"Hurry! They can't escape! Catch them, avenge the Great Guardian!"
"Team two, flank them!"
Three figures continuously weaved and leaped between the buildings of the residential district. With every step she took, Stelle felt her heart leap along with it—first-person perspective parkour at high altitude indeed required good mental fortitude.
Screech—
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Stelle felt her foot slip. The snow-covered roof tiles were extremely smooth, causing her to immediately fall onto her backside and slide down the sloping roof!
Crack, crack, crack—
The pile of snow in front of Stelle grew larger and larger, finally jamming just as she was about to fall off, preventing her from plummeting from a height of over ten meters.
"Whew, that was close..."
Before Stelle could even sigh in relief, March 7th, beside her, leaped down, pulling her along with her.
"We're gonna fall, we're gonna fall, we're gonna fall to our deaths..."
The ground in Stelle's vision grew larger and larger. Just at the moment before impact, a soft water curtain materialized to act as a buffer, canceling out the impact force of the fall.
"So there was a water landing trick."
Stelle somewhat awkwardly patted the dust off her clothes and looked forward. She saw groups of Silvermane Guards, separated from them by only about twenty meters, all hesitating and not daring to approach.
Because the entrance to this small alley was already sealed off with yellow tape, on which was written: "Danger Zone, No Unauthorized Entry."
"We should have already entered the forbidden zone under blockade. It seems they fear this forbidden zone even more than we imagined." Dan Heng withdrew the water curtain and analyzed.
Stelle took a few steps forward and noticed that the Silvermane Guards outside indeed did not dare to enter. Seized by a playful impulse, she put her hands on her hips and provoked them, "Come on in."
A Silvermane Lieutenant shouted angrily, "If you have the guts, you come out!"
Stelle stepped one leg over the blockade line... and then immediately pulled it back!
Silvermane Lieutenant: ...
Dan Heng & March 7th: ...
"Outrageous!" the Silvermane Lieutenant scolded angrily.
"I'm outrageous? It's clearly you guys who are being unreasonable, right?" Stelle crossed her arms, her tone unfriendly. "I'm someone who always reasons things out. We were just eating breakfast peacefully this morning when your minister suddenly charged in with his men trying to kill us. When asked for a reason, he hit me with 'you killed the Great Guardian'—isn't that just nonsense?!"
"You ruffians from the lower city, stop making excuses!"
"Then come and catch me!" Stelle spread her hands and hopped forward. "I'm out now."
The Silvermane Lieutenant flew into a rage and reached out to grab her.
Stelle hopped back again. "I'm back in again~"
Silvermane Lieutenant: ┗|｀O′|┛
Stelle smiled slightly. "Not playing with you anymore. If I show off any longer, I'll just be causing trouble for my companions."
After saying this, Stelle turned and walked away. The Silvermane Lieutenant could only watch as the three of them ventured deeper into the forbidden zone, powerless to stop them.
...
"...Pfft."
The three of them walked side by side. In the silent forbidden zone, March 7th couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, shaking with mirth. "Stelle, where did you learn that move just now? It looked so infuriating."
"Which one do you mean? Hands on hips, chest puffed out? Or the hopping in and out?"
March 7th buried her head in Stelle's shoulder, her whole body trembling, unable to form a complete sentence for a moment.
Dan Heng glanced at the harmonious scene between the two, and his previously tense face involuntarily softened a little. In the past, when it was just him and March exploring, the atmosphere wasn't as lively as it is now.
Come to think of it, has March been laughing more often lately...
"Ahem— You two, aren't you worried about Mr. Welt at all?"
Despite his contentment, Dan Heng gave a light cough and said seriously.
"Mr. Yang? Do we need to worry about him?" Stelle asked, puzzled.
Although their party's strongest fighter got his account suspended right at the start, this also ensured they had no worries holding them back—given Welt's strength and skill, he should be able to extricate himself from the predicament in a short time. If Serval helps, he might even be able to investigate the truth behind the "assassination of the Great Guardian."
Dan Heng: ...
That actually makes sense.
"But speaking of which, what exactly is in this forbidden zone that could make so many Silvermane Guards hesitate to approach?" March 7th adjusted her mindset and asked.
"What else could it be? Fragmentum monsters," Stelle said offhandedly without even thinking.
Little did she know that as soon as these words left her mouth, both Dan Heng and March 7th looked confused. "Fragmentum monsters? What are those?"
Stelle: Oh no, I let it slip...
"Uh... Serval mentioned it in passing yesterday," Stelle explained. "According to her, parts of Belobog are eroded by a mysterious force that generates monsters. They call these areas the Fragmentum, and the monsters within are called Fragmentum monsters."
"This place is a forbidden zone blockaded by the Guards. It should be an area eroded by the Fragmentum. Otherwise, how could such a large residential district be completely uninhabited?"
Dan Heng rubbed his chin. "The Fragmentum... I remember now. When I was organizing the data on Jarilo-VI yesterday, the term was indeed mentioned."
"But the main issue now is how we get to the lower city." Stelle changed the subject. "After all, we're newcomers. We haven't even learned all the roads in the administrative district. How are we supposed to get to the lower city? It would be great if we had someone to guide us."
Tap, tap, tap...
Just as the group was troubled about their next direction, the sound of footsteps suddenly rang out. Everyone looked towards the source and saw a humanoid monster, entirely ice-blue, moving stiffly out from around a corner. Its eyes beneath its helmet stared fixedly at them, sending a chill down their spines.
"I think that's a Fragmentum monster," Stelle said.
March 7th silently raised her Cloud Piercer. "I think so too."
Whoosh—
Cloud Piercer turned into a shadow speeding forth, piercing through the body of that Fragmentum monster with overwhelming force, firmly pinning it to the wall.
"The problem isn't major. One Fragmentum monster poses no threat to us," Dan Heng said.
Tap, tap, tap.
As soon as the words left his mouth, footsteps came from all directions. Red and blue interwoven figures continuously emerged, staring straight at them like zombies in a horror movie.
"Dan Heng, this problem should be manageable too, right? Use your invincible water control ability and think of something!" Stelle took a step back and said.
"My water control ability isn't very lethal. It can't deal with this many Fragmentum monsters," Dan Heng said gravely. "Get ready, we're fighting our way out!"
Stelle pulled out her baseball bat. "How are we supposed to finish off so many 'Forest Ice Fire Men'? Is there any AoE teammate who can come save us?"
Crack, crack, crack—
As if heaven had heard Stelle's plea, just as the three prepared for a direct confrontation, snowflakes suddenly began to fall from the sky above. The sound of ice crystallizing filled the air everywhere.
Thud!
The next second, an ice spear shot out explosively from behind the three of them! Carrying an irresistible force, it pierced through all the Fragmentum monsters along an entire path!
"You three, follow me."
A blonde woman walked out, her voice stern. The moment Stelle saw her, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch violently.
Cocolia?!