Chapter 21: The Strongest in the Eyes of the Audience

Chapter 21: The Strongest in the Eyes of the Audience

The audience wasn’t exactly surprised by Chen Kong’s sudden transformation.

After all, if he’d kept acting like he did in the previous episodes, no one could’ve understood how this guy ever got cast as the protagonist in the first place.

What did surprise them, however, was that even in a scene meant to showcase Chen Kong’s moment of glory—Tendou’s presence still loomed large.

In fact, many were convinced that Chen Kong’s so-called “awakening” was, at least half, thanks to Tendou’s influence.

“No way—Tendou literally contributed fifty percent to this guy’s breakthrough.”

“Fake protagonist: Chen Kong. Real protagonist: Masamune Tendou. Might as well rename the show to ‘Stellaris: The Legend of Tendou.’”

“Let’s see… Caroline, Chen Xing, Tachibana, Jing Liuli—Tendou’s had major interactions with everyone except Rin, who just debuted. He’s clearly the real protagonist.”

As the barrage of comments continued, the animation revealed Chen Kong’s new power—his bloodline awakening.

And along with that came a surprising twist:

Unlike other Children of the Stars, Chen Kong possessed two star cores instead of one.

A dual-core existence.

The chat instantly went wild.

“Bro, everyone else gets one star core and you’ve got two? No wonder you’re the protagonist!”

“Finally! After four episodes, he’s actually starting to look like a main character.”

“I dunno… Even with two star cores, his ‘Ordinary’ trait feels like foreshadowing. He’s probably one of those ‘secretly powerful but still keeps losing’ types.”

Just as Chen Kong’s “Void Mark” awakened on the battlefield, the camera suddenly cut away—to Tendou.

He stood by the arena, expression calm, eyes unreadable.

“Oh? Finally disappeared, has he…”

“Huh? Disappeared? Who disappeared?”

“Who else? The disappearance of a certain weakest one, of course.” Tendou smiled faintly. “After all, if the weak want to survive in this brutal world… they must learn to use the arrogance of the strong to their advantage, don’t you think?”

“???”

Caroline blinked, completely lost. But the audience—who saw everything from above—understood instantly.

And their reaction was explosive.

“Wait, hold up—does that mean Tendou already knew about Chen Kong’s power?!”

“It actually lines up. Remember when he told Chen Xing that Chen Kong’s star core was unusual? He even made a bet about it! He knew all along!”

“Is it because of those weird blue eyes of his? He sees stuff nobody else can. That’s gotta be it.”

“This man’s been planning since Episode 1. Absolutely terrifying.”

“Somebody check if Tendou’s a time traveler, please.”

“Fake protagonist: struggles to awaken. True protagonist: watches it all unfold with class.”

The reason the audience reacted so strongly was simple—Tendou’s every word, every glance, carried a quiet dominance.

When he spoke, it wasn’t as a peer among the other “Children of the Stars.”

It was as if he stood on an entirely different plane—watching them from above, the way a god might watch over mortals.

That composure, that insight, that overwhelming confidence…

It sent chills down the viewers’ spines.

In that instant, Tendou stopped feeling like a supporting character.

He felt like someone merely pretending to play along with everyone else—someone who viewed all those around him as charming but harmless little creatures.

And when you combined that detached, almost divine aura with all the hints and buildup the writers had planted since episode one—

The conclusion was obvious.

To the audience, Tendou was no longer just another character.

He had become the strongest being in the entire story—the hidden king of “Stellaris: Embers.”

After all, anime isn’t real life.

In reality, you can’t always predict what happens next.

But in fiction?

The audience could feel what the creators were hinting at—and every instinct screamed the same thing:

Tendou is the true apex.

Even though Tendou wasn’t currently the strongest in the show, everyone firmly believed that, one day, he would be.

After all, everything about his portrayal—his demeanor, his insight, his subtle but unmistakable presence—was pushing him in one clear direction: toward becoming the strongest character in the entire series.

And once that idea had taken root in the viewers’ minds, Tendou’s goal was achieved.

Because from the very beginning, he had never forgotten where he was—inside an anime.

Nor had he forgotten his true objective.

To seize the one and only spot in the audience’s hearts labeled “the ultimate powerhouse.”

Every move, every line, every perfectly timed silence up to this point—had all been part of that grand design.

Inside the cafeteria, Tendou glanced at the flood of “???” comments filling the virtual screen after his last line.

A faint smile curved his lips.

He knew then—his two-year plan had finally borne fruit.

Yes. He never needed to actually be the strongest.

He only needed to become the strongest in the eyes of the audience.

“Caroline, I’m done. Take your time finishing up—I’ll head back first.”

“Oh, okay.”

Picking up the dessert he’d saved for later, Tendou stood, turned, and walked toward his dormitory.

As he did, he flicked off the holographic popularity display hovering in front of him.

There was no need to keep watching the rest of episode four.

He already knew how it would play out.

Once the production team chose to insert that line of his— ‘Ask yourself—why are you still alive now?’—into Chen Kong’s awakening scene, the outcome was sealed.

From that moment on, no matter what Chen Kong or any other character did, none of them could ever shake Tendou’s place in the viewers’ hearts.

Because the audience would fill in the blanks on their own.

And imagination—imagination was the most irrational, unstoppable force in the world.

He could already tell just by glancing at the live comments earlier.

“Sure, Chen Kong’s Twin-Star Core ability is crazy strong, but I bet Tendou’s hiding something even more broken. He did see through the protagonist’s potential from the start, after all.”

“Exactly! Chen Kong’s growth is cool, but Tendou’s foresight makes him way scarier. If he doesn’t end up a villain, won’t the hero team be way too overpowered? I can’t even imagine what kind of enemy could threaten someone like him.”

“Uh oh… is anyone else getting the feeling Tendou’s too strong for this version? What if the writers nerf him later—like, kill him off for balance? I swear, if they do that just to prop up the main guy, I’m sending complaint letters!”

“Chill, man! No studio’s dumb enough to kill off their most popular character. No one’s that suicidal.”

But Tendou didn’t see any of those comments.

He’d already turned off the feed.

His thoughts were elsewhere—on the cold glint of the Substitute Death Bracelet wrapped around his wrist.

“A second-order Starbearer and several first-order ones… If I study their weaknesses carefully and use this six-month window well, I should have a decent chance to take them all down with me.”

He exhaled softly.

“But if I want the finale to shine the way I picture it, I’ll need to raise my strength even higher.”

A weary smile tugged at his lips.

“Ah… paying off this popularity debt just to borrow more again. When will it ever end?”

He opened his system interface, fingers gliding over the System’s shop.

Once his points were high enough, he’d finally purchase the rare item he’d been eyeing—the one that could dramatically boost his power.

With that item in hand, and with the Vector Control Star Origin he would obtain tomorrow, he was confident he could raise his combat ability by several levels within half a year.

And when that day came—at the climax of Stellaris Season 1—he would give the world a performance they would never forget:

A brilliant, beautiful, and tragically fleeting firework display.

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