Chapter 35: Awakening of the Star Origin

Chapter 35: Awakening of the Star Origin

“Holy crap! That’s some serious swagger!”

“You’re the challenger? Damn, Tendou, you’re that confident?”

“Think he can actually win?”

As Tendou’s victorious declaration echoed across the screen, not a single viewer at Crustyroll doubted his words.

Instead, everyone felt—it fit him perfectly.

From the very first episode of Stellaris, Tendou had left a deep impression on the audience—the image of the strongest.

And that impression carried a weight:

Tendou could die, but he could never lose.

Especially not lose like a clown.

Because the moment Tendou lost that way… his entire persona would crumble.

. . .

In the world of Stellaris, Cromwell stared at Tendou’s arrogant expression, and his face—hidden beneath the helmet—slowly grew grim.

“So… I’m the challenger, am I?”

Reaching behind him, he drew forth the massive shell-shaped tower shield he’d been carrying all along—a towering two meters tall.

BOOM!

The shield struck the ground, and the reinforced concrete beneath it shattered instantly, webbing with cracks that spread like lightning. The parking lot floor clearly couldn’t withstand the sheer weight.

Yet this was the same shield Cromwell carried effortlessly on his back.

That alone said enough about his monstrous strength.

Gripping the heavy shield with both hands, he leveled a calm gaze at Tendou.

“…Kid. Then come. Let this challenger see what you can do.”

The instant he finished speaking, Cromwell raised his shield—and slammed it down hard.

KRAKOOOM!

Jagged coral spikes burst from the ground where the shield struck, splitting apart the concrete and surging forward like writhing vines, racing toward Tendou with lethal speed.

But Tendou didn’t even flinch.

He didn’t dodge, didn’t move—just stood there, motionless.

Finally, when the coral spikes were only five meters away—

Tendou stepped forward.

BANG!

The ground shattered beneath his foot, spraying shards of stone in every direction.

And in the midst of that explosion of debris, three enormous slabs—each nearly a meter tall—erupted upward, forming a jagged barrier of black concrete.

The sudden wall stood between Tendou and the incoming coral spikes.

Of course, ordinary concrete couldn’t stop the star energy-infused coral conjured by a second-order Starbearer.

Within a blink, the black stone walls were sliced apart like tofu—the coral spikes piercing straight through, lunging for Tendou’s heart.

But in that instant, they struck nothing.

Because the Tendou who’d been standing behind the wall had vanished.

“Hey, old man,” a teasing voice came from above, “this kind of probing nonsense is way out of date.”

“Come on—get serious, or you’re gonna lose badly.”

In the next heartbeat, Tendou’s figure flickered into existence right above Cromwell—a ghostly blur descending from midair.

The knight’s pupils contracted sharply.

He hadn’t even seen when Tendou disappeared—or when he reappeared.

But instinct took over. 

With practiced motion, he hoisted his massive shell shield up high, covering his entire body in a full-guard stance.

Tendou smirked.

Then—he lashed out with a whip-like kick, slicing through the air with a boom that split the silence.

BOOOOOOM!

The strike landed.

The impact was beyond anyone’s imagination—a violent gust of compressed air exploded outward, rippling visibly from the point of contact between Tendou’s leg and Cromwell’s shield.

The impact was so fierce that even the two-meter-tall Coral Knight—clad head to toe in his heavy coral armor, a second-order Enhancement Type Starbearer—was forced back several steps just to absorb the force.

Each time his foot hit the ground, the concrete beneath him cracked apart, leaving small craters in his wake.

After four such steps, he finally managed to steady himself, the echo of Tendou’s kick still humming through his shield arm.

Tendou, meanwhile, landed lightly on the ground, brushing bits of debris off his shoulder as if he’d simply gotten dusty.

It was the kind of nonchalance that could drive a warrior mad—a posture that said, “This isn’t even a fight yet.”

On one side stood Tendou, relaxed, calm, and utterly unhurried.

On the other, Cromwell, forced back and now wearing a grave expression behind his visor.

There was no doubt about it.

