Book 8: The Interdimensional Traveler
Chapter 3: Pyred Dimension
Zi-O Liner, Dining Area
"Wow. So that's what you guys have been up to lately. And Gjallarhorn was the whole reason why." Raychel remarked after hearing the explanation from the team about Xross Drive Rebellion and their mission. She and Zeo were also helmetless so they could get some breathing room.
"More worlds that existed beyond Planet Popstar and Halcandra… Astounding…" Magolor also remarked.
"Yep. That's the multiverse for ya." Zeo replied.
"And now you know why we accepted this mission and formed this multiversal team, or else the Neo Time Jackers will cause chaos around the multiverse." Cure Starlight added.
"I see…" Raychel noted. "That also explains why those Dimensional Quakes brought Kanade and Serena back to life along with warping people to other worlds."
"Yup." Kanade nodded. "For the former, I guess second chances can appear when you least expect it, and Serena-chan and I are going to make use of it."
"So far, we currently have seven Gjallarhorn fragments while the Neo Time Jackers have three." Himeko said.
"We may have gotten the lead, but if we're not careful, they'll start catching up." Kiana added.
"And there's no telling when they'll try to steal the fragments from our hands when they're within our reach." Maria also added.
"I see." Raychel noted.
"So… how did you get here?" Seele asked. "Is it because of a Dimensional Quake?"
"Hold on… gimme a moment to retrace my steps." Raychel pondered with her hand on her chin. "After graduating from the same college as Zeo, Akira and Gaius, I was on my way to an anime convention to celebrate. But then I noticed a small glowing fragment nearby. I tried to ask any passerby about the fragment, but they just ignored it and walked away. So I decided to pick it up myself… and that's when a sudden quake happened. And soon enough, my mind went blank and was unconscious. And when I woke up, I saw you four." She stared at Zeo, Starlight, Magolor and Regina.
"A fragment… then a quake…" Zeo whispered, before his eyes widened in realization. "Uh… Ray? I think that was a Gjallarhorn fragment you picked up, and that quake happens to be a Dimensional Quake."
"What?!" Raychel gasped. "That was a Gjallarhorn fragment?!"
"Do you still have it?" Starlight asked.
"No." Raychel shook her head. "I already checked my bag, but it's not there. I think I dropped it during the warp."
"Hm, well that's a problem." Magolor remarked. "I wonder where it dropped?"
"Who knows?" Kanade shrugged. "But I'm sure we'll find it eventually."
"So then Raychel, will you join us?" Himeko offered.
"...Well… I'd like to, but I'm more worried about my belongings back home." Raychel replied.
"Tell you what, after the mission, we'll go back to Prime Earth and get your stuff." Zeo said. "Sounds good?"
Raychel pondered for a moment before accepting with a nod. "Alright, I'm in. And thanks."
"Welcome to the Rebellion, Ray." Starlight smiled and offered a fist-bump.
"Looking forward to working with you guys." Raychel smiled back and accepted the fist-bump. "No way am I going to miss a huge adventure with my friends. Though… how the heck were you guys able to fight like that? What kind of training did you guys do?"
"When you're training under Genjuro Kazanari… it's the crazy kind." Zeo answered.
"...Oh. That kind." Raychel sweatdropped.
"Yup." Regina nodded. "But at least it's worth it."
"Hey Himeko? How about you, Magolor, Kiana and Seele search for the next fragment?" Starlight asked. "We're going to stay in the Zi-O Liner and help Ray with her training at the Training Room."
"Sure. I could use the exercise. It's been a long while since I've participated in a mission." Himeko replied. "Ready to go, valkyries?"
"Always ready, Himeko." Kiana grinned, stretching her arms and legs while Seele nodded.
"I'm ready, too!" Magolor waved. "Looking forward to fighting alongside you girls."
"Then let's get started. Good luck with the training, Raychel!" Himeko waved as she, Kiana, Seele and Magolor left the train.
"So um… before we go and train…" Raychel turned to Kanade, Maria and Regina. "Did my friends tell you about… your stories being an anime?"
"Don't worry, we and the rest of the Rebellion know." Maria assured.
"Even though it's kinda surreal." Kanade added, rubbing the back of her head.
"Very, very surreal." Regina added, scratching her cheek with her finger.
Raychel giggled as she and Zeo put on their helmets. "I can understand that. Okay, I'm ready to get started."
"Then follow us." Starlight replied as she and the others led Raychel to the Training Room.
Ethereal Altar
As Himeko, Kiana, Seele and Magolor explored deeper in the dimension, they found an extra door they'd missed. Magolor quickly went through the door, clearing another challenge which earned him more magic points. Afterwards, they explored the dimension further and noticed a ladder leading downwards. "Huh, well this never showed up before." Magolor remarked.
"Probably due to after the second apple fragment was placed with the first one." Kiana answered.
"So the more apple fragments were placed with the others, the more of this dimension we can explore." Seele deduced.
"And probably even tougher enemies, obstacles and fragment guardians up ahead." Himeko added.
"On the bright side, at least this will help me gain more magic points to restore my powers. So let's go down there and find out." Magolor said, going down the ladder.
"H-Hey! Wait for us!" Seele said as she and the others went after him.
After reaching the bottom of the ladder, they saw a small windmill with a wall of metal behind it along with lava rocks scattered around the floor. "A wall and a windmill… something's definitely behind that wall." Kiana observed.
"But how do we get rid of the wall?" Seele pondered.
"Hm…" Himeko glanced at the wall and the fan. "Maybe something will happen if we spin that fan with some wind."
"Wind, huh…" Magolor mused. "Let me try something." He then used his Magolor Surge across the windmill to make it spin, causing the metal blocks to vanish and revealed a star-shaped rift up ahead. "There we go!"
"Another rift…" Seele observed.
"Nice going, Magolor!" Kiana smiled. "Way to use your recently unlocked ability for this situation."
Magolor chuckled. "I aim to please. Okay, time to explore that rift!" Afterwards, the team went inside the rift to begin the exploration.
Pyred Dimension 2-1
After coming out of the rift they've entered, they find themselves in a lava area with a few tight tunnels and the occasional lava pillars rising from the lava pools.
"Lava. Why did it have to be lava?" Kiana muttered, preparing her Water Spirit pistols. "And this isn't the first time!"
"No point questioning it, Kiana. Just try not to fall off." Himeko replied, preparing her new single-edged claymore, the Prototype Archaic, a dark brown claymore with amber on the blade edge and amber highlights on the blunt area, weapon guard and handle.
