Study, Don't Play.

Xing's charge came to a halt as well, as though she had been hit with a paralysis spell.

Even without the bat, that cool outfit made it obvious who the figure in the picture was.

She decided not to run. She would stay, snatch it back from Fang Jie, and destroy it from this galaxy.

For Belobog, and for herself.

March 7th had stopped long ago. Now her eyes went wide, and her brain trembled.

The person in the other picture was quite beautiful. This portrait was so exquisitely crafted—uh, wanted poster.

The pink-haired girl in the picture smiled like a flower, vividly lifelike. An... camera hung around her neck, and she gazed at you—or somewhere behind you—with deep affection, assuming watery eyes counted as deep affection.

Likewise, she was on all fours, mouth wide open and tongue hanging out. Her innate air of dignity was in no way inferior to Xing's.

And it was in full color too.

Its artistic achievement could be described as... horrifying.

The joy conveyed by the entire image practically overflowed from the paper. It was one hundred percent faithful to the original, but was this really appropriate for a wanted poster?

March 7th decided to snatch it away and threaten everyone into forgetting this scene. Such a masterpiece could not be made public while she was alive, nor after she died—at least, not where she could see it.

The atmosphere was so heavy that Dan Heng was utterly baffled.

Also, he cared a great deal about one thing: there wouldn't be one of him too, would there?

In any case, they looked utterly determined.

Dan Heng had no choice but to stop as well. Even though the Fragmentum was only a step away, he hesitantly looked toward Fang Jie. He only had two hands, if there were other wanted posters...

Dan Heng was not sure whether he wanted to see them or not.

Don't worry, there weren't any.

Some people's grudges and grievances were clearly distinguished.

There were only those two wanted posters. There was no Fang Jie, no Dan Heng, and certainly no Sleeping Beauty or floating object. In theory, Serval only needed to capture two people...

Gepard did not know why they had stopped. Was there something strange about those wanted posters? Or were they planning to defeat everyone again?

Yes, they had that kind of power. Their choice to yield had merely been kindness and compassion.

He felt that he should stop this. This was a meaningless fight.

Serval did not see it that way.

That woman—no, the Great Guardian's order was to drive out the criminals and pursue them without end. That perhaps did not include Dan Heng, Fang Jie, or the people in the room behind him.

But March 7th, Xing, and Gepard definitely could not escape!

"Give up resisting."

She pulled out her guitar, but not to play it. Thunder leaped forth, striking Gepard behind her, whose expression was unwilling as he tried to become an accomplice.

Never mind whether he resisted or not. He looked like an accomplice to me!

The fight was such a mess... the Silvermane Guards did not even know whom they were supposed to deal with. They could not deal with any of them. March 7th and Xing charged back in, sending people sprawling everywhere and leaving Dan Heng alone in front of the Fragmentum-corroded area.

This was a little awkward.

March 7th was not embarrassed. With her hands on her hips, she puffed herself up with all the momentum she could muster. "Hey, hand it over!"

Lord Xing put her hands on her hips. "Hand it over!"

The companions who had fought side by side moments ago now turned their weapons on one another. Fang Jie silently put away the wanted posters, his expression full of concern. "Run, hurry and go. I'll hold them off, and we'll meet up afterward..."

"Shut up! That isn't important! Are you trying to keep those... portraits? No! Hand them over!"

March 7th saw through Fang Jie's bad intentions at a glance. If Himeko or Uncle Yang found out about this—no, even Pom-Pom would laugh at them for ages.

Xing continued repeating, "Hand it over!"

"Even if I gave them to you, it would be useless. These things can be copied. There are more than just these two."

Fang Jie would not hand them over. This joke would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Dan Heng chose silence. Cloud-Piercer knocked down the Silvermane Guards who did not know any better, keeping their escape route clear...

Why not just fight their way into Clipper Fort and ask that Cocolia why she had gone back on her word?

Compared to them, Serval's beating of Gepard was downright brutal. Originally, she should not have been able to defeat him, but Gepard was in poor condition. His barrier was not even in his hands, and being dismissed from his post and everything else had dealt blows to both body and mind...

Gepard fell. He was not acting.

"Hmph, you still have a long way to go before you can fight me. I know what you're thinking and what you want to do, but idiot, your naive path has an end."

Serval closed her eyes, then opened them again. She raised her guitar high, wrapped in thunder—

"In the name of Landau, prepare yourself!"

Her momentum was like that of an executioner's block.

She brought it down fiercely. It did not look like an act.

Dan Heng was still the reliable one. Though he did not understand exactly what had happened, he flashed forward, dragged Gepard back, and avoided the strike. "Stop wasting time. We need to leave."

"None of you are leaving."

Serval's fighting spirit surged. Ignoring the Silvermane Guards' losses, she had to accomplish the objective, for—

"For Belobog! Guards, charge with me!"

March 7th could not keep tangling with Fang Jie. She shot a resentful look at the pocket where he had put away the portraits, considering waiting until he fell asleep later.

She extended a beautiful girl's hand toward the beautiful girl crawling around on the ground in the other party's hand—uh, the portrait?

Damn it, you cannot let a beautiful girl crawl on the ground. A girl, understand? A girl!

So she shouted:

"Let's go! We'll run together!"

