As soon as Cocolia led Bronya outside, Seele and the others climbed out of their trash can hiding spots.
Serval: "I can't believe it… They really didn't notice."
Seele: "Of course they didn't. This is a special hiding technique. But judging by the look on your brother's face, this trick probably won't work on him anymore."
Gepard didn't bother responding to Seele. Instead, he turned to Serval. "When do we make our move?"
Serval: "No rush. Let's wait until they…"
Just then, Pei Guang appeared, walking over casually as if the place was empty.
Leading the charge was the Trailblazer squad's leader, a veteran gamer fully equipped and ready for the upcoming boss fight. He was armed with an infinite-durability wooden sword, a trash can lid that could block one attack, and a garbage bin cover capable of deflecting any physical strikes.
With a trash can lid on his head, a garbage bin cover on his left arm, and the wooden sword in his right hand, Pei Guang marched forward.
What contributed the most to the Trailblazer squad's efforts in Belobog? Not the people! Not the leaders! But the omnipresent trash cans!!
Some might say that only the dejected would find trash cans fitting companions. But in this moment, Pei Guang, with his trash can gear, was boldly telling the world that they too could be shields, protecting others.
This was the dignity of trash cans. It was hard to explain why they had such dignity, but under Pei Guang's lead, they carried a heavy air of importance.
Behind Pei Guang walked Stelle, swinging her bat with purpose. She strutted confidently, smashing nearby structures as she went. Each powerful strike was accompanied by bursts of confetti, celebrating the triumphant, destructive gang.
"Oh? Our Trailblazer Stelle is shouting her battle cry: 'Smash Cocolia! The treasure is ours!'"
It was quite the energetic rallying cry. Even the Silvermane Guards patrolling nearby couldn't help but glance in Stelle's direction, their eyes filled with passion, as if ready to follow her at any moment.
Behind Stelle was a pink-haired girl, skipping around with a camera in hand, gleefully snapping photos. You might think she was contemplating what cute outfit to buy or what delicious food to eat next. But no! She wasn't thinking about any of that—she was simply filled with pure joy. Of course, if you overlooked the self-destructing robot she was holding, her innocence and cuteness would be apparent to everyone.
Further back, the dependable Dan Heng carried a giant pink bunny plush, calmly following the group. His handsome, composed expression and confident demeanor showed his unwavering trust in the success of this mission.
Yet Gepard couldn't help but feel a twinge of confusion. How could such a serious, dashing person be carrying a giant pink plushie? Was the world turning upside down?
And the team wasn't even complete yet. Following Dan Heng were twenty colorful, mass-produced Svarog units, accompanied by hundreds of other assorted robots, all marching in formation behind Svarog himself.
"Protect Belobog!"
"Defend the Underworld!"
"Keep Clara safe!"
The massive robot army advanced as if they were going to sweep through the Silvermane Guard restricted zone. Were they just machines? No, because they were equipped with household chips, these robots had some additional special functions.
Cheers and music filled the Silvermane Guard restricted zone like it was New Year's. Who could resist these adorable, charming, and deadly robots? Even the logistics unit of the Silvermane Guards wanted to approach and give the mass-produced Svarog units a pat—they were just that cool.
At this moment, Gepard remained silent, and so did Serval.
Gepard: "Sis… Why do I get the feeling that something's not right here…"
Serval: "I had the same feeling when I first met them. But… well… how should I put it?"
Seele raised her scythe: "What are you even talking about? Stop thinking and follow the rhythm! Find the enemy and cut them down!"
With her scythe raised high, Seele joined the group. When the team reached the exit, the mechanical army and Pei Guang's squad began to split up.
The twenty colorfully-painted mass-produced Svarogs lined up behind the original Svarog, while the rest of the mechanical army organized themselves according to type and function.
At that moment, Pela approached the robots. "Captain Gepard, you can head out without worry. I'll coordinate with the machines to defend Belobog."
Through shared intel, Pela was now aware of the Supreme Guardian's situation. Since Gepard was heading out for a personal inspection, as the intelligence officer, she was fully supportive.
Gepard: "Thank you. Make sure you hold the line here!"
Pela: "Leave it to me."
Without these machines, Pela wouldn't have been so confident. After all, Gepard's defensive prowess was formidable, and as long as no one was giving stupid orders, getting hurt would be difficult. But now, with Gepard gone, and such a large force of Svarogs and other machines combined with the well-trained Silvermane Guards, victory would be easy.
Pei Guang: "Oh? Done chatting? We need to keep up the chase, mind opening the door for us?"
