Chapter 133: It's Hard! The Cane is Hard!
The moment the explosive storm subsided, Welt rushed over without a second's delay. His mind was filled with questions he needed to ask. Questions about the Stellaron's situation, and about the mecha, the mecha, and also the mecha!
As he approached the group's position and the silver-gray figure came into view, Welt couldn't help but pause in his tracks. He pushed up his glasses in surprise, leaned back, and took a couple of extra-long looks.
"Bronya... she really is identical..."
Although he had heard Caelus and Stelle talk about her, seeing this "old acquaintance" in person, especially after recalling Caelus shouting "Skyfire Unsheathed" in that cold voice earlier, made it really hard for Welt to keep his composure. Wait, why does this feel a bit off? It's like the Honkai is still chasing me, it never stopped!
Forget it, never mind! All these questions could be explored later. The most important issue right now was those demon-god-like super mecha!
However, just as he got closer, the three mecha suddenly vanished without a trace, which made Welt frown.
"Uncle Yang, you're here!" March 7th spotted Welt from a distance and jumped up, waving. "We've already sealed the Stellaron~!"
"Yes, well done."
Just as the words of praise left his lips, Welt heard Stelle's words of comfort to Bronya.
"You've indeed lost your mother, but you still have us!"
Holy crap, you call that comfort, Stellaron girl!
The corner of Caelus's mouth was twitching uncontrollably. He took a sharp breath. As a Masked Fool with a high sense of morality, although that exact line had indeed crossed his mind, he hadn't planned on stirring up trouble in this kind of atmosphere. He never expected this Stellaron girl to be so shameless!
Caelus seethed with indignation. Then, he raised his arms, lifted his chin slightly, and struck a picture-perfect Otto-style pose. "That's right. We can absolutely help you protect Belobog together, can't we?"
That familiar Archbishop's posture made Welt freeze in his tracks. The comforting words of the two of them came one after another, and a vein popped on Welt's forehead.
It's hard!
The cane is hard!
Those words reminded Welt of another "old friend"—not a certain Archbishop of Schicksal whose grave mound was probably already several meters high and had seen many seasons of grass grow and wither. After all, the original Otto had said those words to Bianka, and Welt, the subject of that context, knew nothing about it.
But who could blame him, when Welt had a "good friend" who had come with him to the Star Rail world? Void Archives had talked to Welt about Otto, and the Key of Revelation, having been thoroughly marinated in Otto's essence and completely taken on his shape, had once recited the Archbishop's famous line.
"That's right! We'll all help you!" The other Seele, seemingly unaware that anything was amiss, continued along the same line of thought.
Welt: "...?" This Seele doesn't seem to be the brightest bulb, does she?
"...Yes."
Though the words sounded a bit strange, Bronya could feel the genuine care and support from everyone. She took a deep breath, dispelling the chaotic emotions that had been weighing on her chest, and pulled herself together. "Everyone, thank you."
"Yay! Does this mean the crisis in this world is resolved?" March 7th clapped her hands and smiled.
Dan Heng was silent for a few seconds before speaking. "The blizzard is fierce. It won't stop so suddenly."
After a long moment, Welt finally managed to suppress the feeling of mental collapse. He nodded. "Yes. After the Stellaron is sealed, the Eternal Freeze will slowly recede. As for the Fragmentum... you have all done a great service in that regard."
"Hehe, it was nothing~" Stelle puffed out her chest modestly, a look on her face that said, "As expected of me, you can praise me more!"
"Regarding the Fragmentum, we have Cocolia to thank for that." Standing on the ancient platform of Everwinter Hill, Caelus's gaze swept towards the outer fortress area. "From that perspective, Cocolia did indeed do one good thing."
Normally, after a Stellaron is sealed, the Fragmentum will not continue its rampant expansion, but it also won't vanish into thin air. But the Mother of Deception, her inner darkness fully unleashed by the Tarakudo Mask and Tchang Zu, had made a desperate, final stand. She had attempted to absorb the power of the entire Fragmentum on Jarilo-VI to hit the trailblazing team and the planet with one massive attack. Although Creation's Finalé was interrupted by the pseudo black hole and the two ultimate moves, the absorbed Fragmentum power would not return. "The Fragmentum that covered most of Jarilo-VI has shrunk due to Cocolia's act of absorbing its energy."
"..." Bronya fell silent, not knowing whether to be happy or sad. The result was indeed a good thing, a "contribution" from her mother. But her mother's original intention had been to destroy her, her friends, and Belobog.
"Maybe we could have let Cocolia absorb a little more before we interrupted her?" Stelle suggested, holding up a finger like a little genius.
"What? Face-tanking an ultimate move wasn't enough for you? You want to face-tank a planet-busting ultimate?" Caelus glanced at the fearless Stellaron girl. The situation on the battlefield was changing in an instant. If Cocolia had managed to pull off that massive attack, even with Stelle's durability, she would have had a ninety-nine percent chance of dying. "Alright then. Next time there's a situation like this, I won't fight you for control. You can try it yourself with Granzort."
"Hmph~ Try me!" Stelle put her hands on her hips. The defiant gesture was strangely cute and charming. She wasn't that stupid; trying that would mean dying. But she couldn't lose her nerve in front of Caelus, mainly because... "Caelus, I'll remember what you said! Next time, I'm the main pilot!"
