Gepard Led the Charge-and Hit Limitless Head-On

The synchronized clang of metal boots drowned out the wind and snow sweeping across the icefield.

Gepard strode out of formation.

A thick layer of frost coated his blond hair.

He held a heavy shield shaped like a giant instrument case in one hand, then put the strength of his muscular arm behind it.

Thud!

The spike at the shield's base slammed into snow that reached his knees.

It punched straight through the hard ice beneath.

Shards of ice and loose snow sprayed everywhere, crackling against the dead tree trunks nearby.

A dull tremor spread through the frozen ground.

It traveled all the way to the Astral Express Crew's feet, leaving their soles tingling.

Sampo shuddered in fright.

The searing pain in his right leg had yet to fade when his left leg gave out too.

He sprawled back into the snow.

Scrambling sideways, he clawed at the snow with both hands, wishing he could bury himself in it like an ostrich.

His teeth chattered, and he did not dare say another word.

Gepard ignored the notorious fugitive from the Underworld.

His gaze passed over Sampo and swept coldly across the Astral Express Crew.

The snowstorm raged, and his brows drew tight.

They were a strange group.

Several outsiders in heavy polar gear watched him warily.

And at the very front stood a little white-haired girl who was not even wearing a coat.

The bitter wind howled past.

Snowflakes sliced at exposed skin like knives.

Yet not a single flake landed near the little girl.

Every bit of snow and ice slid away on its own when it came within a centimeter of her body.

Gepard slowly rested his iron-gloved hand on the edge of his shield.

The glove scraped against the shield with a dull metallic rasp.

"Unauthorized persons are forbidden from entering Belobog's borderlands."

His voice was as cold and hard as ice, without a trace of warmth.

"Who are you?"

Gepard fixed his piercing gaze on the adults.

"Why are you at the Fragmentum front?"

March 7th was shivering uncontrollably.

Through her fogged goggles, she looked at the rows of fully armed soldiers ahead.

The cold gleam of their spearpoints made her eyes ache.

Her stomach tightened.

"Um... we're from the Astral Express..."

March 7th began to explain, stumbling over her words.

The wind was too strong.

The moment she opened her mouth, an icy gust rushed down her throat.

Her tongue went numb. The rest of her sentence caught in her throat and turned into a violent coughing fit.

Su Chen had no intention of paying the blond Defender any attention.

His legs were getting a little tired from standing.

He slowly pulled a fresh lollipop from the pocket of his little uniform.

The wrapper came off with a crisp plastic crinkle.

The sound was jarringly out of place on the tense, snow-covered plain.

He popped the candy into his mouth.

His cheeks moved as his tongue rolled the strawberry-flavored candy around.

His pale blue eyes drifted toward the gray-white sky in the distance.

He treated the Silvermane Guards across from him as though they were not there.

Gepard's expression darkened completely.

He had never heard of any Astral Express.

All he knew was that the Fragmentum held monsters of every kind, some of which could even disguise themselves as humans.

Something was wrong with these people, especially the little girl who seemed immune to the cold.

Their casual attitude was an insult to the Silvermane Guards.

"Anyone who refuses to answer will be treated as a Fragmentum invader."

Gepard did not hesitate.

As a Defender, it was his duty to keep every potential threat beyond Belobog's walls.

He gripped the shield's handle and snapped his wrist.

He wrenched the heavy shield out of the snow.

Then he raised it high.

The hard metal gleamed coldly in the dim light.

"Silvermane Guards!"

Gepard roared, his voice cutting through the storm and shaking loose the snow nearby.

"Charge!"

"Take them!"

"Hah!"

Dozens of Iron Guards roared in unison.

Their voices surged together across the open icefield.

Heavy metal visors dropped, hiding the soldiers' expressions.

Only their grim eyes remained visible.

The steel tide surged forward.

Heavy armored boots ground against the frozen earth with a grating crunch.

Dozens of soldiers stepped forward at once.

The tremor traveled through the snow toward the crew.

Dozens of spears leveled.

Their points formed a pale wall of death in the storm.

Like an unfeeling meat grinder, they bore down on the Astral Express Crew.

The air seemed to freeze.

