In an instant, Gepard stood motionless, his eyes vacant. "What... happened to him?" Serval asked Hanxing from beside him. "Just an ordinary illusion. It'll only put him to sleep for a little while."
"Protect Captain Gepard!" The Silvermane Guards behind him swarmed forward. Hanxing's embroidered spring saber appeared in his hand, and he knocked one out with its sheath. His eyes lit up again. "Prison of Fiery Eyes!" Another guard stood frozen in place.
Hanxing turned his head as Caelus brushed past him, taking down a guard with his bat. Dan Heng stepped forward and knocked another unconscious with his spear. With that, all the guards had been dealt with.
"Wait..." Serval seemed to have thought of something else. "Now that we've got my little brother under control, how do we get out?" Hanxing smiled. "I have a way."
He then looked at Gepard. "Prison of Fiery Eyes: Control!" Gepard soon woke up again. "As expected, it worked. I got his memories too?" Serval looked at the awakened Gepard. "So... are you my little brother now... or Mangfeng?"
"Don't worry about the details. He'll wake up on his own later." "Gepard" shook his head. "To continue north, we'll have to pass through a stretch of Fragmentum that's been completely corroded to reach the snow plains on the other side. I can still buy some time before the next attack comes." As he spoke, he led everyone toward the door ahead.
"Once the gate to the restricted zone opens, the monsters on the other side will pour out in force. All I can do is hold the enemy off as long as possible and buy you some time. Are you ready?" "Gepard" asked seriously.
"We're ready," Caelus said firmly. "Then grip your weapons tight!" He then called to the guards around him, "Silvermane Guards, open the gate!"
A few Fragmentum Monsters soon appeared at the gate. The group quickly cleared them out, but more monsters followed close behind.
"That was only the first wave..." "Gepard" looked around and uttered those words.
"Outsiders, Seele-hurry and break through before the next wave attacks!" Serval thought for a moment before speaking to the group. "Huh? Serval, aren't you coming with us to find the Stellaron?" March 7th asked in surprise.
"Mangfeng can't hold out alone. If I don't lend a hand... who knows what'll happen in the next fight? I want to go with you too, I really do! The Stellaron's right there, so close to me. I've always wanted to see it for myself-but enough about that. Hurry on ahead." With that, Serval began urging them onward.
"Stop saying all that useless stuff!" "Gepard" retorted, then fell to the ground. Hanxing appeared immediately afterward, his embroidered spring saber already drawn as he stood in front of the group. "Today, every one of you is going to see the Stellaron!"
Dan Heng nodded. "Hang in there. Don't die!" Hanxing smiled. "Don't worry. I won't fall until you come back!" He shook his head again. "May you return victorious."
Watching the Astral Express Crew gradually disappear from sight, Hanxing gave a barely perceptible smile. He then created dozens of clones. "Now, let me get a good stretch."
Meanwhile, aboard the train, Welt walked over to Himeko and asked, "The Fragmentum's activity has intensified-some kind of change is happening on Jarilo-VI. Aren't we setting out yet, Himeko?" "Let's trust them. This is Caelus's first Trailblaze mission. Without a little pressure and a few setbacks, how could it become a memory of his youth?" Himeko said, her eyes full of confidence.
"You believe they're safe, right?" Welt asked. "...Mm. There haven't been any imaginary reactions on the level of an Aeon or an Emanator, so don't worry. This is a stage for the young; we shouldn't interfere... at most, we could give them a little outside help... perhaps." As she spoke, Himeko glanced out the window at Jarilo-VI.
Welt nodded, but he couldn't shake an ominous premonition...
"So this is the Fragmentum Mangfeng mentioned?" Seele looked around. A black-and-gold horn grew out of the wall. "The corrosion in the Outlying Snow Plains is nothing compared to this," Dan Heng said gravely as he surveyed their surroundings.
"How do we locate the Stellaron?" Caelus asked. "The Stellaron is most likely in the snow plains north of Belobog. To get there, we first have to find our way out of this Fragmentum maze," Serval answered from beside him.
"Say... don't you think this place is creepy? It feels like... like we're being watched by a whole bunch of eyes." March 7th looked around and felt a chill.
"This place... gives me goosebumps. It's uncomfortable. It feels like bugs are crawling under my skin," Seele said as well. "It's fine. The worse the Fragmentum corrosion, the closer we are to the source. Just follow me," Serval reassured the two of them.
"Look! On the ground up ahead... is there something there?" After they had walked a while, March 7th spotted something glowing on the ground.
"Stay alert. Don't go touching things in the Fragmentum at random," Dan Heng reminded them from the side. "That's Bronya's!" Seele said, looking at the object on the ground in surprise. "Right, could it be... could she have already been here?"
"Wah, whoa! Look!" March 7th pointed to the side as if she had seen a ghost. "That's Bronya! Huh, huh! Why is Cocolia here too?!" "No, that's not them," Dan Heng said coldly. "This should be some kind of residual energy replicated by the Fragmentum..." Dan Heng analyzed from the side. "Then that proves even more that they've been here, right? And it looks like they went that way," March 7th said from beside him.
"Ha, perfect! We were just worrying about not having a guide. Let's go!" With that, the group headed toward the two afterimages.
A red spatial portal appeared, and Hanxing stepped out of it. The two women below were none other than Cocolia and Bronya, but they did not notice Hanxing. "I'll wait for them here..."