"Where did you get that?" Seele asked while preparing her Azure Storm scythe, with an azure blue and black color scheme.
"Diluc made it for me to use when I took a trip to Mondstadt. I wasn't expecting him to be a pretty skilled blacksmith." Himeko answered.
"I see."
"Mind if I take point for this one?" Magolor requested. "I should be stronger than before after defeating that electro wizard for the apple fragment."
"Sure thing, Magolor. We'll cover you." Kiana replied.
"Great! Let's get moving!" Magolor replied back as he moved ahead with the other valkyries following behind.
As the team traversed through the area, they had to avoid the lava pillars, jumping over lava pools, more magic points for Magolor to collect, and more enemies to beat which consisted of Bronto Burts and Bouncys. Eventually, they reach a path split. The upper path leads to platforms and living spike balls known as Gordos, while the bottom path is blocked with more metal blocks, however there's a windmill at the center path.
"So, which way do we go?" Himeko asked.
"Hmm…" Magolor pondered before noticing the windmill. "Hold on, let me get that thing spinning." He did a quick Magolor Surge to spin the windmill, causing the bottom path to be open as the metal blocks vanished. "That's better." He nodded. "As for the bottom path, mind if I handle this one alone? I think that path is too narrow for you girls to squeeze through."
Seele looked at the bottom narrow path. "You do have a point there."
"Then it's decided. We'll wait for you at the end. Be careful in there!" Kiana said as she and the others took the upper path while avoiding the Gordos, while Magolor explored the bottom path.
Speaking of the bottom path, Magolor had to deal with more monsters that he encountered earlier, now it included a small red limbless dragon named Galbo, but that's nothing Magolor can't handle. He also made use of his Magolor Surge, dashing through more monsters and breakable blocks, avoiding the Gordos, and collecting more magic points. Once he reached the end of his path, he noticed the others defeating a larger Galbo next to a star door.
"Oh, you made it." Seele noticed Magolor's arrival.
"We just finished dealing with a small dragon." Himeko said, gesturing her head towards the magic points the monster dropped. "You're free to take the leftovers."
"Don't mind if I do." Magolor nodded and absorbed the dropped magic points.
"Okay, on to the next area." Kiana declared as they went inside the door.
In the next area, they saw a blue magic bottle along with breakable blocks with floating orange blobs with eyes known as Scarfies hiding behind them.
"A magic bottle?" Kiana picked up the bottle. "I wonder who's it for?"
"I think that's probably for me." Magolor answered, offering a hand. "May I?"
"By all means." Kiana nodded, giving the bottle to Magolor and drank all of it before tossing it away.
"How do you feel?" Seele asked.
"I feel like I want to unleash a Magolor Cannon soon." Magolor answered before noticing the blocks. "And I think I'll use it over there."
"Then go right ahead. We'll stay back." Himeko nodded.
Magolor then approached the blocks, summoned a magic circle in front, and unleashed his Magolor Cannon after it's fully charged as the laser beam obliterated the blocks and the Scarfys. "That felt good." He chuckled.
"As long as that cannon is for the enemies and not us." Kiana remarked.
Afterwards, they ventured through the thin walkways and hopped onto the moving landscape where they saw Parasol Halcandle Dees descending to their location, only for Kiana to shoot them down before they reached the platform. The pattern continued as they hopped aboard more moving platforms, dealt with more Parasol Halcandle Dees with Seele taking one for herself, and even caused more magic points to appear after Magolor did his Magolor Surge on another windmill. Afterwards, they hopped across thin walkways, dealt with another Galbo, and Magolor picking up another magic bottle and drank it. Then they reached the end of the area with a lava pool in the middle.
"We've reached the end of the area. Which could only mean one thing…" Magolor said as they soon saw more monsters appearing from the portals consisting of Galbos and Bronto Burts, led by a couple of large Dippas with dark auras. "...an ambush. Good thing I can fire another Magolor Cannon after drinking another magic bottle."
"Actually…" Kiana pondered as she observed the monsters. "Himeko, Seele, can you group those monsters into one spot? Magolor and I will blast them in a combined shot."
"No problem. Come on, Seele!" Himeko replied and rushed towards the monsters.
"Right behind you, Major!" Seele replied back and went after her.
"Ooh, I like the way you think!" Magolor remarked to Kiana with intrigue.
"Only if it works. We need to make this count." Kiana replied, fusing her pistols into one large gun and took aim.
"Gotcha." Magolor nodded, preparing his Magolor Cannon.
Himeko got to work grouping the monsters while dodging their attacks and countered with her own claymore swings, while Seele did the same thing with her scythe and her warp dashing. Soon enough, once the monsters were grouped into one spot, Himeko quickly retreated while Seele launched an azure butterfly on the group that detonated upon contact, trapping the monsters in a gravity sphere before she followed Himeko's lead.
"Now's the time!" Kiana shouted as she and Magolor charged their lasers to full.
"Enjoy your trip!" Magolor shouted as the two fired their laser beams, completely vaporizing the trapped monsters into nothingness, leaving behind a large amount of magic points for Magolor to collect.
"And that's how we do it!" Kiana grinned as they holstered their weapons while Magolor quickly absorbed the dropped magic points.
"Nicely done, everyone." Himeko praised. "And good planning with the grouping strategy, Kiana."
"Well I need to make sure my friends can pull it off, but I know how strong you girls are." Kiana replied. "Same goes for Magolor since he's becoming stronger."
"Speaking of which… Do you have enough to improve your current powers, Magolor?" Seele asked.
"I do. But I've also regained something useful." Magolor replied as he conjured up a star-shaped magic barrier in front of him with a smaller star on each of its five sides. "My Magic Barrier! Now I'll be able to guard and not take damage, but only for five hits."
"A magic barrier… That will be useful." Himeko remarked as a star-shaped rift appeared before the group. "Alright, onto the next area."
Pyred Dimension 2-2
After coming out of the rift they've entered, they found themselves in a new area with an enclosed space and more metal blocks ahead with a Bomb Block next to it.
"Can anyone shoot that Bomb Block so that the wall breaks?" Magolor asked.
"Say no more." Kiana replied, shooting the block with her pistol, causing it to destroy the metal wall and revealed something up ahead.
The team took a closer look and saw a large magic bulb that contained magic points inside. "So many magic points." Seele observed. "You're free to take them if you want, Magolor."
"Don't mind if I do." Magolor complied as he rubbed his hands.
"Wait." Himeko raised her hand. "...We're not alone here."
And sure enough, monsters appeared from the small rifts consisting of several Darpas and one large Dupa. "I hate it when that happens." Kiana muttered as they prepared themselves.
