Chapter 121: Understanding the Landau Duck
The Old Town, far from the Administrative District
One of the lockdown orders previously issued by the Supreme Guardian had been to seal the Furnace Core Passage in the Old Town with a massive structure. From the outside, it resembled the roof of a large stadium and was typically guarded by Silvermane Guards who would report and suppress any anomalies immediately.
CRACK! BANG!
From inside, Stelle and Dan Heng destroyed several of the resisting support structures.
"Leave it to Seele."
Illusory, pale-blue quantum butterflies began to flutter around Seele. Propelling her body, which had shifted into a discrete state like a phantom, she quantum-tunneled through the barrier.
Wielding the Abyss Flower, she destroyed the lock core and severed the chains. Seele then activated the energy hub, found the control terminal, and after a moment of fiddling, manipulated the mechanical structure to open the exit that had been sealed for over a decade.
"Seele, that was brilliant!" March 7th exclaimed without a hint of reservation as she leaped out onto the circular platform. She took a deep breath and sighed with feeling. "Ah, we're finally back! I almost forgot what fresh air smelled like."
"And what does it smell like?" Caelus asked with a light chuckle.
"The smell of freedom... the smell of the cold... the smell of gunpowder..."
Wait a minute.
March 7th's eyes widened. Where was the smell of gunpowder coming from?
"Strange, where are the Silvermane Guards stationed here?" Bronya, following closely behind, quickly scanned the surroundings, a look of confusion on her face.
"Huh? Yeah, where are they?" March 7th held her blue longbow, but even with an archer's excellent vision, she couldn't spot a single silver figure nearby. While the absence of guards was a good thing, the lingering scent of gunpowder clearly indicated that something was wrong.
Natasha and Svarog remained at the exit, operating the platform to transport elite Wildfire members and automaton soldiers to the surface. Another portion of their forces was taking a different route.
The five-person trailblazing squad, along with Bronya and Seele, were the first to leave the sealed-off building and step onto the streets of the restricted area. Everyone, except for Caelus, was immediately on alert.
"...This is..."
"Huh? What's going on here?"
With her scythe resting on her shoulder, Seele stood frozen in place, a strange expression on her face. The Overworld and Underworld had been separated for far too long. The last time she'd been on the surface, she was just a child, and her memories of the Overworld were faint. But even so, she clearly remembered that the Overworld wasn't this... "chaotic."
"Bronya, care to explain?" Seele looked towards Bronya, the princess of the Overworld, only to find her even more stunned than she was.
"I... I don't know!"
"Belobog... What happened in the Administrative District?"
Pure shock was written all over her face. Bronya was dumbfounded by the scene before her. Even from such a great distance, she could hear the continuous explosions of cannons and rumbling sounds coming from the direction of the Administrative District. Raging fires, black smoke, and billowing dust filled the air.
"Did a civil war break out?" March 7th scratched her head. It was true they were planning a rebellion against the Supreme Guardian, but their main forces hadn't even been transported up yet. How could a battle have already erupted in the city? And one this intense?
"Caelus..." Dan Heng looked at the gray-haired youth, whose expression remained calm and composed. He knew Caelus had made other arrangements before entering the Underworld. Every time Dan Heng had asked, he was brushed off with replies like, "You'll find out when the time comes," and that it would be a "surprise."
Right now, Dan Heng really wanted Caelus to explain to him just what he meant by "surprise."
"Hey, wait for us!"
While March 7th was still lost in confusion, an anxious Bronya had already dashed out. March was about to remind her to be discreet, as they were all still wanted fugitives. But after following Bronya out of the restricted zone and onto the main street, March 7th realized her concerns were somewhat unnecessary.
On the wide street, panicked crowds were constantly being led away by Silvermane Guards. The guards protecting the evacuating citizens were brandishing their weapons, fighting against monsters completely cloaked in black.
Due to their ability to move freely through shadows, and the fact that some specialized types could fly, a portion of the ninja soldiers had managed to break through the Silvermane Guards' defense line and enter the residential areas.
The Silverwing, familiar with the capabilities of the shadow soldiers, had long anticipated this situation. Thus, she had already stationed reserve troops at various key points during her advance to protect the city's residents.
"They aren't Fragmentum creatures... What are those monsters!?"
Seeing the shadow soldiers for the first time, Bronya, Seele, March 7th, and even Dan Heng were all taken aback. The natives of Jarilo-VI had no concept of ninjas, but the Nameless, who were far more worldly than the average galactic citizen, naturally wouldn't fail to recognize the attire of the Shadowkhan.
While March was still gaping in surprise, Stelle, who had already entered her "I don't know who I am or who it is, I just know I have to kill everything!" state, shot forward. Her baseball bat, glowing with the light of Destruction, swung out and connected with a burly, pincer-handed Klaw Khan.
SPLAT!
The shadow soldier shattered like a broken ink bottle, splattering everywhere.
"Felt a bit flimsy!"
Feeling the feedback from her bat, Stelle licked her lips, looking somewhat unsatisfied.
"As we all know, ninjas have high attack and low defense."
Caelus looked up and raised his hand.