Stelle: "No need to open it—I'm a door-knocking professional."
March 7th: "Exactly! And if we can't knock on the door, we'll knock on the walls instead."
Dan Heng: "..."
He didn't know what to say, but with the atmosphere like this, he gave them a look to express his thoughts.
The door opened, and what had once been a five-person team, with Seele, now became a seven-person squad with the addition of the Landau siblings.
However, as soon as the door opened and the seven of them prepared to move, they fell silent. When Cocolia had taken Bronya away, the Fragmentum creatures in the streets had remained completely still. But now, as the door opened again, even more Fragmentum creatures, and stronger ones at that, were gathering. It seemed they were about to launch a major assault on Belobog.
Seeing the number of enemies, Pei Guang took a deep breath, not out of awe but because the air was so cold around him.
Pei Guang: "Looks like we're going to be fighting our way through."
Stelle: "No problem. I'm an expert at taunting."
March 7th: "And I'll handle the damage."
Dan Heng didn't say anything, but he was already prepared, gripping his spear tightly. While it appeared to be a spear in his eyes, to Silverwolf and Gepard, it looked like Dan Heng was lifting up a giant pink bunny plushie, even pointing its head at the enemy.
Remarkably, Dan Heng had successfully managed to inflict some psychological damage on his temporary teammates before even launching an attack.
Before they could act, Clara shouted after hearing Svarog's data analysis: "Uncle, sisters, don't worry! Svarog says he can handle the enemies for you. Please help them, Mr. Svarog!"
At that moment, Svarog, along with the twenty mass-produced units he controlled, stood behind Clara.
Svarog: "Hide."
Svarog: "Extermination authorized."
Svarog: "Executing immediately."
Svarog: "Extermination commencing."
Svarog: "Stay away from Clara."
Twenty-one beams of multicolored light locked onto the approaching Fragmentum creatures. Most of the group had never seen such a magnificent yet destructive attack.
As a machine that had once fought the Antimatter Legion, Svarog could unleash enormous power when resources were plentiful. With his reserves full, thanks to Pei Guang, Svarog and his twenty mass-produced units could hold back the Fragmentum creatures for about six months, even under high-intensity conditions.
Watching as Svarog cleared a path, Pei Guang raised his wooden sword: "Alright, everyone! Boss fight time, let's go!"
Stelle: "Oh yeah!!!"
The seven-person squad pursued Bronya and Cocolia, ready to eliminate the threat to this world.
As this operation continued, aboard the Astral Express, Welt found Himeko.
Welt: "The Fragmentum activity has increased. Something is changing on Jarilo-VI. I'd guess they're already on the move."
Himeko turned to Welt: "Have faith in them. This is their first Trailblazing mission. A little pressure and a few challenges are what make memories. Besides..."
Before Himeko could finish speaking, an alert came from Pom-Pom aboard the Express.
Pom-Pom: "Warning! Warning! Large energy reaction detected!"
Pom-Pom had detected the warp fluctuations of a massive warship. Based on Pom-Pom's calculations, if that warship attacked the Astral Express, it could cause severe damage.
Just as Welt was about to act, his body froze. He had spotted something far off in space, beyond the train: a massive warship had appeared.
Based on Welt's calculations, the size of this ship exceeded that of Jarilo-VI itself. To avoid affecting Jarilo-VI or its neighboring planets, the warship had positioned itself in a safe orbit. However, Welt noticed that the ship was continually adjusting its course, with its weapons now aimed squarely at Jarilo-VI.
If it were just a regular planet-destroying battleship, Welt wouldn't have been so cautious. After all, he remembered Pei Guang mentioning in the group chat that he'd obtained such a ship and was bringing it over.
Welt had always thought that Pei Guang's planet-destroying battleship was the kind of ship capable of taking out small asteroids or, at most, destroying something the size of a moon. But now, looking at it, he realized he had underestimated it.
A ship of this size wouldn't easily break Jarilo-VI, which had been corroded by the Stellaron's power, in a short period. However, simply wiping the planet's surface would be no problem. And, in an extreme case, if this massive thing collided with the planet directly, without a force stronger than a Stellaron Hunter to protect it, the planet could be destroyed just by impact.
Even if there was a Stellaron Hunter... Welt figured even they wouldn't want to mess with something like this, because...
Welt: "I thought it was just a regular planet-destroying ship, but I didn't expect..."
Himeko: "Didn't expect... the little ones to have such a massive weapon, huh? Heh, I guess this mission isn't going to be much of a learning experience after all."