A faint smile curved her lips. Her expression was sly and mischievous, which made Caelus click his tongue. This woman was so damn charming!
Their daily playful banter enlivened the somber atmosphere. The moment Caelus mentioned "Granzort," as if triggering a keyword, the mood suddenly shifted.
"Stelle..."
"Caelus..."
"What was the deal with those mecha?"
Dan Heng, March 7th, and Welt asked in unison. The other Seele and Bronya also turned to them with curious and astonished gazes.
"They are the Luminous Messengers, also known as the Madou Kings. They are divine light mecha that once sealed the Great Dark Evil God, who possessed the 'Power of the Moon God that appears once in a million years'."
"Great Dark Evil God?"
"Power of the Moon God?"
The impressive-sounding terms left everyone completely baffled.
"I'm not too sure myself." Honestly, when he first summoned Granzort, Caelus was surprised by the mecha's actual size and power. But if one studied the lore carefully, it wasn't that exaggerated. Although the story of the Madou Kings took place on the moon, could a moon that possessed the Power of the Moon God and had a small world inside it be an ordinary moon? The Madou tribe was banished to another dimension by the Long-Ears tribe. The divine mecha created by a race that mastered such a level of magic obviously couldn't be as simple as they were portrayed in the old anime.
After briefly recalling his childhood and recounting the lore he remembered, Caelus got to the point that everyone was most concerned about. "Stelle and I exchanged crystals for them."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Everyone had different expressions. Dan Heng had a look of "I knew it," while March 7th was astonished and thoughtful. She was now a firm believer in the existence of crystals and was very glad that she had gone rummaging through trash cans with Stelle and Caelus.
"Crystals?" Only Welt was completely lost. Weren't those just things that Stelle and Caelus were hallucinating due to their mental illness?
"Uncle Yang, let me tell you~!" Seeing the confusion on Welt's face, March 7th immediately perked up and began to excitedly wave her arms, vividly and animatedly recounting their previous experiences and all of Stelle and Caelus's magical abilities. This included Stelle turning into a musician, Stelle and Caelus turning into candy people, and this time, the magical items that summoned the mecha.
"To think that such a thing exists... could it be..." Welt fell into deep thought. Could the "system" be an Aeon? Even the genius Herta couldn't detect the crystals, so it was likely a power at the level of an Aeon. But what idle Aeon would do something so bizarre?
The answer appeared in an instant. [Elation]! The phenomena surrounding Caelus and Stelle were related to Aha!?
Without Caelus even needing to spin a tale, the experienced Welt naturally put the blame squarely on Aha's head. Dan Heng also felt this was the most likely possibility. This was the power of [Elation]!
"So, to summon those mecha, you need to spend crystals, is that right?"
After accepting this premise, Welt thought for a moment. He felt the benefits outweighed the risks, but they couldn't let their guard down. No one could predict what the Aeon of Elation would do. They needed to keep a close eye on the situation. Welt pushed up his glasses, the lenses glinting white. It would be best if Caelus and Stelle could summon a different divine mecha, let me study it, and rule out any hidden dangers.
But the words got stuck in his throat.
"Yeah, that's right." Seeing the conflicted and hesitant expression on Welt's face, Caelus immediately realized what he was thinking and said with a light laugh, "Uncle Yang, next time we encounter an enemy, do you want to give it a try?"
"Can I?" Welt looked up abruptly, his gaze so fervent it was impossible to hide. His breathing even became ragged. Not just a mecha, but a magical mecha! Old Yang's heart was pounding.
"Mecha are a man's romance!" Caelus gave Old Yang a thumbs-up. The basic model of a Madou King only cost 25 crystals. He didn't mind helping Old Yang fulfill his dream. He could just trick Stelle into buying it.
"A kindred spirit who knows my heart!" Welt declared that the first time he saw Caelus, he knew he was a man of culture! The next trailblazing journey, he would definitely join the team, and he would sortie in a mecha! No one could stop him!
The two like-minded men immediately started chatting. March 7th's enthusiasm was at an all-time high; she now understood the allure of mecha. Even Dan Heng was uncharacteristically engaged, mainly because Winzert, the master of water, was too compatible with his own attributes.
The topic briefly went off track, then returned to the main subject.
Dan Heng: "This planet has a chance to be revitalized, but it will take time..."
"Yes, there's still a lot to do," Bronya said, looking towards Belobog with a focused expression. "Although the battle is over, there are still many things that need to be explained, many truths that need to be told to the world."
"Wait, tell the people the whole truth?" Seele frowned, her expression grave. "Can you imagine the consequences of doing that?"
"Yes, I know. The Supreme Guardian will lose the people's trust, and the nobles will take advantage of the situation to further divide the Supreme Guardian's power..." Bronya's face was heavy.
"Relax, the situation might not be as bad as you think," Caelus said with a light laugh, patting Bronya's shoulder. Lose trust? Impossible! The nobles take advantage? The Silverwing and Raven have already done a major sweep of the nobility. The only ones left are loyal dogs.
"...Okay." Bronya just thought Caelus was comforting her. She looked around at her friends present. "Then let's return to Belobog first!"
"Yay! Victory feast! There's definitely going to be one, right? Right!?" Stelle cheered, and the others couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.
Caelus's smile was particularly brilliant, like that of a sunny and cheerful young man.
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