March Seven found herself stunned by the turn of events.
She couldn't understand why Adonis would suggest not destroying the Creation Engine when it seemed necessary for sealing the Stellaron.
Dan Heng, after some thought, also disagreed, stating, "I'm sorry, Lord Guardian, we can't agree to this."
Stelle nodded in agreement, adding, "Facing that monster and the creation engine at the same time is likely to put us in danger." March Seven shared the sentiment.
However, at that moment, Welt's voice came through the earphones, addressing Dan Heng. "Dan Heng, tell that Great Guardian that we will not destroy the Creation Engine."
March Seven was perplexed and frustrated. She exclaimed, "Mr. Yang, you don't want to see us have an accident, do you?" Dan Heng remained thoughtful and didn't immediately respond.
Welt reassured them, saying, "You will not be in danger. In short, first relay what I said to the other party. If the situation is different from what I guessed, Himeko and I will take action."
March Seven was frustrated and wanted to voice her concerns, but Dan Heng, looking at Adonis, nodded and conveyed Welt's message.
"Just now Mr. Yang sent a communication, they will not destroy the creation engine."
He also mentioned that Mr. Yang was the senior who wished to meet Adonis. "Mr. Yang is the senior who wants to meet you."
March Seven approached Dan Heng, still not satisfied, and exclaimed, "Dan Heng, can't you just agree with me? You are a mutiny!"
However, Dan Heng remained resolute and responded, "Mr. Yang must have his considerations when he does this, and we must believe him."
March Seven stomped her foot in frustration and warned Dan Heng, "In short, if something happens to me, I will definitely not spare you!" Dan Heng simply glanced at her, ready to speak.
But at that moment, a deafening roar echoed from the direction of the Creation Engine.
Everyone turned to see the massive machine raising its left arm high and preparing to strike, with Adonis as its target.
Seele acted swiftly, teleporting in front of Adonis and moving him to safety. Then she addressed the Astral Express members, "Let's discuss this later. For now, let's find a way to seal the Stellaron."
Dan Heng agreed, saying, "Let's focus on Richie. If we take him down, we might stop the creation engine." He figured the Stellaron's influence was causing the creation engine's odd behavior.
The rest of the group nodded and attacked Richie once more. But this time, dealing with both Richie and the creation engine proved tough. They had to watch out for Richie's attacks and fend off the creation engine too.
Bronya and Seele, alongside the Astral Express trio, found themselves locked in a grueling battle. They not only had to worry about Richie's strikes but also defend against the creation engine.
On top of that, Seele and Bronya needed to put in extra effort to protect Adonis. With these various challenges, their stamina quickly dwindled, and the battle took a turn against them.
As exhaustion set in, they found themselves unable to continue their assault. Gasping for breath, they turned to Adonis, halting their attacks.
Bronya and Seele exchanged concerned looks and urgently told Adonis, "Lord Guardian, please run to safety now! We'll make sure to delay the enemy so you can return to Beloberg!"
March Seven maintained her communication with Himeko and Welt while receiving a barrage of messages from the chat group, each urging Adonis to take action.
[Inori: Adonis, you need to make a decision—run quickly or help them. Just standing there is annoying.]
[A2: If anything happens to them, you'll be apologizing for the rest of your life! If you had let Himeko launch those missiles, they wouldn't be in this tough battle.]
[Shiina: Seriously, seeing this makes me want to scold you, Adonis. You're being a terrible teammate.]
[Kaede: You really didn't handle this situation well.]
[Anna Kushina: We're so disappointed in you.]
Despite the barrage of messages, Adonis continued to focus on the situation at hand, ignoring the comments.
But then, he decided it was time to step forward. He took a deep breath and walked toward Richie, saying, "I'm sorry, but I can't just leave you all to fight alone while I run away."
Richie, consumed by anger, continued to hiss frantically, "Kill you! Kill you! Kill everyone! Disappear with this world!"
With his hands spread wide, Richie summoned the relentless power of destruction, condensing it into the air. A brown-gold black hole formed, devouring everything in its path.
The black hole grew larger and larger, threatening to consume everything around it.
Suddenly, Richie raised his right hand, causing the black hole to shoot upward into the sky.
Gravity reversed, drawing in energy and matter, and transformed them into a massive meteorite with a diameter of a whopping 50 meters.
It hurtled through the sky with a deafening sonic boom, trailing flames in its wake.
This meteorite was unlike the previous ice attacks; it exuded a terrifying aura of destruction.
The faces of those witnessing this catastrophic event turned pale, realizing that being struck by such an attack meant almost certain death.
Could they survive this catastrophic event? With their remaining strength, escaping seemed impossible.
The thought crossed the minds of the three members of the Astral Express. Were they going to meet their end here today?
Bronya and Seele were more concerned about Adonis than their own safety. As they gazed at Adonis standing beneath the Extinction Meteorite, worry etched on their faces, Bronya couldn't hold back her concern: "No! Lord Guardian, you..."
Adonis tilted his head, his smile unwavering as he looked at Bronya and Seele: "Bronya, Seele, do you remember the promise I made when I became the Great Guardian?"
"I vowed to bring the four seasons to you, to ensure that you always wear smiles, and to make the name of Beloberg known throughout the universe. But before that, I promised to protect you."
He continued with determination in his voice: "You both are important to me, and Beloberg is a place I have promised to protect. Now, it's time for me to fulfill my promise. Rest assured, leave the rest to me."