Honkai: Star Rail – From the Moment Tom The Cat Became My Passenger

One moment, they watched Tom scatter into a pile of ashes and flee—

The next, he reappeared in front of Yevenko, completely intact.

It was as if a scene transition had passed, and everything was back to normal.

Tears still clung to the corners of March 7th's eyes. In a daze, she ran up to Tom, extended a finger, and gave his cheek a gentle poke.

Soft.

"It's really Tom…"

"But didn't Tom just… Am I hallucinating?"

March began doubting her own eyes.

Dan Heng crossed his arms and spoke quietly.

"March, there's no way all of us hallucinated at once. Tom was hit by the Doomsday Beast's breath. He did turn into ash. And then he really did sprout limbs and eyeballs and run away."

"And now… he's back to normal again. Perfectly normal."

Dan Heng paused long on the word normal, as if even saying it was a stretch.

His expression was as calm as ever—but that didn't mean his mind was.

This level of self-recovery, beyond comprehension, probably had no equal in the entire cosmos.

Even in his fragmented memories, the regenerative powers of the Abundance's disciples relied on leftover tissue—never had he seen someone reduced to ash who bounced back in the blink of an eye.

There was only one explanation. A term Yevenko had once used:

"Magic Cat."

Himeko pursed her red lips and murmured,

"So that's the magic cat you told me about…"

Now, she truly understood the weight behind those words.

The universe held many wonders, many mysteries—

But there was only one Tom.

Watching everyone stunned by Tom's return, Yevenko couldn't help but feel a deep, private satisfaction.

He cleared his throat.

"Alright, alright. Settle down. This is just standard Tom behavior. Take a seat."

Everyone turned to look at him—seeing his smug, beaming face—and silently agreed to just… not question it further.

For now, the more pressing issue was the Doomsday Beast.

Himeko spoke softly:

"There's not much finesse in fighting a Doomsday Beast. But we do need someone to draw its aggro. In my plan, that role is best suited to Tom."

"Of course, we'll need Tom and Yevenko's consent."

But before she could finish the sentence—

She turned and saw that both cat and man had vanished.

As she stood stunned, March scratched her head and pointed in the direction of the Doomsday Beast.

"Uh… Yevenko and Tom already charged in."

Everyone whipped around—

Only to see Yevenko now riding Tom, the two of them wearing matching D'Artagnan hats, each wielding a rapier, charging ahead with battle cries.

Yevenko shouted with heroic flair:

"A man born beneath heaven and earth—how can he live in mediocrity for long?"

"With sword in hand, I shall carve my name into legend!"

"Once I take this beast's head, I shall drink coffee with you all in triumph!"

Thud—!

Tom tripped on a bump and faceplanted. Both man and cat smacked flat onto the ground.

Yevenko calmly patted the dust off his pants and stood up. A long bump slowly sprouted from the top of his head.

Tom scrambled to his feet, gave a sheepish grin, and gently pressed the bump back down.

Meanwhile, the Doomsday Beast had finally recovered from Tom's earlier blow.

The ancient will still flickering within the beast could no longer tolerate this flea's repeated provocations.

Its core pulsed with energy—blazing with fury.

In an instant, a barrage of starry cannon fire erupted like meteor showers, all aimed at Tom and Yevenko.

Tom's eyes sharpened, and he drew his sword without hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, he slashed countless times, weaving a dense net of swords in the air.

The light cannons struck the net—

Like tofu against knives. They were sliced to ribbons and exploded harmlessly in the sky.

Using the smoke as cover, Tom and Yevenko advanced.

The Doomsday Beast charged, stomping wildly—

Yevenko swung his rapier upward, blocking the strike, then shoved forward with all his might. The beast, hit with equal force, stumbled back a step.

The rapier in Yevenko's hand, [Tom's Fencing Rapier], allowed its wielder to match any opponent with a fifty-fifty chance for a brief time.

After rescuing March earlier, the buff had worn off. But now that some time had passed, the power had returned.

Yevenko could faintly sense its limits.

He had a short window—however long it lasted, he'd fight.

Earlier, he'd realized: when Tom fought alone, he still gained exploration points, but nowhere near as much as when he joined the fray.

Like how EXP in an MMO gets split.

Granted, Tom's share didn't eat up too much—maybe 20%.

But on a monster like the Doomsday Beast, 20% still hurt.

Together, he and Tom kept up the offensive, keeping the beast occupied. Behind them, March, Himeko, Stelle, and the others launched into full assault mode.

Ice arrows and mechanical boomerangs pelted the beast's hide.

The Doomsday Beast retaliated ferociously. It stomped Tom flat into the dirt—

Then Tom popped back up.

It kicked Tom like a ball—

He shattered into bits—

And reassembled immediately.

The beast's ancient mind simply couldn't comprehend it.

If this continued, its defeat was inevitable.

The scent of death stirred in its instincts, and it chose to flee.

Wings spread wide, it took to the skies. The wind howled. Yevenko and the others shielded their faces from the blast.

Looking up at the beast soaring skyward, Yevenko twitched slightly.

Wasn't he supposed to be the protagonist?

Wasn't he supposed to yell "I can fly!" and reverse the battle?

Why was the villain pulling that move now?

Himeko and the others gathered around Yevenko. She watched the beast vanish into the clouds and shook her head.

"We didn't kill it. It'll be a threat in the future. But at least we drove it off. That's something."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a shout came from behind.

Everyone turned—

Tom had somehow stuck feathers onto his head to mimic a headdress, looking like a cartoon tribal warrior.

He picked up a metal pipe—who knows when it had been dropped—and ran both paws along it. The tip sharpened like a spear.

Then he took off running.

As he ran, he slapped his paw against his mouth, howling like a savage.

"Ooooh oooh oooh oooh oooh!"

Once he gained enough speed, he hurled the makeshift javelin skyward.

Everyone watched as it traced a perfect arc through the air—

Thud—!

It struck the Doomsday Beast dead center—in its glowing core.

The beast stiffened mid-flight, as if all power had drained from it.

It fell—headfirst.

Tom grinned ear to ear.

He dashed toward the spot it would land, began clawing into the metal ground with alarming ease, digging up piles of dirt and flinging them to either side.

In the blink of an eye, he'd dug a massive crater.

Tom emerged from the pit, stuck two fingers in his mouth, and blew a sharp whistle.

Fweeeee—!

The Doomsday Beast's body fell from the sky—landing perfectly in the crater.

BOOOOM———!!!

The ground quaked. The screen shook. Clouds of dirt erupted and fell neatly back down, covering the pit.

The surface smoothed.

The broken core of the Doomsday Beast fell last, thudding right where the grave had formed.

Tom walked up, swiped his paws across the surface, and shaped it into a headstone.

He plucked a feather from his headdress, dipped it in spit, and scrawled four bold characters on the marker:

[Here Lies the Doomsday Beast]

Then he turned to the imaginary camera, jabbed his thumb toward the grave, and flashed a wide-eyed, toothy grin.