The Day You Vanished with the Stars/Story/Huodou

Huodou is the 8th chapter of the The Day You Vanished with the Stars storyline.

Summary

Rita standing on the battlefield, taunting Huodou.

Kongming and Captain follow traces left by Huodou and reach the ancient battlefield. There they find wounded Rita standing amidst the smoke caused by her battle against the beast, calling it out for hiding. As Kongming tends to her wounds, Rita started reminiscing about their many years of history.

Sometime later, Huodou re-emerges and the battle begins anew. Rita managed to knock the beast down but Kongming's formation wasn't enough to seal it. Kongming quickly deducts that the beast must have gained an ability to connect to the ruins and absorb power from it and the seals. However, having absorbed too much energy, Huodou would soon self-destruct.

With no time or thought to spare, Captain redirects the beast's attention to himself and runs towards a cliff above the sea, hoping to at least sink it before it explodes. Paying little attention to his surroundings, Captain trips and falls into a pit found just ahead of the cliff. Nonetheless, the plan succeeded as he heard a muffled explosion while falling. He also heard Tesla-Zero counting down, which he rightfully assumed was the time until he'd be teleported back into the future. With Rita and Kongming alive, the future should look brighter this time. Right?

Script

Transcluded Script

This section contains story script that was transcluded from the game with the help of OCR tools to avoid human-made mistakes as much as possible. Generally speaking, it shouldn't be altered unless the in-game equivalent has been changed. Any typos or other errors that are also present in the game are to be retained on the wiki but can be marked via {{sic}}.

Chinese and Japanese romanizations and translations, if present, are unofficial.

Last updated: January 6, 2022

Characters Present

Captain

Rita

Zhuge Kongming

Tesla - Zero

Start

The ancient battlefield.

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Bang!

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I stepped in and saw a giant shadow looming in the smoke. Kongming's hard drag helped me evade the raining rubble.

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Captain

Huodou is hiding now?

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In the smoke screen stood a tall figure.

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File:The Day You Vanished with the Stars (CG25).mp4

Rita

...Hide all you want, vile creature, but there's no escaping my final strike!

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Rita

You'll never put your filthy claws on Moon Emberya again, even if the cost is my life!

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The Grand Chancellor of Emberya, the perfect woman free from any human weakness, was now bathed in blood.

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Still, there wasn't even a trace of fear to be found on her face.

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Zhuge Kongming

Rita, what do you think you're doing?!

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Rita turned over and saw me.

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Rita

Captain, you're here too... no wonder Her Majesty found me...

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Rita

Forgive my manners, but this is not a good place or time for a friendly chat...

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She gave me a bitter smile before turning around again.

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Rita

Your Majesty... so I failed to keep you from here. Sorry you have to find me in this utterly unpresentable state.

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Kongming didn't wait Rita to finish and tore a scrap off her sleeve.

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She walked up to Rita silently and dressed her wounds.

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Rita

It's a pity the Cloud Blue fabric went to waste. Takes a lifetime to extract this special color from the flowers.

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Zhuge Kongming

That's the least of my worries now.

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Kongming's little face was now pumped up by anger like a puffer.

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Zhuge Kongming

I've been meaning to say this since the beginning! Liar! Rita, you're the biggest liar in the world!

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Zhuge Kongming

You lied to my face about the crisis! Had I not checked the altar myself, you'd be toast by now...

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Zhuge Kongming

Huodou is much stronger now, and it takes both of us to stop it...

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Rita

Your Majesty's forte is the formations, not close combat. Your Majesty almost caught a cold in the last Huodou hunt.

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Zhuge Kongming

So you decided to trade your life for the beast in my stead?

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Kongming cut in abruptly, leaving Rita no room for explanation.

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Rita looked at her puffed face and smiled in reply.

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Rita

Yes, but I was simply following the suicidal tradition Your Majesty set when we dealt with Huodou the last time.

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Zhuge Kongming

You...

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I didn't know what went down exactly, but judging from Kongming's stutter, Rita was telling the truth.

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Zhuge Kongming

Well, like empress, like chancellor...

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Rita looked to the horizon.

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Rita

The beast broke loose in Your Majesty's absence, and I'm responsible for not being able to safeguard the empire.

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Rita

"From this moment, you two become immortal. With no other greater interference, your lives shall last eternally."

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Rita

If the colossus told the truth, Emberya will reign forever as long as Your Majesty and I still breath.

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Rita

Even in times of war, if we keep our distance from the front line, the colossus will always be able to turn the tide.

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Rita

But Your Majesty has cautioned me time and again ever since the colossus granted the wish...

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Rita

"Emberya is more than you and me."

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Zhuge Kongming

Rita, I don't need to hear this now.

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Rita

Well, I'm trying to fill Captain in.

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Rita

At first I didn't quite understand. On the first day of every month, we always went to the Star Pavilion together.

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Rita

It's a place where we enjoy stage performances specially prepared for us.

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Rita

The shows were great, but having watched the same for ages, my mind would wander as soon as the curtain was lifted.

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Rita

One day, Your Majesty told me there was an alley right beside the Star Pavilion.

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Rita

The shows were not prohibited from civilian eyes, so many people would crowd the alley for a glimpse.

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Rita

Later on I found out it wasn't the shows that captured their eyes. It's the untouchable Your Majesty and me.

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Rita

And the funny thing is, Your Majesty and I enjoy watching them far more than the monotonous shows.

