"Yosh, that should do it," I finally said, as Arlan and I were done activating the elevator. It only took a couple of minutes for it to be fully repaired. "The elevator should be up right now, right?" I asked Arlan, who was looking in another direction. When I say another direction, I mean in front. I followed his gaze and saw the elevator going up.
I stared at it nervously. "That's not supposed to do that, right?" I pointed towards the now-disappeared elevator.
"We only activated the elevator on the highest floor," Arlan calmly explained. I breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that.
"Wait, wouldn't that mean we have to go to the highest floor to activate it?" I asked.
Arlan nodded while I groaned.
'Ah great, I feel like something bad is gonna happen after this,' I thought, frowning.
It seemed that Arlan noticed my change of expression. "Sorry… this space station was entrusted to Lady Asta by Madam Herta. I must do this for the safety of the master control zone and the staff here. So I'll have to trouble you to take a bit of a detour from the back towards the upper layer. Sincerest apologies."
"Ah, I see. Then it should be no problem if that's the case," I nodded, acknowledging his reason.
"Huh? You're not coming with us?" March asked, frowning.
"My leg is injured… I'd only slow you down. I'll stay here and shut down the elevator once you've made it to the master control zone," Arlan explained while gesturing to his leg. There was a noticeable wound at the side of the calf. I winced at the sight of it. It looked painful.
"No, that won't be a problem. We can protect you," Dan Heng suggested with a calm look.
"Agreed," March nodded, gesturing with her hand. "We made it here safely by ourselves, and we've got Dan Heng, and he's a good fighter. We're more than enough to protect you."
"Trust us," Stelle said soon after, and I followed.
"They're right. Let them worry about the Antimatter Legion while you and I keep ourselves alive in the back as we follow them," I said, smiling, not bothering with the glare behind my back.
Arlan looked at us for a moment before a smile curved onto his lips. "...Thank you."
+++===+++
After finishing another batch of Void Rangers one after the other, we finally made it across toward the elevator. It was within sight and, more importantly, it was near. I could basically smell freedom from where I was. Just one more, Ethan. One more.
While we were walking, I held Arlan on his right arm, supporting him due to his injured leg.
"Is that it? We've reached the elevator already? That wasn't too many monsters," March sighed dejectedly, feeling disappointed.
I quirked my brow at her. This girl wants more? Is she crazy? "Oh? Feeling confident already?"
March looked at me with a smug grin. "They were pretty easy. Just one arrow, and poof, they're gone."
Ah, did I also mention that her arrows were literally made of ice? Like, how?! Do people in this world—no, universe have some sort of powers? Elemental powers?
"Better be careful about what you say. There's a saying that it might bring bad luck," I warned with a serious look.
March blinked as her face dawned with realization. "Oh no! I take it back!"
"Too late," I shrugged, much to the girl's panic.
"You've grown, March," Dan Heng said, shaking his head.
Just as we neared the elevator, I heard something akin to a whistle, and it was growing close.
"Watch out!" Dan Heng suddenly rushed in front of us, deflecting the projectiles coming right for us. The deflected projectile nearly hit Stelle and me, but thankfully, we managed to tilt our heads to the side.
In front of the elevator, something that almost resembled a centaur but robotic stood guard. It was tall, massive, and had an aura that just screamed, 'Fuck with me and find out.' It had two horns on its head, maybe as massive as my arm, and they were sharp. I noticed the edge of it resembled the point of a spear.
I stared at it, gulping. 'This doesn't look good.'
"What is that?" I asked with a trembling voice.
"A Trampler," Dan Heng answered grimly while looking down at his arm, smoke rising above it. "Be careful. They're capable of using projectiles, and they hit harder using their feet."
"Great, I already don't like the name," I gulped, feeling a slight dread in my heart.
March and Stelle let out their weapons.
"We'll sit this one out. Go, guys!" I cheered from behind, making sure to position myself safely behind Arlan, who shot me a perplexed glance.
Dan Heng made the first move. He rushed in, not waiting for the monster to act. His spear flew from his hand, striking its large body. The force of the hit pushed the Trampler back slightly while the spear bounced back into Dan Heng's hand as he closed in again.
March finally attacked, releasing a stream of arrows aimed at the Trampler's head, blocking its vision. Meanwhile, Stelle followed after Dan Heng with her bat.
The Trampler raised its hand, a glow emanating from it. Suddenly, a rift appeared in the fabric of reality, and a blocky pillar shot toward Dan Heng. He dodged it, but the momentary pause gave the Trampler another opportunity to attack. It raised its massive body and smashed the ground, sending tremors through the floor.
It only interfered with Dan Heng, while Stelle, on the other hand, managed to sneak in, landing a solid blow on one of its legs, causing it to bend down slightly. This opening allowed Dan Heng to readjust and throw his spear again, this time aiming for its head. Sparks flew as the spear collided with the Trampler's head, bouncing back into Dan Heng's hand.
"Stelle, get out of there now!" Dan Heng shouted urgently, but it was too late as the Trampler raised its body once more before slamming the ground, creating shockwaves so strong that Stelle was thrown back towards me. Even Dan Heng struggled to remain steady against the force. In the end, he was pushed back as well.
The Trampler roared so loudly it basically echoed throughout the whole area and prompted me to cover my ears. If I didn't, I would certainly be sure my eardrums would burst. However, as it ended, several Void Rangers floated around the Trampler.
'It called for backup?!' I stared at them in complete panic.
The Trampler raised both its hands as a bow materialized from them.
"Hey, sore losers!" March shouted, worry and fear etched on her face. "You can't just gang up on us. That's unfair!" She protested with a glare.
"I'm pretty sure they can," I said with a grim look as we started to fall back on our guard while they slowly pressed on us.
'Damn it,' I thought, looking at the situation. It had turned for the worse. I unknowingly glanced at my watch. The events of the time when it saved me resurfaced in my mind. 'It saved me once, right? Could it save me again?'
While I was in deep thought, something happened as I heard clacking and slashing above us. March's loud voice also contributed to that.
"Himeko!"
I looked up and saw a robot slashing its way through the Void Rangers like it was a scissor cutting through paper. It went towards the Trampler, which leaned to the side to dodge its razor-sharp blade. It managed to cut off the edge of one of its horns.
"Come on, let's go!" Dan Heng urged as we ran while the robot guarded us. We entered the elevator after that. Seeing we were now completely safe, I breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was close."
"I know, right? If it wasn't for Himeko, we would have been squashed!"
"Himeko? Is that the robot's name?" I questioned March.
"Huh? No! Himeko is a person. How can you not know Himeko?!" March exclaimed with a surprised look.
"Should I?" I shot her a confused look. Is she some sort of interstellar celebrity?
Before March could speak further, Dan Heng beat her to it. "To explain, she's a part of the Astral Express before us. She's our navigator in the Astral Express."
I nodded. "Ah, I see. So how did she find us?" I asked.
"I messaged her," he replied flatly.
"...."
Ding.
"We're here," Dan Heng announced.
I took a breath. The moment I had been waiting for. After hours of getting into shenanigans that I seriously didn't need in my life, I finally achieved peace.
When the elevator door opened, I was greeted by the sight of a beautiful red-haired woman. My mouth flung open as I was immediately captivated by her beauty. The dress she was wearing was lined with red, with some gold along her waist. She had a high slit along the right side that exposed her legs. When I mentioned legs, like damn, those were some legs. She also wore a black coat on her right arm with white ruffles coming out of the sleeves.
"Holy-" I began but was interrupted by March.
"Himeko!"