"I think they're after the magic points inside that bulb!" Seele deduced.
"Can you ladies take care of those monsters? I'm gonna try and absorb those magic points inside the bulb." Magolor asked.
"No problem, just do your job!" Himeko replied as she and the others nodded.
Fortunately, the monsters were no match for the team of skilled valkyries. Even the large Dupa was defeated without breaking a sweat. Once Magolor absorbed all of the magic points inside the bulb, it broke. Afterwards, he also absorbed the leftover magic points from the monsters that the valkyries defeated. "Ah… it feels good to get those magic points." Magolor said. "I wonder if there's more of those bulbs up ahead?"
"Maybe we'll find more beyond that door?" Kiana pointed at the star door ahead.
"Let's find out." Magolor replied as the team went inside the door.
And the moment they went through, they immediately fell into another area and landed in front of another magic bulb. "Well Kiana, there's your answer." Himeko said before they noticed more monsters appearing from the rifts consisting of Halcandle Dees, Dupas and Waddle Doos which have a single large eye for a face, orange-red body and yellow feet. "And here comes the welcoming committee."
"Oh look, Waddle Doos." Magolor noticed. "Watch out for the eye beams, by the way. Anyway, same as before. Protect me while I absorb the magic points from this bulb." Afterwards, he got right to work with the magic bulb.
"I'll handle those one-eyed monsters. You girls can handle the others." Kiana said, twirling her pistol.
"Roger!/Okay!" Himeko and Seele nodded as they began their attack on the monsters while Kiana fought the Waddle Doos with her pistols. Himeko and Seele made quick work with the other monsters while Kiana dodged the Waddle Doos' eye beams and countered with bullet fire from afar followed by a Neko Charm, crushing them with her large metal neko paw from a portal.
Once the area is clear, Magolor finishes absorbing the magic points inside the bulb and quickly picks up the magic points from the dropped monsters. Then the floor they're standing opened up, revealing another magic bulb and thin walkways below. They jumped down and landed in front of the bulb, prompting Magolor to absorb the magic points inside the bulb, while everyone else protects him from the appearing monsters consisting of more Halcandle Dees, Dupas, Waddle Doos with one of them holding a parasol. And all of them are led by a larger Waddle Doo with a dark aura.
"Okay, I think I know who I'm going after next." Kiana observed the larger Waddle Doo.
"Actually, how about I handle this one?" Himeko raised her hand. "Don't worry, I can dodge a few beams."
"...Alright, you can have him." Kiana replied.
"Remember to be careful, Major!" Seele added.
"Heh, did you forget who trained the valkyries?" Himeko smirked and dashed towards the large Waddle Doo. As the other valkyries fought the rest of the monsters, Himeko dodged Waddle Doo's moving beams while also countering with claymore swings to the legs, hindering its movements. The monster fired another straight beam at the major, only for her to evade by jumping over it and countered with a strong claymore swing to the legs from behind, causing it to fall on its back. Seeing an opening, Himeko performed a rising spin slash that sent the monster airborne, and finished with an X-slash, causing it to explode and leaving behind large amounts of magic points.
"Okay, I'm done with this magic bulb, too!" Magolor informed as the now empty bulb breaks and noticed that the valkyries took care of the monsters, including the large Waddle Doo, leaving behind magic points. "And it looks like you're also done with the monsters. Excuse me while I collect those."
"Good going, Himeko." Kiana complimented as Magolor absorbed the dropped magic points.
"Heh, barely broke a sweat." Himeko smirked. "He's big, but his attacks are predictable and his vulnerable spots are obvious. Plus, training with Genjuro also helps prevent my skills from being rusty."
"I see." Seele noted. "Though I wonder when we'll reach the end of this marathon and return to the altar?"
"Hmm… If I were to guess, I think we're halfway there." Kiana assumed. "And by the time we're done, Magolor should have more than enough magic points to further improve his powers. Not to mention those new challenge doors appearing for him to partake in."
"Phew… done with grabbing those dropped magic points." Magolor approached the group. "Our new path should show up right about…" Soon enough, the floor beneath them opened up. "...now."
"I don't see another magic bulb nor a Star Rift." Himeko peeked at the area below.
"A Star Rift?" Magolor blinked.
"Figured I'd give it a name for those kinds of portals that we can enter."
"Ah, I see."
"Let's have a closer look." Kiana said as she and the others went down the hole and landed in a new area. There, they saw two metal walls. Behind them had a windmill nearby, and in front of them had a Bomb Block which leads to a new path below.
"Which way do we go?" Seele asked, looking at the two walls.
"Let's start… here." Magolor answered, performing his Magolor Surge on the windmill, causing the metal wall to break and revealed… cakes, donuts and puddings? "Oh, goodie! Snacks!"
"You're kidding." Himeko sweatdropped as she watched the others bolt towards the snacks. "Snacks? In a place like this? Are you sure those are safe to eat?"
"Oh don't worry, this isn't the first time that's happened when Kirby and his friends visited Another Dimension. They're safe to eat." Magolor assured after eating a slice of cake before picking up another slice and approached the major. "Here, have a slice of cake."
"Well…" Himeko pondered as she glanced at Kiana and Seele eating the snacks before shrugging. "Ah, what the heck. I could use something to eat at the moment." She took a bite of the cake. "Mmm… it's delicious. Though it would be nice if there's any chocolate cake."
"Nope, just a strawberry shortcake, mango pudding and sugar donuts." Magolor shook his head.
"Oh well, maybe next time." Himeko replied, finishing her cake. "You girls done? We need to get moving!"
"Just finished, Himeko!" Kiana replied as she and Seele regrouped after eating the snacks.
"I'm surprised that those snacks still taste good despite being in another dimension." Seele remarked.
"Magolor did confirm that they're safe to eat though." Himeko stated.
"Anyway, let's move on." Magolor said as he destroyed the Bomb Block with a magic sphere, causing the metal wall to break. Afterwards, they jumped down the revealed hole and landed in another area with another magic bulb inside. However, when they took a closer look at the bulb, they saw something else inside besides the magic points. "Oh my."
"What the…" Kiana remarked in surprise with the others reacting the same way.
What they saw inside the bulb besides the magic points is a young foxgirl with a brown tail and hair with red tips, and large brown fox ears. She wears a sleeveless brown dress with white and red accents, along with a red sash acting as a belt, a jade bracelet on her left wrist, and matching detached short sleeves. She also wears calf-high white stirrups and golden sandals that leave her toes exposed.
"A foxgirl? Just like Yae Sakura?" Seele observed.