In this first clash, the second-order Starbearer had been completely overpowered.

Both in strength—and in spirit.

In the real world, the Crustyrool viewers exploded in disbelief.

“Holy hell! New map, same domination—Tendou’s still cracked!”

“First-order kicking around a second-order?! What kind of logic is that?!”

“They haven’t even gone all-out yet, but from the look of it, that uncle really is the challenger here.”

At a distance, Tachibana—who’d been watching the duel with an amused smile—couldn’t resist a teasing remark.

“Cormwell, didn’t I tell you? Tendou isn’t like the others.”

“If you keep holding back and don’t start getting serious soon, this test might turn out exactly how he said it would—you’ll lose everything. Face, pride, the whole lot.”

Cromwell didn’t react to the taunt.

No anger. No irritation. Just quiet resolve.

He straightened up, pulling his massive shell shield free from the ground where it had embedded half a meter deep, lifting it as easily as if it weighed nothing.

But this time, he didn’t wield it with both hands.

His left hand held the shield steady, while his right reached behind his back—and drew out a gleaming, one-meter-long cross-barbed harpoon.

The weapon hummed faintly with condensed star-energy as he leveled it toward Tendou.

“Boy,” he said in a low, resonant voice, “be careful now. I’m done holding back.”

Tendou only shrugged.

“Okay.”

Despite being momentarily suppressed, Cromwell’s mood had never been better.

Because the stronger Tendou appeared—the safer Isabelle would be at the academy.

And if this boy could truly defeat him while he fought at full strength—then that would mean he’d never have to worry about the young lady’s safety again.

So no—he wasn’t afraid of Tendou being strong.

What he feared… was that Tendou might not be strong enough.

Sincerity, after all, was the truest form of power.

Even with his opponent being the most popular man in the Stellaris: Embers, Masamune Tendou himself, Cromwell’s earnestness only drew admiration.

“Honestly, this show’s side characters are just as compelling as the leads!”

“Now that’s what a real knight should be like.”

“Why do I suddenly feel like Tendou’s the villain here…?”

And as Cromwell finally let go of all restraint—the air itself began to tremble.

The air around Cromwell began to shimmer—and his star energy reading skyrocketed before everyone’s eyes.

1900… 2000… 2050…

Only when it finally hit 2100 did the surge come to a stop.

At the same time, the fine coral spikes jutting from his armor took on a strange, sinister hue—their pale pink fading into an eerie violet glow.

A faint haze of mist rose from them, almost imperceptible, but even through the screen, viewers swore they could feel the venom in the air.

“Oh?” Tendou tilted his head, his earlier nonchalance replaced by the glint of real interest.

“So you’re finally willing to use your second-order awakening ability, huh?”

For the first time since the match began, he looked amused.

After all, if Coral hadn’t gotten serious soon, this so-called “test” really would’ve ended in a dull one-sided stomp.

Outside, the dimensional broadcast chat was a storm of speculation—but it was Tachibana’s calm explanation that cleared the fog.

Through her words, the audience finally understood what separated a first-order Starbearer from a second-order one.

It wasn’t just about hitting a thousand points of basic star energy.

That was merely the entry requirement.

To truly step across the boundary, a first-order had to fulfill one more, far more elusive condition—the Awakening of their Star Origin.

Once awakened, their star energy underwent a fundamental transformation, becoming purer, sharper, and capable of manifesting unique abilities tied to their Origin.

One awakening marked a second-order Starbearer.

Two awakenings made a third-order.

Three—and you stood among the fourth-order, a level where mortals could no longer compare.

Simple in name—but the gulf between each stage was wider than most could ever imagine.

And Cromwell, as a second-order Starbearer, bore the Star Origin known as Sea-Spine Coral.

Its awakened trait—

Venom.

As the violet light pulsed from his armor, the temperature in the air seemed to drop.

A salty tang, like the scent of deep ocean reefs, filled the arena.

The coral spikes on his shoulders and arms pulsed faintly, secreting droplets of glowing amethyst poison that hissed when they hit the ground.

Across from him, Tendou’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“Now that’s more like it.”

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