Chapter 331 - 331: I Will Protect Everyone with My Singing

"Their target isn't just me. It's everyone in the audience as well!"

Astra's voice grew heavy as she struggled to imagine the consequences.

"The thrusters! The explosive device must be connected to Starloop's thrusters!"

Evelyn stated her conclusion with certainty, and Wise nodded in agreement.

"Belle is already disarming the detonator, but I don't know if there's enough time. There's less than ten minutes left on the countdown..."

The detonator might have been disabled, but the bomb itself still had to be dealt with. No one knew whether the person who planted it had prepared other ways to trigger the explosion.

"He he he... having the desire to live is such an enviable thing."

Just then, a familiar female voice echoed across the stage, filled with emotions too tangled to describe.

Astra looked toward the speaker in confusion.

"Lady de Winter... why are you here?"

"Since you've already guessed, why ask? I am here because it is my duty as Joran's widow. As the family of the deceased, I must hear the murderers' screams with my own ears and witness their repentance with my own eyes before I can move on. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Murderers? I don't understand. Joran... wasn't his death his own decision?"

Hearing Astra's words, Lady de Winter burst into bitter laughter.

"Hehehe... Hahahaha... suicide? What a convenient excuse. All they have to say is, 'He committed suicide,' and the murderers walk free, carrying on with their lives without a shred of guilt."

Perhaps, in her eyes, the man she loved had been driven to his death by greed and public opinion. Even his Relics, the belongings he left behind, were now nothing more than commodities for corporations to exploit.

Although Astra had never thought that way, it was enough to fuel Lady de Winter's anger and irrational hatred.

"And then they dump all the grief and pain onto the victim. If Odeum and Fugue hadn't dragged Joran into endless contract disputes over their so-called profits... would he have been forced to abandon the stage he loved so dearly during the final years of his life?"

She fell silent for a brief moment, her voice trembling before she continued.

"He could only watch as music drifted farther and farther away from him, as though trapped inside a silent vacuum, slowly suffocating until every last trace of his brilliance faded away..."

But as she spoke, Lady de Winter's tone shifted once again. The sorrow on her face twisted into a crazed smile.

She condemned the two corporations, denounced the audience who had once pressured Joran, and then turned her gaze toward Astra.

"I must 'thank' Odeum and Fugue. If not for their endless conflict and unwavering determination to destroy each other, I could never have pulled this off. After all, what could someone like me, abandoned and left alone in this world, possibly accomplish?"

She also "thanked" the audience who had once adored Joran, only to abandon him because of baseless rumors.

"I must 'thank' you as well, Astra Yao. There is genuine beauty in your voice. But do you realize it? To Odeum and Fugue, you're nothing more than a money-making nightingale."

"When the next nightingale hatches, you'll lose all your value. Everything you have today will eventually be taken away from you. Just like Joran, whose worth was stolen by your voice."

Her expression twisted further, revealing the depths of her madness.

"You... all of you... you're murderers. Every single one of you drove Joran de Winter to his death. My most beautiful dream. My most precious resonance. My one true love."

She took a slow breath, her smile becoming eerily gentle.

"It's almost time. Ah... how rude of me. I haven't even given you all a proper welcome."

Lady de Winter steadied her choked voice and began counting down.

As the final number left her lips, the bomb planted beneath Starloop's engine exploded exactly as scheduled.

There was no way to stop it. Unless Wise could somehow fly, none of their current abilities could reach the device in time.

The explosion instantly threw the entire Starloop off balance.

Seeing this, Astra immediately channeled the power of Ethereal Resonance, desperately stabilizing the massive structure.

"You will NOT hurt my fans! I'll protect everyone with my singing!"

"The only song fit for a funeral... is a requiem for the dead."

Lady de Winter spoke coldly before leaping from the stage.

At that very moment, a massive military mech descended from the sky.

Wise reacted instantly, moving to Astra and Evelyn's side.

The mech slammed onto the stage with tremendous force, crushing the surrounding Harmonic Cores and causing Starloop to lose power once again.

The stage began falling from the sky.

Astra and Evelyn lost their footing, but just before they could plunge into the abyss, Wise caught each of them with one hand and safely brought them to the ground.

As for the two sisters, there was even less to say.

The moment Wise set Astra and Evelyn down, they had already charged straight toward the mech.

This time, they held absolutely nothing back.

Elegant dance steps intertwined with razor-sharp Ethereal blades as they carved through the enemy machine.

Within moments, the mech's heavy metal armor was covered in deep scars.

"Wow... those two sisters are incredible! No, we have to help too!"

After blurting that out, Astra immediately stepped forward, only for Evelyn to stop her.

The meaning was obvious. Helping was fine.

Getting too close was not. Yet in that brief exchange, the enemy mech had already been pushed to the brink of destruction.

After all, it was facing two exceptionally dangerous Ethereal-level combatants. And perhaps because they were fighting on a stage, the sisters seemed more exhilarated than ever.

Against them, the mech stood virtually no chance.

However, just as it was about to collapse, Lady de Winter, stunned by the sudden turn of events, abruptly drew her pistol.

Without the slightest hesitation, she aimed it at Astra.

In that instant, Evelyn rushed forward, placing herself directly in front of Astra.

The bullet tore through the air. Just before it struck, Wise calmly drew his sword and split it cleanly in two.

"Heh... still pretending? My plan has made it this far because of you, Evelyn. You were indispensable."

"Ugh..."

Hearing those words, Evelyn lowered her head guiltily.

Astra, however, paid no attention to the accusation. She was far more concerned about whether the two of them were alright.

Seeing that, Lady de Winter, convinced they were all doomed, continued mocking them.

"How laughable. Your so-called bonds are nothing more than a hypocritical performance."

"What do you mean?" Astra asked with a frown.

"Heh. She's not the loyal companion you think she is. From beginning to end, she was nothing more than a spy planted at your side by Fugue."

At those words, Evelyn became flustered once again. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Astra as she spoke in a trembling voice.

"No... it's not like that..."

"Do you think she's ever been sincere with you? No. You're nothing more than a tool she used to complete her mission."

Lady de Winter sought to crush Astra's spirit with those words.

But knowing Astra's personality, how could she ever be swayed by someone else's accusations?

"...The trust between us is something you could never understand!"

"Naïve! Every day, you're surrounded by schemes, calculations, and conflicts of interest. In a world like that... do you truly believe trust and genuine feelings can exist between people?"

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