"Except this one has a tail." Himeko remarked. "Where did this girl come from though?"
"How about we ask her after we break this bulb open?" Kiana cracked her knuckles.
"Whoa, hold on just a second!" Magolor interjected with his hands raised. "You can't just break open a magic bulb by force! Who knows what will happen if you do that!"
"Magolor has a point there." Himeko agreed. "Let's just let him do the usual by absorbing the contents inside the bulb until it breaks itself."
"...Fair enough, do what you need to do." Kiana noted.
"Thank you." Magolor nodded and got right to work with the magic bulb.
"Okay, bring on the monsters!" Kiana twirled her pistols as said monsters began appearing from the rifts consisting of a group of Waddle Doos led by a larger Waddle Doo, but in yellow with a pronounced tuft of dark yellow hair and orange shoes with tips that point upward. "That is not your average Waddle Doo."
"That's because you're looking at King Doo, leader of the Waddle Doos." Magolor explained. "Watch yourselves, girls! This one is tough to beat!"
"Hmm… if what Magolor said is true, then I think I'll have a go on that one-eyed king." Veliona spoke from Seele's mind. "Let me take control for this battle, Seele."
"Well… if you insist." Seele mentally replied as she closed her eyes. And once she opened them, the colors of her eyes became crimson red and let out a crimson red aura as Veliona took control.
"You ladies have fun with the monster fodder. But the king…" Veliona twirled her scythe and pointed at King Doo. "...is mine."
"Guess Veliona decided to fight something that piqued her interest." Kiana thought after noticing the crimson aura.
"If that's what you want, then we won't stop you." Himeko replied. "Kiana, I'll stay here and watch over Magolor."
(Play BGM: Fight! Mid-Boss Battle - Kirby's Return to Dreamland)
"No problem." Kiana nodded.
"Good answer." Veliona grinned before warp dashing in front of King Doo without warning and attacked with an aerial rolling slash which pushed the king back.
The Waddle Doos were about to approach the valkyrie, until they were crushed by Kiana's summoned metal neko paw from above. "Hey, eyes on me, boys!" Kiana taunted and fired at the monsters while dodging their beams.
As for Veliona, she effortlessly evaded King Doo's beam whips from his arms using her warp dash while countering with several scythe swings finishing with one powerful swing which made him trip to the floor. "Is that all? I thought you were tougher than this." Veliona remarked, holding her scythe behind her waist.
In response, King Doo got back on his feet and let out a tantrum before firing energy spheres from his eye. Seeing the oncoming spheres, Veliona simply warp dashed past them which made King Doo even angrier. So he leaped into the air and fired more energy spheres, only for Veliona to reflect the spheres with her scythe swings, landing on King Doo before he fell. "I'm ending this." Veliona then moved her scythe forward with her left hand on the front part of the weapon and warp dashed towards the falling monster. And once she got close, she attacked the monster in several angles at blinding speeds while leaving behind afterimages before finishing with a powerful spin slash, causing the monster to explode and leaving behind large amounts of magic points.
"Well, this is disappointing. I'd rather fight the monsters in Bayonetta's world." Veliona remarked, resting her scythe over her shoulder. "If we ever see this kind of monster again, you handle it, Seele. It's not as tough as I thought."
"If you say so, Veliona." Seele mentally replied as Veliona reverted control back to Seele with her usual azure blue eyes and aura. Afterwards, she picked up the dropped magic points and rejoined Magolor. And as for Kiana, she also picked up the dropped magic points after defeating the Waddle Doos before going after Seele.
(BGM End)
"Okay, we're back!" Kiana said.
"And we've gotten plenty of magic points, especially from King Doo." Seele added.
"Great work." Himeko complimented. "Magolor's almost done with his job."
"Just a bit more, and…" Magolor absorbed the last of the magic points from the bulb, causing it to break and for Himeko to catch the fallen unconscious foxgirl. "Phew… nice save."
"Kinda figured it would happen." Himeko replied.
"Here, Magolor. You can have these." Kiana said as she and Seele offered the magic points.
"Thanks as always, girls." Magolor replied, absorbing the offered magic points. "This should be enough to improve my current powers and my stamina."
"That's good." Seele noted before turning to the foxgirl. "How is she, Himeko?"
Himeko checked the foxgirl's chest and neck for any signs of life. "I can feel her heartbeat and some pulse from her neck. She's thankfully alive despite being inside that magic bulb. It won't be long before she wakes up."
"How long?" Magolor asked, until he saw the foxgirl open her green eyes. "Never mind."
"Ugh… Huh?" The foxgirl blinked in confusion. "Who… are you people?"
"Uhh… Just passing-through dimensional travelers?" Seele answered. "What is your name, miss?"
"...It's Tingyun, a Foxian from the Xianzhou Luofu. And you are?"
"Seele Vollerei. And this is Kiana Kaslana, Himeko Murata and Magolor."
"Hello there!" Magolor waved.
"Can you stand?" Himeko asked.
"I think so… but please give me a hand." Tingyun replied as Himeko helped her get back on her feet. "Much better, thank you."
"Xianzhou Luofu…" Kiana mused. "Is that a place from Liyue?"
"Liyue?" Tingyun blinked. "I've never heard of a place like that."
"So what place is it then?" Seele asked.
"It's actually a large flagship, one of the six that's owned by the Hexafleet of the Xianzhou Alliance."
"Interesting…" Magolor mused. "And how large is that flagship?"
"The size of a world."
"Whoa…" The group responded with awe.
"What's your occupation, Tingyun?" Himeko asked.
"I'm an amicassador of the Sky-Faring Commission." Tingyun answered. "They are in charge of affairs related to Xianzhou's internal airspace and interstellar navigation. All matters related to flight are the domains of the Sky-Faring Commission. But that's enough about me." She observed her surroundings. "Where am I and how did I get here?"
"One, you're in Another Dimension." Magolor answered. "And two… well we were going to ask that question to you."
"Another Dimension…?" Tingyun repeated until they noticed a Star Rift appearing before them. "Is that… a portal?"
"It's a Star Rift. It'll either take us back to the Ethereal Altar, or to another area." Himeko answered. "How about you come with us? It's better than staying here, after all."
Tingyun took a moment to think before answering with a nod. "Very well. My life is in your hands."
"Do you have any weapons you can fight with?" Seele asked.
"To be honest, I'm more of a supporter than a fighter." Tingyun answered before pulling out a pair of handfans. "But I can defend myself with these, and I can even electrify them."
