"So it was you who did this!" Yun Fan didn't deliberately lower his voice, so naturally, his words reached Serval's ears.
Hearing this, "Big Bro" abruptly stopped his meaningless movements, raised his shield with force, and charged toward the culprit in his eyes.
However, before he could reach the Trailblazers, a fist the size of a sandbag suddenly appeared before him, mercilessly striking his handsome face.
"Ah!" A sharp pain surged as the iron fist landed squarely on Gepard's left eye socket. In an instant, his originally azure-blue eye was replaced by a bruise. Yet, the owner of the fist had no intention of letting him off so easily.
With a whoosh, the icy fist tore through the air like a meteor, crashing down once more onto Gepard's right eye.
Thud—! A dull thud echoed as, before everyone's eyes, the mighty "Big Bro" toppled backward, slamming heavily onto the ground. Fortunately, under the influence of the Stellaron, Belobog was already a frozen wasteland. The thick layer of snow cushioned Serval's fall, sparing him any additional injuries.
"Dan Heng, I have a task for you. Disarm these people and tie up that blond guy for me," Yun Fan calmly retracted his hand and turned to Dan Heng, who wore a resigned expression behind him.
"This... sigh, fine." Dan Heng wanted to say something more, but as he looked at the Silvermane Guards lying scattered across the ground, he suddenly felt that anything he said now would be too late...
He had originally thought that with Yun Fan—an Emanator of the Path of Causality—joining this Trailblazing journey, things would be much easier. Yet, in the end, this guy turned out to be the one causing the most trouble.
Now, here they were, having just arrived on Jarilo-VI, and they'd already thoroughly offended the local inhabitants. Sigh, had he known it would come to this, he wouldn't have followed them into this mess.
Though Dan Heng was filled with helplessness, there was nothing to do now but take things one step at a time.
The "Cold-Dragon Young Man" moved with swift efficiency. In the time it took to burn a stick of incense, he had completely disarmed the Silvermane Guards. Even the fallen Serval was tightly bound with several ropes—ropes he had conveniently scavenged from the guards themselves.
"What's going on...?" After a few more minutes, people began waking up one after another. These soldiers were indeed the elite of the Silvermane Guards. The moment they saw Yun Fan and the others, they instinctively reached for their weapons, ready to form their battle formations. But where were their weapons? Those axe-cannons had long been confiscated by our "Cold-Dragon Young Man."
Finding nothing, the guards didn't give up. In perfect unison, they assumed combat stances, their eyes beneath their helmets filled with determination, as if prepared to engage the Express Crew in hand-to-hand combat.
However...
"I'd advise you not to make any rash moves." Yun Fan shook his head slightly before lifting the bruised Gepard from behind like a chick, dangling him before the guards.
"G-Gepard?!"
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Upper District... Office of the Supreme Guardian...
In a spacious and opulent office, a golden-haired woman reclined in a plush chair, her eyes lightly closed. Upon closer inspection, she had an exquisite oval face, fair and delicate skin, and long lashes that fluttered gently like butterfly wings.
"Haa~" Her chest rose and fell rhythmically, her breathing long and even. It seemed the beautiful woman had long since drifted into slumber, her soul wandering through endless dreams.
Time passed slowly, and after about another quarter of an hour, the woman gradually awoke.
"Strange." These were her first words upon waking. Her violet eyes were filled with confusion, as if something perplexed her.
"Why? Why didn't I hear the Stellaron's whispers today?" The golden-haired woman was none other than Cocolia Rand, the Supreme Guardian of Belobog. Ever since inheriting the title from the previous Supreme Guardian, the Stellaron's murmurs had echoed incessantly in her mind.
At times, she had tried to resist, but in the end, she had always failed. Yet, while the Stellaron brought her suffering, it had also revealed many unknown truths to her. Such as the Fragmentum monsters, the Interastral Peace Corporation, and—the cause of the Eternal Freeze!
It was precisely because of this that Cocolia understood: the Stellaron's power was something she could not defy. Even if all of Belobog—Upper District and Lower District—united as one, their chances of success would be less than one in ten thousand.
In the end, Cocolia gave up. She decided to gamble, making a pact with the Stellaron to use its power to forge an uncertain future.
But today, something seemed to have changed.
The whispers in her mind had vanished. The Stellaron's erosion of her being had inexplicably ceased. This sudden shift rekindled a sliver of hope in the Supreme Guardian.
Yet, at the same time, another matter weighed heavily on Cocolia's mind.
Because, at the very moment the Stellaron severed its connection with her, she sensed something—an emotion emanating from the Stellaron itself.
As unbelievable as it was, the Stellaron... seemed to be afraid. To be precise, the Stellaron... was fleeing!
Just as Cocolia was lost in thought, the door to the Supreme Guardian's office was suddenly knocked upon.
Knock, knock, knock...
The sound interrupted Cocolia's contemplation. Frowning slightly, she quickly composed herself, assuming an authoritative expression as she addressed the person outside.
"Enter!"
"Supreme Guardian, it's terrible! A group of unidentified outsiders has defeated dozens of Silvermane Guard elites and taken Gepard as a hostage! Right now, Captain Bronya is in a standoff with them!" a Silvermane Guard reported in panic.
"Outsiders? Defeated dozens of Silvermane Guard elites? And took that Landau boy hostage?" Cocolia was mildly shocked. Though Gepard was hot-blooded and often reckless, his strength was undeniable. Without the Stellaron's power, even she would have to expend considerable effort to defeat him.
Yet these outsiders had not only defeated Gepard but also dozens of elite Silvermane Guards? This...
Cocolia's brows furrowed. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, and a possibility emerged.
Could it be... the Stellaron was afraid of them? Or perhaps, they possess something that terrifies the Stellaron?