Honkai Star Rail Starting With Judgement of Shamash

Before the looming shadow of the ominous tower, the air seemed to thrum with tension. Orion approached the army commander of the operation.

The commander, a battle-hardened man with sharp eyes and a demeanor that brooked no nonsense, straightened as Orion stopped before him. "Orion, is something wrong?" he asked, his voice steady.

Few knew the truth about Orion, but the commander was one of the select few privy to his true identity.

While his orders from the higher-ups were to monitor Orion closely, their time together had forged a grudging respect. Orion had proven himself time and again, earning trust in a way few could.

"I want to climb the tower alone," Orion said, his voice calm but resolute.

The commander blinked, taken aback by the statement. For a moment, he stared at Orion, searching for some sign of hesitation, but there was none. "Alone?" he repeated, the disbelief clear in his tone. "I know you're strong, but going alone is dangerous. What if something happens?"

Orion raised his hand to stop the commander.

He understood the risks, but things in this world were different from what he remembered. Plans made in the past might not work anymore, and if the Herrscher of the Void didn't appear, everything would be wasted.

He wasn't foolish, though. If he had to face an enemy alone, he might have to unleash the Herrscher's powers, but that could cost him his mind.

"I'm not being reckless," Orion explained. "I just need you as a backup from outside. Here's the plan..."

The commander's brows furrowed, his sharp eyes narrowing. Orion met his gaze unflinchingly. "I need you and the troops as backup from the outside. That's the plan. If I fall, or if something comes out of that tower that I can't stop, you'll be the last line of defense."

Orion whispered to the leader, who listened closely. The commander's eyes widened in surprise at the risky idea.

After thinking for a moment, the commander rolled out a heavy suitcase. It was dark and seemed to absorb the light around it.

"This is a portable nuclear reactor, about five times stronger than the bombs dropped in World War II," the leader said with a serious expression. This powerful device had been given to him as a last resort if their mission failed, but now he handed it to Orion.

The commander handed Orion the detonation button, a small but heavy cylinder. Orion accepted both items, ready for whatever came next.

"Good luck," the leader said, watching Orion walk away. The other soldiers stared at Orion as he approached the tower, not expecting him to return.

Before entering the dark tower, Orion glanced back at the soldiers, many of whom wished they could go with him, but they had their orders. Among them, Destobia gave him a concerned look. With one final look, Orion stepped into the tower.

The large metal door creaked open, releasing a cloud of dust. It felt like stepping into a dark, magical world or a castle from a fairy tale, waiting for the hero to arrive. Orion disappeared into the shadows, and the door shut behind him.

"Everyone, stay alert. Once we get the signal, we act on it," the commander ordered, his voice fading as Orion ventured deeper into the tower.

As Orion moved forward, the darkness lifted, revealing the inside of the tower. The floor was lined with concrete, and there were rows of large, rectangular blocks, almost like cakes in a box. A spiral staircase led upwards, disappearing into the darkness.

Orion took a deep breath and whispered to himself, "Let's be careful."

He stored the suitcase in his backpack and gripped his anti-Honkai dagger, which had been provided by MOTH. He needed to conserve his energy for the real fight.

Step by step, Orion cautiously climbed the staircase. The stairs made a faint creaking sound, but everything seemed stable.

As he climbed higher, he passed by small rooms, each one similar to the last.

They were bare, with nothing but a rusty metal bed that looked ready to fall apart. The walls were dull and lifeless, making the rooms feel more like prison cells.

Orion slowed his pace as he climbed, the silence around him pressing in like an unseen weight.

The air felt unnervingly clean, lacking even the faintest trace of Honkai energy. He clenched his fists instinctively, his senses on high alert. "This place feels strange," he muttered, the unease crawling up his spine.

He continued up the tower for several minutes, passing what seemed like hundreds of identical rooms.

They all had the same simple, broken-down appearance. The climb was tiring, and Orion started to realize something was wrong.

Minutes turned into what felt like hours as he climbed.

Sweat clung to his brow, not from exertion but from the gnawing sense that something was off.

His thoughts churned. This tower is way too tall; from the outside it looked normal; it had seemed massive, but the inside seemed impossible. He paused, glancing back down the staircase.

A chill ran through him. The path below was gone, replaced by an unbroken stretch of wall. There was no staircase leading down, no sign of the floors he had just ascended. His hand reached for the railing instinctively, but his fingers grasped only air.