The iron-scented threat of violence made it hard to breathe.

The Astral Express Crew tensed at once.

Dan Heng's breathing faltered for an instant.

He lunged forward, putting himself directly in front of Himeko.

Cold sweat had gathered in his right palm, slick against his skin.

Cloud-Piercer formed in his hand once more.

The frost that had just gathered on its shaft melted under the heat of his palm.

A few drops fell into the snow.

Dan Heng clenched his jaw, veins standing out along the back of his hand.

Every muscle tightened to its limit, ready for the first impact.

Xingbao scratched her head frantically in the snow.

She could not find her baseball bat.

As the Iron Guards charged closer, she gritted her teeth.

She bent down and grabbed two hard chunks of snow.

Her fingers were red with cold, her joints so stiff that even bending them was difficult.

She clenched the chunks as tightly as she could.

Rough ice scraped bloody lines across her palms.

Xingbao planted her feet wide, ready to fight the heavy infantry with her bare hands.

A low growl rose from her throat.

March 7th drew her Six-Phased Ice Bow.

An ice arrow took shape against the string, giving off wisps of cold.

The bowstring pulled her fingers white.

A sharp, tearing pain ran through her fingertips.

She took a deep breath.

Icy air filled her lungs, sending a stab of pain through her chest.

Her eyes locked on the Iron Guard at the head of the charge.

Her heart hammered in her chest.

Its pounding nearly drowned out the storm.

Mist clouded the lenses of Welt's black-framed glasses.

He stood with his cane in hand.

The hem of his suit whipped in the bitter wind.

His thumb was already pressed against the mechanism in the cane's handle.

The instant they came close, the Star of Eden's gravity field would erupt.

Himeko's fingers gripped the edge of her cold-weather gear.

With no weapon in hand, she could only watch the line of spearpoints approach.

Her nails dug deep into her palms.

Her breathing stopped.

The bitter wind left her eyes dry and aching, but she did not dare blink.

At the very front stood the little white-haired girl.

Su Chen stood ahead of the crew.

He shielded all the adults behind him.

The charging Silvermane Guards were less than five meters away.

Windblown snow hissed against the Iron Guard's visors.

Their breathing echoed inside their metal helmets.

It was heavy and warm, the breathing of battle-hardened soldiers.

The red tassels on their spears whipped violently in the wind.

Even the ground seemed to groan beneath their trampling boots.

Thirty meters.

Ten meters.

The Iron Guard charged faster and faster.

Their heavy armor collided with a deafening clang.

The scrape of metal made their ears ache.

The rushing force of the charge tore through the falling snow.

The dozen or so Iron Guard in the front rank had cold eyes.

They saw the little girl standing motionless before them.

They did not slow down.

They did not hesitate.

On a battlefield, mercy could bring down the entire defensive line.

They shouted.

A deep roar burst from their chests.

They drove forward from the waist, their armored boots carving deep furrows through the ice.

A dozen heavily armored soldiers hurled themselves onward with the force of their charge.

Their arms thrust forward.

A dozen sharp Fine Steel spears tore through the blizzard.

With a shrill whistle, they drove straight toward the little girl's face.

The gleaming spearpoints blurred into a deathly white streak.

In another instant, they seemed certain to punch countless holes through her tiny body.

Su Chen did not dodge.

He did not even blink.

He was still leisurely licking the lollipop in his mouth.

His tongue curled around its sweetness.

His little leather shoes pressed into the snow, steady as a mountain.

The spears pierced the air.

The wind driven by their tips swept up loose snow from the ground.

It blew Su Chen's white bangs gently back from his forehead.

Crack!

A rapid series of sharp, teeth-grating snaps suddenly erupted across the empty snowfield.

The dozen or so Iron Guard at the front felt a terrifying force rebound through their hands.

The skin between their thumbs and forefingers split open instantly.

Blood spurted through the gaps in their iron gauntlets, striking the snow in vivid red blossoms.

Every Fine Steel spear stopped a tenth of a millimeter from Little Satoru Gojo's nose.

Without warning, they had struck an invisible wall.

Driven by their own momentum, the shafts bent into alarming arcs.

Then they broke with a thunderous crack.