Star Iron, building an empire starting with game development

As dawn broke, several dark clouds hung in the distance, representing the approaching swarms of insects.

"I dreamt of a scorched earth..." Firefly murmured, tears streaming down her face, the drops slowly falling to the ground, only to vanish quickly in the heat of the battlefield...

"...a new bud breaking through the soil~" A sapling sprouts from the ground and grows rapidly.

"It blooms in the morning sun and whispers to me..." The sapling grew rapidly and soon became a towering tree.

"Fireflies fly towards the flame, facing death... to live!" The firefly's words changed, and then, a massive energy swept over, transforming him back into Sam. Firefly-like wings unfurled, and he flew rapidly towards the distant, cloud-like swarm of insects.

The scene shifts to space, to a planet invaded by a swarm of insects, where the Iron Riders have paid the ultimate price. A massive explosion occurs on the planet, followed by a beam of energy sweeping across its surface.

The camera zooms out, and cracks begin to appear on the planet. Eventually, it can no longer hold on and breaks into pieces...

[Dan Heng: It's said that Star Core Hunters possess the power to destroy a star single-handedly, and it seems that's true.]

Kiana: A planet just vanished like that?

[Firefly: I feel like if that kid Daddy Duck were here, he'd be so excited he'd run off to challenge Firefly.]

[Star: Are you sure that duck won't get rubbed repeatedly on the ground?]

—The scene slowly shifts, and a spaceship arrives outside the shattered planet.

In one of the spaceship's rooms, Kafka put down her cup of red tea and looked at the fluorescent target emanating from the ruins outside.

“Hmm~ I see fireflies among the stars~” Kafka said gently.

[Star: Thank you, Mommy Kafka, for bringing back the adorable fireflies]

[Sora: Thank you, Kaffa, for bringing back the Fireflies!]

[Kafka: You're welcome~ My two little darlings]

[Firefly: Strange, this doesn't match my memory from back then]

[Firefly: Me too, maybe it's because the star did something in the animated short?]

[Screw Gum: Conclusion: Based on the tree's growth and the absence of other comrades in the surrounding scenery, this may be a battlefield elsewhere.]

[Silver Wolf: No, Screwgoom, this is a technique called stream of consciousness, used to express the protagonist's inner thoughts and self-awakening.]

[Player: I have a bold guess. According to the game text, the Ironclads of Grammer exist under the rule of the Queen, right? And the Ironclads are clones of the Queen, so...]

[Player 2: Clones... No way!]

[Player: Otherwise, given the Grammer riders' loyalty to the Empress, why would they kneel before Miss Firefly and say, "I dedicate everything to Her Majesty the Empress"?]

[Scholars from the Academy of Arts and Sciences: Based on game texts and our own archaeological discoveries, the Republic of Grammer used a technology similar to breeding on its Ironclads, and Empress Titania commanded them through a telepathic link.]

[Scholar 2 from the Academy of Broad Knowledge: Indeed, perhaps that's why the text says the ordinary people of Grammer would fear the insect swarms as they protected their iron cavalry.]

[Player 3: Does this mean that after this battle, since there are no other Iron Cavalry left, Miss Firefly has automatically been promoted to Empress?]

[Player 4: Look, before she awakened, her mask looked no different from a regular Ironclad Knight's, right? But after awakening, doesn't that part of her mask look like a crown?]

[The Black Tower: Because Grammer used swarm technology, it has a swarm structure, and the swarm social behavior of insects is that a new queen will appear after the queen dies...]

[Black Tower: A very interesting topic, Screw Gum, Ruan Mei, civilization has a new problem to solve.]

[ScrewGumm: Request received]

[Ruan Mei: I'm going to the Black Tower Space Station in the next few days]

[Black Tower: We can forget about the Star Core Hunters. Star, could you send your Fireflies to Black Tower so we can study them?]

[Star: Researching automatic promotion to the rank of Queen? No need, I've found some of the once-sealed Grammer Cavalry here, and they acknowledge Queen Firefly's status.]

Sam: Huh? Oh, I see.

[Player: Doesn't this mean the Star Core Hunters are going to increase their forces again? Who can beat them now?]

[Diamond: Oh? Could it be that the "Slave of Fate" intends to restore the Grammer Empire?]

[Elio: It has nothing to do with me. Go find that reckless little girl, Xing. I don't know how many scripts have been torn up because of her. It's a headache...]

[Star: Hehe~]

【The End Times, The Last King: There is no harm, but there is no liberation from the Dharma; the chaos of humanity disturbs the emptiness of time.】

[Star: Hmm~ Why does that sound so awkward?]

[Eriol: What the Last King means is that because of your existence, the future of this universe has been greatly changed.]

[Star: I finally understand what the Star God of the End is saying. I have to say, he truly lives up to his reputation as the Star God who reverses time; he can even turn a sentence around.]

[The Last King: In the end times, it is good that he who exists will give according to his ability.]

[Star: Can you translate "The End of the Star God"? This sentence with the plot twist is giving me a headache.]

[Ominous Vanguard: This is nothing new... Miss Star, you are now the messenger of the End]

[Star: Huh? I didn't feel anything either]

[Eriol: The Last King exists in the future, traveling back to the past. Your power will most likely allow you to travel through time at some point in time to awaken.]

[Star: Is that how it is?]

…………

Star Core Hunter Outpost - The Room of the Star

"System, how do I draw out the power of the Last King?" Xing asked, sensing the various destinies within his body.

"If you want to speak inexplicably and ironically like the Last King, I can help you draw him out," the system said.

"Then forget it. I don't want to be someone who speaks the opposite of what they mean and causes others to overinterpret it... God." Xing indicated that it was fine.

"Just kidding, the power of the end is already dormant within you. If you don't want it to awaken, I can help you suppress it. Even if you travel through time someday due to time constraints, it won't matter," the system said.

"Then I'll leave it to you," Xing said.

"Seriously, I really won't end up like the last king?" Xing thought for a moment and then asked.

"A group of gods who can only exist within the universe, with at most one capable of time reversal, it's not difficult." The system's tone was full of pride and disdain for the power of the star gods.

"Okay." Xing nodded, indicating that she was relieved.

"Here, this is a conceptual ability that can completely suppress the power of the Last King." The system took out a ball of light and then slapped it onto Xing's body.

"What is that?" Xing was startled.

"A concept related to time, the hourglass of time. It allows the use of the power of time and, in some ways, the ability to travel through time and space to alter the past, present, and future," the system said.

"Wow, this is great stuff! By the way, are there any side effects or anything?" Xing asked excitedly.

"Does it count if I accidentally space out for several days?" the system asked.

"Feeling...okay?" Xing thought for a moment before replying.