"Ooh, nice!" Kiana smiled. "Alright, let's go!" Afterwards, the team, along with Tingyun, went through the Star Rift.
Pyred Dimension 2-3
After coming out of the rift, they find themselves in another area with large long bridges ahead… along with large fireballs rising from below. "Okay… don't ever want to get near those." Kiana observed while sweating a bit.
"How dangerous is this dimension?" Tingyun asked.
"Plenty." Magolor replied.
"Just remember to stick with us and you'll be fine." Himeko stated.
"Understood." Tingyun nodded.
"Right then, let's move out." Seele declared as the team ventured through the new area.
During the trek while avoiding the large fireballs and bottomless pits, leaping across platforms and collecting more magic points, they also had to deal with Scarfies, Pierces, Mumbies, Hot Heads, Leafans, and Pactos. Eventually, they reached a star door at the end of the area and went inside.
In the next area, they find themselves standing on metal blocks with lava floors below along with a blocked hole that has a trail of magic points, a Leafan nearby and a Bomb Block further ahead. "A trail of magic points, at least we know where to go." Kiana observed the hole. "But we're gonna have to get rid of those metal blocks so we can go in."
"You ladies wait above the hole, I'll go blow up that block." Magolor said before going for the Bomb Block while quickly defeating the Leafan. Once he destroyed the block with a Magic Bomb, he quickly rejoined the group as the metal blocks below them broke, dropping them into the hole and landed onto more metal blocks with a Bomb Block behind them and a hole nearby that's blocked. While the girls quickly head for the spot above the blocked hole, Magolor blows up another Bomb Block before rejoining the others while the metal blocks break like a chain reaction. They then fell down into the hole while also defeating a Dippa during the fall and landing on yet more metal blocks, with a Bomb Block behind them, a blue star switch up ahead and below the metal blocks, magic points above and ahead that's also blocked with metal and a blocked hole below it with another Dippa.
"A switch?" Seele observed. "I wonder what that's for?"
"How about you let me handle this part. You ladies wait above the hole." Magolor advised, prompting the girls to head for the spot above the hole. After destroying the metal block, he levitated and saw the way to the switch unveiled, prompting him to activate it with a Magic Bomb, causing the metal blocks above the girls to break and dropped large amounts of magic points. After falling down another hole while defeating the Dippa, they landed on yet more metal blocks, but with Darpas and Ticks, along with a blocked hole with a trail of magic points ahead and a Bomb Block further down the line.
"How many holes have we fallen down so far? Does this ever end?" Tingyun questioned.
"Honestly, I have no idea." Himeko answered. "Only thing we can do now is to keep going until we reach a dead end."
"Let's take care of those monsters first before we find that Bomb Block." Seele stated. "Though those monsters with a spike on their heads are new."
"Those are Ticks. Try not to jump over them or they'll extend their spikes in retaliation." Magolor explained.
"Or I can just shoot them at a distance." Kiana said, shooting down the Darpas and Ticks with ease.
"...Okay, that works too." Magolor sweatdropped before picking up the dropped magic points from the defeated monsters and noticed a Bomb Block on the far back. "Ah, found the Bomb Block! Just stand above the blocked hole as usual, ladies!"
The girls nodded and went to the spot above the hole before Magolor blew up the Bomb Block. And once the metal blocks vanished, they dropped into the hole, while avoiding a pair of massive fireballs from the sides and landed in an area with some thin platforms, which also caused monsters to appear from the rifts consisting of Mumbies, Scarfies, Ticks and Hot Heads led by a larger Hot Head with a dark aura.
"An ambush?!" Tingyun gasped.
"Which means we're on the right path." Magolor deduced before noticing the large Hot Head. "And this one is leading the pack."
"This is gonna take a while considering there's a lot more monsters than before." Seele stated.
"Himeko, I'm going to activate my battlesuit's Burst Mode for this." Kiana stepped forward.
"Understood." Himeko nodded before standing next to Kiana. "In fact, I'm going to join you. It's been a while since I've used my battlesuit's Burst Mode. At least I won't have to worry about the bad side-effects thanks to the Honkai resistance I've gained when I was warped through the Dimensional Quake."
"Thanks." Kiana smiled as her White Comet battlesuit glowed with Himeko's Scarlet Fusion battlesuit following suit, activating Burst Mode with the former having energy wings.
"Oooh, now this is new!" Magolor remarked with intrigue.
"Burst Mode…?" Tingyun whispered.
"Some of the valkyries' battlesuits have a Burst Mode function, enhancing their abilities. But only trained valkyries can use them." Seele explained. "Just watch and you'll see what I mean."
The moment the monsters attacked the two valkyries, Kiana quickly retaliated with her summoned large neko paws, attacking with an even faster rate and with more force. Himeko provided support by unleashing numerous slash-waves with her claymore, slicing through the monsters in her path. Eventually, only the large Hot Head remained as it was about to unleash a fire breath. However, Kiana sent the monster airborne with her large neko paws before it could retaliate. This allows Himeko to leap towards her airborne target with her claymore glowing in blue. And once she got close, she delivered a rapid spin slash and finished with an X-slash. Lastly, Kiana followed up by crushing the Hot Head with her large neko paw, causing it to explode and drop large amounts of magic points.
"See that?" Seele smiled at Tingyun.
"Incredible…" Tingyun remarked with awe as the two valkyries dispersed their Burst Modes and regrouped with the others.
"Good show! Bravo!" Magolor applauded before going off to collect the dropped magic points.
"What do you think, Tingyun?" Kiana asked.
"You girls are a lot stronger than I thought." Tingyun remarked.
"That's because I was the one who tutored them as their combat instructor back at St. Freya Academy." Himeko answered. "Although Seele wasn't a student during that time, I have plenty of spare time to train her for this team."
"And she taught me well." Seele said.
"I see." Tingyun noted. "Like I said earlier, I'm not much of a fighter, which is why I only rely on my fans instead of using a sword or a spear. After all, business people cherish peace above all else. Carrying a weapon dishonors friendships and makes for bad business."
"True." Kiana noted. "I mean, who would bring a sword or a gun during a business meeting? Unless a sneaky bastard tries to play dirty."
"Mm." Tingyun nodded before fanning herself. "My fan is different from a weapon. I can use it to cool myself off as well as cooling off a nasty business client. It's best if we can just have a nice chat, but if things don't go smoothly… Well…" She folded her fan and winked. "...Then I just have to fan them harder, and cool them off until they know I mean business!"
"Ooh, I think I know what you mean." Himeko smirked.