What a passionate invitation. It did not sound like it concealed ill intent at all.

"You go ahead. I'll catch up later."

Fang Jie's smile was radiant, sunny and forthright. His refusal to travel with them was filled with righteousness.

"I still have companions to look after."

"Ah, we can wait for you..."

"March 7th, you don't think entering the Fragmentum means you'll be safe, do you? Looking at how they're cutting off relatives and friends alike, as long as you remain in Belobog, the pursuit will not stop."

Fang Jie directly gave them the best choice. "Run. Go to the Underworld. That is where the Silvermane Guards are weakest."

From every direction came the sound of more Silvermane Guards' boots running.

Dan Heng cast him a thoughtful glance, questioning why Fang Jie did not turn them all into 'empty grass and trees.'

Fang Jie shook his head at him. 'This is Belobog. Using that power I still can't fully control in a residential area—you Astral Express squad really are too trailblazing to ask me to do that.'

"..."

Dan Heng understood. Though it felt like an excuse, he had no response.

"Go."

He dragged Gepard along and fled into the Fragmentum with him. Gepard could serve as a guide and lead them to that Underworld place.

March 7th and Xing chose to follow, still reluctant to leave. "You have to come! You absolutely have to!"

Their voices were full of concern and worry, lingering for three days without fading. Their feelings were far too deep.

Even the Stellaron Spirit could not keep repeating it.

Then they ran away.

Serval hurriedly organized the Guards to pursue them. Even charging into the Fragmentum would not deter her.

As for Fang Jie, who remained behind... Serval glanced at him, then turned and left, having made some sort of decision.

Only Study, No Play

To escape pursuit, the Astral Express squad abducted Gepard and rushed into the Fragmentum.

How had things come to this?

March 7th could not explain it either, because her character setting was simply that of an innocent, adorable beautiful girl.

"Damn it, I feel like something is wrong!"

March 7th felt like she had been set up. She looked around, but there were no pursuers nearby for the time being.

And the contributor who had helped them escape that relentless pursuit—

"Um, Gepard, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Gepard, who looked like a blond young man, spoke in a dejected tone. In truth, he had become a middle-aged unemployed man after losing the struggle for the heir's position as always. Serval had reclaimed his post and was now hunting him down.

March 7th did not know what to say either. "Ahaha, thanks for guiding us all the way. We never got caught, and we avoided all those encirclements. You're amazing."

"It was nothing. Even though the Fragmentum has corrupted this place, it is still part of Belobog. It was once our homeland. The Guards know this place like the back of their hands."

Former Garrison Officer, former Guard Gepard's mood sank even lower.

"March."

Dan Heng could not help rubbing his forehead. She really did not need to force herself to make conversation with him.

March 7th waved her little hands wildly. This was not the fault of innocent and adorable Little March. "Ah, Dan Heng, I was just worried."

"Thank you. I'm really fine. Let's go. The exit from this Fragmentum area is this way, but if you want to go to the Underworld, I don't know much about that place."

Gepard's expression did not change much, even after suffering a blow more devastating than the earlier mixed-gender group beating.

March 7th felt too embarrassed to say anything more and looked at Dan Heng. He seemed even more helpless.

You know what I mean, right?

I don't.

Still, they quickly reached an agreement. Their priority was to leave the Fragmentum. How to reach the Underworld could be discussed after they left this dangerous place.

Wait, where was the Stellaron Spirit?

Suddenly realizing the problem, Dan Heng and March 7th immediately looked around—

"Wait, A-Xing, what are you doing?!"

March 7th let out a sharp cry, but how could trailblazing Xing stop so easily? She took a charging stance toward a snowdrift that existed even inside the Fragmentum, then flew up and kicked it.

"Ah—! Ow—!!"

What a soul-stirring, melodious cry of pain.

It carried both a familiar flamboyance and a flamboyant familiarity.

There were not many people in Belobog who could scream like that.

"Sampo!"

March 7th immediately stopped caring what the Stellaron Spirit was doing. Well done!

Sampo sobbed uncontrollably. "Ow~, I'm telling you, buddy, that was really unnecessary. I was only hiding in the snow. It wasn't some great crime. I let it go when you stabbed me with spear tips before—old Sampo never holds grudges—but wasn't this a little too much? My butt... it hurts. It hurts so much!"

That had been an incredibly painful kick. Heaven knew how the Stellaron Spirit had trailblazed her way into a kick like that. It probably combined the profound mastery and realm of both Trailblaze and Destruction. It hurt.

Sampo bared his teeth in pain while Xing looked smug.

"I knew something was off. So it was you. Take this—"

Little raccoon baseball bat, have you tasted the bat?

"Hey, hey, hey, wait, wait, wait! Good hero, all you heroic warriors, spare me! Officer Gepard, you can't just stand there watching. I demand the treatment a citizen deserves..."

Gepard's expression was cold. "I'm no longer a Guard."

"Huh? That happened? You should've said so earlier. You broke the law too, then we're on the same side... Don't hit me, don't hit me! Old Sampo came to help his own people. We're friends, friends!"

"Oh, screw you. This young lady is going to give you two solid punches. Why didn't you call us friends when you sold us out before?"

March 7th joined the group beating, pounding Sampo until... his twisting and wriggling became even more abstract.