"Dan Feng, where else do you plan to run?! You coward! Weakling!" The furious roar of Blade came from behind Dan Heng. In response, our aloof little azure dragon merely glanced calmly at Blade, his footsteps never faltering.
Witnessing this, Blade's rage skyrocketed as if riding a rocket, soaring straight to the top of his skull. In his eyes, Dan Heng's actions were nothing short of blatant provocation.
Whoosh—whoosh—! Two emerald-green sword energies tore through the air, forming a cross as they shot toward Dan Heng's back. The latter sidestepped, allowing the sword energies to narrowly miss him and strike the stone pillar ahead instead.
Boom! Under the force of the sword energies imbued with the power of the Path of Destruction, the black stone pillars supporting the Underworld shattered like fragile tofu, reduced to rubble in an instant.
The broken pillars crashed to the ground, and within moments, the debris had destroyed several residential buildings.
Glancing at the ruined houses, Dan Heng frowned slightly. The reason he had chosen to retreat strategically was precisely because he feared the underground Underworld wouldn't withstand the shockwaves of their battle, potentially leading to a collapse that would obliterate the entire district.
Yet, given the current situation, it seemed this place would be reduced to ruins by Blade's sword energies long before the two of them could even leave.
"Oh? Not running anymore? Hahaha...! Dan Feng, you finally dare to face me!" Seeing Dan Heng halt his steps and cease his retreat, Blade threw his head back and laughed, his fragmented sword glowing with an eerie crimson light, casting him in the visage of an asura returned from hell.
Blade's laughter at this moment sounded peculiarly sinister—less like genuine mirth and more like a form of weeping.
"I have no intention of provoking a fight, but if you insist on battling, then follow me. Here, neither of us can truly unleash our full strength."
"Heh, how amusing! Dan Feng..." Blade sneered dismissively, his tone dripping with mockery. "Fine, I'll indulge your request. But before that... let me collect a little interest first!"
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"Mr. Svarog, wake up, Mr. Svarog!" Svarog, who had been in standby mode, was jolted awake by persistent shaking, his systems reactivating from the dormant state.
"External interference detected. Standby repair mode deactivated. System rebooting..." As a series of mechanical commands executed, Svarog awoke from standby mode, his sensors immediately registering Clara's anxious expression.
"Clara..." Svarog called her name, attempting to stand up, but the damage he had sustained made it impossible for him to do so.
"Thank goodness, Mr. Svarog, you're finally awake!" Clara wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, her adorable face breaking into a relieved smile.
"Apologies, Clara. I worried you."
"No." Clara shook her head. "Mr. Svarog, don't say sorry. We're family. Family doesn't need to apologize to each other."
"Clara..."
Just as the heartfelt exchange between human and machine was taking place, an unwelcome voice abruptly shattered the harmonious atmosphere.
"A robot and a human calling each other family—how laughable!"
Hearing this, Clara turned around to see two men standing behind her. One had green hair and a deranged expression, while the other had blue hair and a calm demeanor.
The one who had spoken was the green-haired youth.
"That's not true! Mr. Svarog is Clara's family! Clara won't let you insult Mr. Svarog!" Clara clenched her small fists, tears welling in her eyes. She could sense the terrifying aura emanating from the green-haired man—far beyond anything she could handle. Yet, despite this, she bravely stood her ground.
"High-threat target detected. Calculating odds of victory... Calculation complete... Victory probability: 0%. Clara, evacuate immediately!" Svarog issued a warning to Clara while reactivating his combat mode. All remaining functional attack systems powered up, ready to engage.
"Heheh, big hunk of metal, I'm surprised you're still operational. Consider this a reward for surviving my attack—I won't strike you again." Blade shrugged, utterly indifferent to Svarog's hostility.
"Your attack? Y-you were the one who hurt Mr. Svarog?! W-why? Why would you do this?!" Only now realizing the implication of Blade's words, Clara—unaware that Svarog had struck first—angrily confronted him.
"No reason." Blade shook his head before walking past the pair. As he passed Clara, he reached out and patted her head, ignoring Svarog's near-overloaded defensive protocols.
"Kid, you consider this hunk of metal family, right?"
Clara remained silent.
"If you truly see him as family, then strive to grow stronger. Otherwise, you'll spend your entire life sheltered by your family, powerless to protect them when they're in danger."
Watching as Blade and Dan Heng gradually disappeared into the distance, Clara finally unclenched her fists. Staring at her small, pale palms, confusion surfaced in her eyes for the first time.
"Grow... stronger?"
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The scene shifted. Dan Heng and Blade finally arrived at the surface of Jarilo-VI, standing amidst the snowstorm as they drew their weapons, facing each other from a distance.
"Snow... the snow I once longed for but could never have..." Catching a drifting snowflake in his palm, the madness in Blade's eyes momentarily subsided, replaced by an unusual tranquility—even a tenderness that had no place in his gaze.
"I remember... she loved dancing snowflakes the most..."
"But she's no longer here..." Dan Heng's eyes reflected sorrow as he spoke softly to Blade.
"Yes, she's gone. And you—the former Imbibitor Lunae—are no longer who you once were. The High-Cloud Quintet, the partings and reunions... in the end... hahahaha!!" Blade's voice cracked as he burst into maniacal laughter once more.
"Why am I saying all this? Hahaha...! Dan Feng, let us battle anew!"