"Okay, I've got the magic points!" Magolor approached the girls. "Our next Star Rift should be appearing right about…" And like clockwork, a Star Rift appeared before the group. "...now."
"Let's get going, shall we?" Seele said.
"Right behind you." Tingyun nodded as the team went through the rift.
Pyred Dimension 2-4
Upon arriving in a new area, they find themselves in some kind of ancient ruin with cannons called Gigatzos firing meteors at a distance and more magic points up ahead. Unfortunately the area also has a rift wall advancing from behind the group.
"Uh oh, rift wall advancing on our backs!" Magolor gulped upon noticing the wall.
"What?!" Tingyun gasped.
"Just keep moving unless you wanna get crushed!" Himeko warned before the team quickly ventured through the area. They also had to deal with Halcandle Dees including some holding parasols, Babuts and Dupas. Along the way, they also had to use a Star Key to open the door to more magic points. The same goes for destroying Bomb Blocks and windmills for Magolor to use his Magolor Surge on to obtain even more magic points. Eventually, they reached the end of the area, climbed up a ladder and entered a star door.
Once inside the next room, another rift wall is advancing from behind the group. And up ahead there's also Gordos and spike pits to avoid. On top of that, there's also conveyor belts either moving forward or backward.
"Conveyor belts?! In this dimension?!" Kiana gawked.
"Less complaining, more running!" Seele stated before the team ventured through the area while conquering the obstacles, especially the conveyor belts. They also had to deal with more monsters, now adding Scarfies, a Flamer, a Sandran, and a Poppy Bros. Jr. into the mix. In addition, they also dealt with more Bomb Blocks and windmills to obtain more magic points. Soon enough, they reached the end of the area, climbed up a ladder and went through another star door.
After arriving in the next room, they saw a Poppy Bros. Jr., a Star Key, and a locked door ahead. And fortunately, there's no advancing rift wall to worry about.
"Oh thank the Archons, no more rift walls." Seele sighed with relief.
"Though that Poppy Bros. Jr. is guarding the Star Key and the door." Magolor pointed at the obstacles.
"This won't take long." Kiana was about to pull out her pistols, only for Tingyun to raise her fan in front of the valkyrie. "Tingyun?"
"How about you let me handle this one?" Tingyun requested. "There's only one creature here, so there's no need for violence."
"You're going to negotiate with this one?" Himeko questioned.
"I'm willing to give it a try." Tingyun replied.
The others shared looks with each other before nodding at the Foxian, allowing her to approach Poppy Bros. Jr.
"Hello there, cute little creature." Tingyun greeted to Poppy Bros Jr. "Would you be kind enough to hand over the key to us so we can leave? We promise that we won't hurt you."
Poppy Jr. tilted his head in confusion.
"Trust us, we're a lot stronger than we look, but we're not that heartless when it comes to compassion." Tingyun continued. "Do you have a reason why you need to guard the key?"
Poppy Jr. thought about what the Foxian said and shook his head.
"I see. If you're not sure what to do, then how about you come with us?" Tingyun offered. "I'm sure you're lonely guarding this area by yourself. If you come along, you'll be able to make plenty of new friends. Will you accept my offer?"
Poppy Jr. pondered for a moment before picking up the Star Key. However, instead of giving the key to Tingyun, he used the key to open the locked door.
"Oh? Does this mean you accept?" Tingyun asked, earning a cheerful nod from Poppy. "That's a good boy." She smiled, rubbing the bombardier's head which made him blush.
"Well how about that? A new ally to join us." Magolor remarked.
"To be honest, it won't feel right to kill him since he's not very hostile." Seele admitted.
"Exactly." Tingyun nodded. "I'd prefer settling differences with peace instead of violence. Let's move on, shall we?"
Afterwards, they, along with Poppy Bros. Jr., went through the door and down some very large stone steps that moved until they reached a dead end. And that's when more monsters appeared from the rifts consisting of Nruffs, and lots of Babuts with a large one in a dark aura leading the pack.
"Well that's a lot of Babuts…" Magolor remarked while pulling out his Magic Bombs. "But maybe these bombs will fix that problem." He then noticed Poppy Jr. also pulling out his own bombs. "Oh, you have the same idea as I do?" He chuckled in amusement. "Then let's have an explosive time with them!"
"Kiana, go ahead and join them. The rest of us will handle the monsters on the ground." Himeko said.
"Can do, Major!" Kiana complied, firing her guns at the Babuts with support from Magolor and Poppy Jr. using their bombs, while Himeko and Seele fought the Nruffs charging towards them.
For a few moments, the monsters were quickly dealt with, leaving only the large Babut. Magolor and Poppy Jr. threw their single bombs towards the Babut, and before the bombs could touch it, Kiana fired at the bombs, causing a combined explosion that destroyed the Babut, leaving behind loads of magic points.
"And that's how we do it!" Magolor concluded before absorbing the dropped magic points.
"Nicely done, everyone." Tingyun praised before patting Poppy Jr.'s head. "Especially you, you fought well."
"I'm sure Zi-O and the others won't mind having another member for the team." Seele said.
"Zi-O?" Tingyun repeated.
"He's the leader of our team, Xross Drive Rebellion. Or Team XDR for short." Kiana explained.
"You'll meet him eventually, along with our other teammates." Himeko added as a Star Rift appeared before the group. "You finished yet, Magolor? We need to go!"
"Coming!" Magolor complied, approaching the group. "Just picked up the last remaining magic points. Now let's get outta here!" Afterwards, the group went inside the rift.
Ethereal Altar
After coming out of the rift, they find themselves back at where they started with the ladder and the windmill. This time however, the fog clouds ahead have been cleared, revealing three more doors that are waiting to be unlocked by Magolor, and one large Star Rift at the far end distance.
"Where are we now?" Tingyun looked at her surroundings.
"We're back at where we first arrived with the first windmill." Kiana replied.
"And that Star Rift…" Seele noticed said rift further ahead. "I'm going to guess that's where we'll find our next apple fragment, and its guardian."
"No doubt about it." Himeko nodded before looking at the other doors. "Though there's also those doors that appeared, just like the ones we saw near the altar."
"Which means more challenges for me to conquer and gain more magic points to improve my powers." Magolor deduced. "How about you girls, and Poppy Jr., wait near the rift? Just don't go in without me, I'm not going to miss the action."
"No problem, we can wait." Kiana replied as she and the others nodded.
"Great. Be back in a few minutes!" Magolor nodded before going after the first door he needed to unlock with his magic, while everyone else head towards the large Star Rift.