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Rita

The Star Pavilion was thus turned into a window for the people of Emberya and us to peek into a different way of life.

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Rita chuckled and somehow I sensed an understated loneliness in her laughter.

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Rita

Your Majesty is full of curiosity and love running through the city's nooks and crannies for little adventures.

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Rita

Once out the imperial citadel, she would become a small fish swimming freely in the open water.

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Zhuge Kongming

I remember my favorite sugar figure stand. The nicest one was always sold out and I had to settle for something else.

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Zhuge Kongming

And the daughter of fragrance store's owner always nagged me for candy, so her father always gave me free sachets.

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Zhuge Kongming

After a thousand years, some shops still stand but more have died with their owners. People always come and go.

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Rita

That's what makes Your Majesty appreciate that "Emberya is more than you and me".

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Rita

"Moon Emberya is the sum of every soul breathing within its walls, and so is the empire."

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Rita

Not for a second have I forgotten Your Majesty's words.

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The empress and chancellor fell silent in the thickening smoke.

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Zhuge Kongming

I told you I didn't want to hear this, Rita. You just keep going on and on in your typically leisurely manner.

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Kongming's half-hearted accusation surprised both Rita and me.

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The two of them looked at each other and couldn't hold back their laugh.

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Zhuge Kongming

Now is maybe not the best time to walk down memory lane.

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Zhuge Kongming

But weirdly, it's all I can think of before the deadly battle.

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The rumbling returned in the company of the monster's scorching breath. Kongming lifted her fan.

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Zhuge Kongming

The east wind is rising. Follow me to battle!

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Rita

Your Majesty...

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Rita raised her scythe and stood before us.

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Rita

Please focus on your formation, and I'll defeat the vile beast once and for all.

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File:The Day You Vanished with the Stars (CG26).mp4

< The screen goes black, then switches to the battlefield, where the Captain will have control of Rita's [Argent Knight: Artemis] battlesuit. >

< Defeat Beast of Yang - Huodou. >

Rita

Huodou, the greatest calamity of the age.

Rita

As long as it's still alive,

Rita

all lives are doomed,

Rita

and the misery and suffering will never end.

< Beast of Yang - Huodou defeated. >

Rita

Your Majesty!

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As soon as Rita knocked down Huodou, Kongming's Seven Star Formation was activated around the beast.

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Floundering to break free, Huodou spat furious flames to burn everything and everyone around.

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Zhuge Kongming

Meet your end now!

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My vision suddenly blurred and I thought I saw a dragon proudly raising its head behind Kongming.

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Meanwhile, six of the seven lanterns in the formation went out one by one.

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Zhuge Kongming

The formation... cannot stop it...

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Zhuge Kongming

Why did Huodou grow in power after it broke the seal?

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Zhuge Kongming

Could it be... it formed some kind of connection with the ruins and siphoned power from the formation?

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Zhuge Kongming

And the ruins now serve as an energy pool for it to channel and restore power...

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Rita

I'll hold it off. Your Majesty, try to switch the formation and sever Huodou's connection with the ruins first!

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The last lantern went out as well.

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Zhuge Kongming

Huodou... it's power is surging rapidly!

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Zhuge Kongming

The power surge will backfire and cause an explosion... Huodou means to kill all of us with a suicidal attack!

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Captain

Let me distract it and lure it to the sea...

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Zhuge Kongming

No... this is suicide!

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Captain

I can do it. Now you concentrate on the formation and wait for me to run far.

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Captain

You've stopped it before, and you can certainly make it this time.

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Kongming looked at me again and said something, but I couldn't hear her.

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The flame storm swept over and set us apart.

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Pain overwhelmed every inch of my body and threatened to take away my consciousness.

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In the twilight zone, I seemed to hear something.

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???

...Countdown... 9 seconds... 8 seconds...

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Countdown? Why would there be a timer? Is it the countdown to Huodou's explosive death?

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I began to run.

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But I seemed to have forgotten how to run. I was merely swinging my arms and legs like a broken robot.

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The formation worked, but it only stalled Huodou by a bit. It came at me like a giant, burning wrecking ball.

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Before my eyes laid a cliff overlooking the ocean, and a pit that I had no idea how deep it reached.

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With searing wind licking my cheeks, there's no time for me to think.

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I was ready to dive off the cliff, but something tripped me over and I ended up falling into the pit.

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< The screen goes black. >

I kept falling as I heard a massive boom from outside the pit.

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Huodou should have fallen into the sea, and the explosion wouldn't hurt anyone this way.

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The boom soon faded away, but not the timer in my head.

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Tesla - Zero

Countdown to retracting anchor... 9 seconds... Teleportation terminating...

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That's... Miss Ironfist speaking. The teleportation is ending?

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I don't know exactly how it works, but seems to me this spacetime teleportation has a time limit.

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Well, it wouldn't be right without a limit. But the question is, where will I be after the teleportation ends?

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And will I be sent back to the Qixi when Kongming died miserably and left Miss Ironfist to me?

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I've no answers. Anyway, Huodou has died, so Rita won't have to sacrifice her life and Kongming would be alive too.

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I've saved their lives.

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While still in midair, I turned my head, allow the rain of tiny gravel wash my face, and let out a relieved sigh.

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Captain

Great. Looks like the only one that dies in this story is going to be me.

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Captain

To be honest, good luck was never my friend... but if I can somehow make it out alive...

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Captain

I'll let you tell my fortune again, Kongming.

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Tesla - Zero

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

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Captain

Wish me luck.

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End