A yo-yo, trailing a rainbow-colored light, soared into the sky. The pale blue string wrapped around a flying Bat Khan, binding it in mid-air. With a sharp tug, the yo-yo, still wrapped around the creature, slammed its glowing form into the Bat Khan's head. The string tightened simultaneously, and the Bat Khan exploded into scattering shadow-sand in the air.
"Having lower defense than other stats is a key trait of the Shadowkhan, mostly because they're immortal," Caelus mentally sighed in relief.
The specialized Shadowkhan Cocolia had summoned only included eight types; the shadow-devouring Sumo Khan was missing. Caelus guessed that Cocolia, seeing the Sumo Khan was only the size of a praying mantis and lacked direct combat ability, hadn't bothered to summon it. In the Jackie Chan Adventures mask saga, Tohru didn't know how to use the Sumo Khan mask at first either; it was the Shadowkhan king, Tarakudo, who told him its true purpose.
"Thank goodness Cocolia didn't have time to get familiar with the mask's abilities. Otherwise, if she realized the true purpose of the Sumo Khan, things would have gotten a lot less fun!"
The Sumo Khan, which grows stronger by eating shadows, is the most powerful, mechanic-based monster in the Shadowkhan!
Dan Heng, who had been frowning at the strange phenomenon of the shadows melting back into the ground after being defeated, looked over at Caelus upon hearing his words.
"Caelus, you know about these monsters?"
"I know too! They're called the Shadowkhan! They're, they're..." Stelle raised her bat, drawing everyone's curious gazes from her "subconscious" memories. But after "they're," she couldn't remember the rest, as if the information was behind a sheet of frosted glass.
"Why forget your lines at the crucial moment?" March 7th grumbled, then looked at Caelus. The group's attention shifted to him.
Caelus gently took Stelle's small hand, stopping her from repeatedly patting her head to jog her memory. "I know a little. I'll explain on the way. We should get going."
"Right!" March 7th nodded repeatedly. The situation was urgent; they needed to act fast!
But as she took a single step on her long legs, adorned with their princess-style garter rings, March felt someone grab the back of her collar and pull her backward.
"Impressive as always, March. You even managed to walk the wrong way."
"Hey! Aren't we going to Qlipoth Fort to deal with Cocolia?" March looked back at Caelus, who was pulling her along, completely bewildered. Although it was still unclear what exactly was happening in the city, this was obviously a golden opportunity!
Seele and Bronya, who had also been about to charge forward, stopped in their tracks and looked quizzically at Caelus, who was heading away from the city center.
"Someone else is dealing with Cocolia. Our mission is to take care of the ultimate culprit behind all this."
"Oh, right! The Stellaron is more important!" March 7th's eyes widened.
"..." Dan Heng sighed silently. He felt that after spending so much time with Stelle and Caelus, March 7th had become even more... March 7th. Fortunately, Caelus was reliable when it mattered most. "Caelus is right. Now is the perfect opportunity for us to get to the Stellaron."
"But, Belobog... Mother..." Bronya looked with conflict at the war-torn Administrative District, at the shadow monsters continuously spreading from Qlipoth Fort.
"Don't forget, the Wildfire forces will be here soon. Protecting Belobog won't be a problem." The combined forces of the Silvermane Guards, Wildfire, and the automatons were more than enough to handle the Shadowkhan, especially since Cocolia wasn't wearing the mask's true body.
"Okay, I understand." Bronya desperately wanted to ask her mother a few things, but what Caelus said was right. Dealing with the Stellaron first was the top priority. "Let's go!"
After informing Natasha of the situation and their mission via his phone, Caelus threw his yo-yo to the ground and hopped on.
"Caelus, give me a ride! Give me a ride!"
Seeing this, Stelle and March 7th immediately launched themselves at him.
"I get to be on top this time!" Stelle pinned March 7th beneath her, forming a two-sided pincer attack.
"Stelle, no, I..." March 7th wanted to refuse. It wasn't that she didn't want to carry Stelle, but the person in the middle would inevitably have their chest pressed against Caelus's back, which was... squishy. Given Stelle and Caelus's relationship, where they had already gotten hands-on, this level of contact was nothing. But for March 7th, it was a little too intimate.
"That thing can be used like that?" Seele watched with amazement as they sped off. That tiny little ball, which looked just like a toy, could carry three people and move so fast?
It was the badge. Caelus was wearing the badge! Even Dan Heng was impressed.
Along the way, Caelus gave everyone a brief explanation of the Shadowkhan. Since they might have to fight them later, it was good to have a basic understanding.
Pathstriders traveling at full speed were far faster than marching Silvermane Guards. Soon, they reached the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone in the northern tundra. As the captain of the Silvermane Guards and the former frontline commander, Bronya was as familiar with this place as her own home. She was just about to have the guards open the gate when she heard the guards at the entrance rush up to her, their voices filled with excitement and passion.
"Supreme Guardian! What brings you back?"
"Have you already killed the traitor Cocolia? As expected of the Supreme Guardian!"
Bronya: "?????"
Huh?
Me? Supreme Guardian?
Killed the traitor Cocolia?
Bronya was utterly and completely lost.
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