"Now then…" Himeko turned to Tingyun. "Since it will take a while for Magolor to finish his task, let's continue our previous conversation, Tingyun. Do you recall what happened to you before you appeared in this dimension?"
"Let me think…" Tingyun pondered with her hand on my chin. "The last thing I remember was having a good night's sleep after another day of work as the amicassador for the Sky-Faring Commission. That's all I can remember."
"Hmm…" Kiana hummed in thought with her arms crossed. "Judging from your experience, I'm guessing a Dimensional Quake happened during your sleep."
"A Dimensional Quake?" Tingyun repeated. "Is that the reason why I suddenly appeared in this dimension?"
"If we're going to explain about the Dimensional Quakes, we need to tell you about Xross Drive Rebellion and our mission." Himeko stated.
"This will take a while so I hope you don't mind listening." Seele added.
"That's alright, you have my attention." Tingyun nodded before looking at Poppy Jr. who's also nodding. "And I think he wants to listen, too."
"I don't see why not." Kiana shrugged.
"Let's start from the beginning." Himeko began. "It all started with a powerful complete relic called Gjallarhorn…"
Several minutes later…
"...And here we are now on the hunt for the next Gjallarhorn fragment hidden within Another Dimension." Himeko finished his explanation with some help from Kiana and Seele as the group arrived near the large Star Rift.
"Wow…" Tingyun was speechless after hearing the whole story. "So that's why Team XDR are formed, to stop the Neo Time Jackers from obtaining the scattered Gjallarhorn fragments. Not only that, shattering the fragments also caused the Dimensional Quakes to occur within the multiverse…"
"Yup." Kiana nodded. "And if someone with malicious intent managed to get a hold of a fragment, we'll just kick their asses and get the fragment back."
"Improper use of such a powerful fragment could cause dangerous results." Seele added.
"I see…" Tingyun noted. "If the Dimensional Quake happened in my world, then there's no doubt that the Gjallarhorn fragment could be hidden somewhere within my universe."
"What is your universe called?" Himeko asked.
"Well… my universe is during the Amber Era in the year of 2517, so maybe I'll call it the Amber Universe." Tingyun answered.
"Amber Era… Amber Universe…" Kiana repeated.
"Maybe if we could return to the Xianzhou Luofu someday, I can show you the history of my universe. I should have some books about them back at my home." Tingyun said.
"I'd like to." Himeko smiled. "This will be an interesting read. But for now, continue to follow us until we can find a way back to your home."
"Of course." Tingyun bowed. "Like I said, my life is in your hands."
"Okay, I'm back!" Magolor greeted with a wave as he approached the group. "Sorry those challenges took a while, but it was worth the effort. I was able to improve more of my powers from the magic points we've collected so far."
"That's great to hear, Magolor." Seele smiled.
"Do you want to take a break first before we go in and fight the fragment guardian?" Kiana asked.
"Nah." Magolor shook his head. "I still have plenty of stamina to go for one more round."
"Then it's settled." Himeko noted. "Tingyun, are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, Himeko." Tingyun nodded with Poppy Jr. also nodding. "And it seems our little friend is ready, too."
Himeko chuckled. "That's good to know."
"Okay, we're going in!" Kiana punched her open palm before she and the others went inside the Star Rift.
Pyred Dimension, Boss Room
Upon coming out of the rift, the team find themselves in a ruin cave arena and went ahead.
"So what will the fragment guardian look like?" Tingyun asked as she looked around.
"The first guardian I fought alongside Zi-O and Cure Starlight was a thunder wizard." Magolor recalled. "Not sure who we'll fight this time."
"Hmm…" Himeko pondered with her hand on her chin. "Considering the areas we've visited so far, I'm guessing we'll be fighting a fire guardian."
"Considering we had to deal with lava and fireballs, I think you're right, Himeko." Kiana replied.
"Hm?" Seele then noticed a pair of large goat horns ahead and on the ground. "What is that?"
"Goat horns?" Magolor observed.
Tingyun's fox ears twitched, making her frown. "...Something's off. Everyone, get back!"
Soon enough, the ground began to shake as something large emerged from the ground. It was a large pufferfish with the goat horns, red eyes, a brown body and many rocks and lava spots on the top of his body and back.
"Is that… a pufferfish?" Seele blinked before noticing its body combust with flames.
"A fire pufferfish?!" Kiana exclaimed.
"Huh, looking at this thing reminds me of the boss Kirby and his friends fought before, Fatty Puffer." Magolor recalled. "Only this time, it's fire instead of water."
"Would be nice if we brought along Mona Magistus for this since she's a Hydro Mage." Himeko said as the team prepared themselves. "Guess we'll have to do this the old fashion way! Try not to get burned while fighting this guardian!"
"Roger!" The team replied with Poppy Jr. nodding with a bomb ready while the pufferfish, with its actual name being Fiery Puffer, roared at them.
(Play BGM: Hot! Elemental Boss Battle - Magolor Epilogue OST)
Puffer made the first move of leaping above the group in an attempt to crush them. They quickly jumped away to avoid the ground pound while Kiana, Magolor and Poppy Jr. retaliated with their ranged attacks. Puffer went for another ground pound while leaving behind a fire trail, but they were able to avoid it while Kiana, Magolor and Poppy Jr. attacked from a distance. After performing another ground pound, Puffer spat out a group of rock-like fish from its mouth before spitting out lava globs. Himeko and Seele quickly dealt with the smaller fishes, while Kiana, Magolor and Poppy Jr. continued to attack Puffer while avoiding the blobs.
Eventually, Fiery Puffer fumed in anger before expanding its body into a ball and prepared a rolling attack coated in flames. "Uh oh, I think it's about to perform a flaming rollout." Kiana observed with caution.
"Any ideas on how to counter that?" Seele asked.
"We'll have to keep dodging until it gets dizzy. That pufferfish can't do it forever." Himeko answered.
"We'll also need to watch out for its flame trail during the process." Tingyun added.
"Then we'd better prepare ourselves because it's about to charge at us!" Magolor shouted as they noticed Puffer rolling towards the group, prompting them to evade with a dodge roll. Due to its increasing speed, it was difficult for the team to land a hit on Puffer, and it can even roll up walls and on the ceiling. Eventually after Puffer crashed into a wall, it became dizzy from too much rolling along with its fire coating gone, prompting the team to attack quickly before it recovers with Kiana finishing the assault with her summoned large neko paws, smashing it to the wall.
After taking too much damage and recovering from its dizziness, Fiery Puffer roared in anger and expanded its body that towers above the group. "Oh dear." Seele remarked.
"How big can this thing get?!" Kiana questioned.
