you weren't here," he cried, "I'd have already lost my mind!"

The utter desolation of the silent, empty vacuum of space was truly terrifying.

"If this really is transmigration, what about your parents?" Hua Ling asked, trying to distract Gao Fushuai from his spiraling thoughts. "You're not as alone as I am." He forced himself to remain calm, knowing that emotional stability was crucial in such a desperate situation.

"Uh, don't worry about them," Gao Fushuai replied. "Besides me, the younger brother Gao Fushuai, there's my older brother Gao Youcai and my sister Gao Xiaomei. But most importantly, I'm not their biological child. I was adopted, just like you. I've been subjected to an incredibly strict upbringing my whole life. Meeting you was the first time I could finally breathe. That family was suffocating. This isn't so bad... as long as we find a way to survive." Gao Fushuai noticed that Hua Ling's composure had begun to steady him as well.