"At least this fish didn't grow too big or else it'll get stuck." Tingyun said.
"Still pretty dangerous though!" Magolor pointed out as they saw Puffer performing another flaming rollout. "And this one's going to hurt twice as much due to its size, so… don't get squished… or burned… or both."
"Stay focused and wait for an opening to attack!" Himeko cautioned as the team prepared to dodge its oncoming attack.
However, Puffer chose to bounce around the arena and the ceiling like a pinball instead of rolling towards them, leaving more of its flame trails. It also causes stalactites from the ceiling to fall. In response, Kiana, Magolor and Poppy Jr. quickly destroyed the falling stalactites with ranged attacks while the team evaded Puffer's flaming rollout and also avoiding its flame trails. Eventually, Puffer crashed into a wall and became dizzy again from the rolling along with its flame coating gone, giving the team the chance to quickly attack it before it recovers with Seele ending the assault with slashes from her scythe while warping in multiple directions along with one more triple spin slash for good measure.
"Is it enough?" Seele asked while the team kept their guard up.
Unfortunately, Fiery Puffer recovered from its dizziness and roared in anger despite taking heavy damage from the team's assault. "I think that's a 'No'!" Magolor answered.
They then noticed Puffer enlarging its body and preparing to fire something from its mouth. "I don't like what it's doing. It's about to launch something from its mouth!" Tingyun frowned.
"Magolor, give me a hand with this!" Kiana ordered, fusing her pistols into one large gun and took aim at Puffer while charging its energy.
"You got it!" Magolor complied as he prepared to charge his Magolor Cannon.
Once fully charged, Kiana and Magolor fired their large laser beams while Puffer unleashed a fire blast as the attacks collided into a power struggle. Surprisingly, they were evenly matched.
"Kiana, Magolor, hang in there!" Seele shouted.
"It can't last forever though. It's all about which side can last the longest." Himeko stated. "Just one more supportive push should turn the tide however."
"...Maybe I can do something about it." Tingyun said.
"Eh?" Seele blinked. "How are you going to do that?"
"Just watch." Tingyun winked as she performed a dance with her fans, causing her body to glow amber. And once her dance is finished, a magic aura field appeared below Kiana and Magolor which enhanced their powers.
"Whoa… I feel… more powerful!" Magolor remarked with awe.
"Then we'd better make use of this boost!" Kiana replied as their combined laser beams became stronger thanks to Tingyun's power, pushing back Puffer's fire blast until the beams struck its face and was sent flying to the arena wall. And eventually, Fiery Puffer exploded, leaving behind loads of magic points and more importantly, the third apple fragment.
(BGM End)
"Alright, we did it!" Seele cheered as Magolor absorbed the dropped magic points while Kiana retrieved the apple fragment.
"Though who was the one that gave us a power boost?" Kiana asked.
"That was me." Tingyun answered. "I follow the Path of Harmony led by the Aeon named Xipe. The Aeons are godlike dimensional beings, watching over the universe I came from with each of them leading a Path."
"Aeons, huh?" Himeko mused. "How many are there?"
"I'm not sure, but I was able to know at least seven notable ones, including Xipe the Aeon of Harmony." Tingyun answered. "The Aeon of Destruction, Nanook; The Aeon of Abundance, Yaoshi; The Aeon of The Hunt, Lan; The Aeon of Nihility, IX; The Aeon of Erudition, Nous; and lastly The Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth."
"Hmm…" Kiana hummed in thought. "So these Aeons are kinda like the Archons in Teyvat…"
"What about the elements?" Seele asked.
"There are seven elements. Fire, Ice, Thunder, Wind, Quantum, Physical and Imaginary." Tingyun answered.
"Interesting…" Magolor mused. "But what's the Imaginary element?"
"Think of it as an element of Light."
"Ah, got it." Magolor nodded before a Star Rift appeared nearby. "And there's our way back to the altar. Let's get outta here."
Ethereal Altar
After coming out of the rift they entered earlier, the team find themselves back at the altar with the Zi-O Liner nearby.
"Looks like we made it back safely." Seele observed her surroundings.
"And now it's time for this fragment to join with the others." Kiana raised the apple fragment as it flew out of her hand and landed with the other two fragments, causing them to glow along with a torch on the left lighting up in green flames.
In addition, Magolor glowed for a brief moment, signalling more of his lost powers returning. "Alright! I was waiting for these powers to come back!" He cheered.
"So what did you get this time?" Himeko asked.
"How about I show you instead?" Magolor replied as he used his magic to warp next to Seele which surprised her. "See? Now I can warp just like Seele."
"Oh, good for you." Seele remarked. "Anything else?"
"Yup." Magolor nodded as he summoned a pair of purple dimensional needles from the ground. "This is my Deadly Needles skill, though it's kinda laughable at the moment. But if I can get some magic points, I could create more than two along with making them larger." He then turned to Tingyun. "Ah, I forgot to mention that most of my powers were weak due to fighting a powerful monster which is the reason my attire looks plain and messy. And collecting the apple fragments is the key to regaining my powers back to full strength. The magic points are also needed to improve my powers."
"I see, so that explains why you need to collect them." Tingyun noted before looking at the altar. "And from the looks of those torches and the fragments, only two remain."
"Yup, we're halfway there." Magolor nodded. "But how about we take a break before we go hunting for the fourth apple fragment?"
"Sounds good." Kiana agreed. "You know, I've been craving for some seafood after fighting that pufferfish."
"You know what? Me too." Himeko added.
"Let's head back to the Zi-O Liner." Seele declared while looking at Tingyun and Poppy Bros. Jr. "We'll introduce the two of you to our other friends."
"Very well." Tingyun replied as she and Poppy Jr. nodded before the team head for the train to rest. "Wait for me, Yukong. I'll be traveling with the Rebellion until I can return to the Xianzhou Luofu. But with my new companions, I'll be just fine."
Chapter 3: Pyred Dimension
END
(Tingyun and Poppy Bros. Jr. has joined Xross Drive Rebellion)
Author's Note: It's official. With Tingyun's inclusion, I'm adding Honkai Star Rail to the list of crossovers for this series since that game's popularity is excellent. But I'm not going to say too much about Tingyun due to spoilers, especially those who never finished the Xianzhou Luofu arc, but it will be revealed in the near future. And as a bonus, Poppy Bros. Jr. also joined the team thanks to Tingyun, without needing a Friend Heart from Kirby Star Allies.
Only two more apple fragments remain. What will our heroes encounter in the search for the fourth fragment? Only time… will tell… But for now, stay safe and see you in the next chapter!