"Roar~!"
The monster's alloy spine cracked and popped, segment by segment. Driven by its power source, the saw-toothed blades began to rotate, the friction of gears spraying crimson sparks and erupting into a roar that blended the screech of sabers with the howl of axes.
A solid shockwave formed of pure malevolence tore through the flames and smoke. Wherever the visible dark red ripples swept past, the bluestone floor fractured into pieces like brittle tile.
The diffusing airwave shook 'White' Seele's stance for a moment, and March 7th's bow ribbon was blown straight up.
"What kind of monster is that?"
Stelle held her bat in one hand and shielded herself with the other to block the windblown dust. She bared her teeth in a grimace before immediately spitting repeatedly.
"Peh, peh, peh."
Sand and dust had been blown right into her mouth.
"Jackal body, dragon head, holding a greatsword in its mouth... its appearance looks a bit like the Yazi."
Caelus stood behind Hachi-Stelle, using her body as a shield. Only after the gale subsided did he poke his head out from over her shoulder.
The Yazi, the second son of the Dragon's nine sons. Its character is fierce; it loves bravery, excels at fighting, and has a lust for blood and killing.
"Benefactor has good eyes~!"
With a swish, the embroidered six-ribbed folding fan snapped shut. Tingyun's weapon was also a famous Ingenium from the Artisanship Commission.
Interstellar traveling merchants mostly carried weapons for self-defense against the dangers of travel. Tingyun insisted on not using any weapon that didn't fit her aesthetic. Sabers and swords were too rigid and strong, while hidden projectiles seemed too insidious and venomous, lacking dignity.
Finally, she chose the folding fan. Phantylia found it quite handy to play with.
"According to this little woman's previous investigation, that is an innovative product designed by a certain Master Artisan to increase the land combat capabilities of the Cloud Knights. Its name is the Cataclysm Ingenium: Edge-Holding Yazi."
The Artisanship Commission was the department responsible for designing, manufacturing, and improving almost every object on the Xianzhou.
This included but was not limited to weapon design, vessel manufacturing, Ingenium artificial intelligence, and other manufacturable objects. From small civilian Ingeniums to massive Starskiffs and Grotto-Heavens, all were produced by the craftsmen here.
The monster before them was created by a craftsman responsible for military combat.
Craftsmen were divided into five ranks: Apprentice, Craftsman, Artisan, Master Artisan, and Heavenly Gong. The Heavenly Gong was the minister, and there was only one. The Master Artisans were the core main force for designing and modifying Cloud Knight weapons.
"Benefactor, you must protect this little woman well, okay?"
The fragile Foxian girl hid behind Caelus.
"According to the results of this little woman's inquiries with two Master Artisans, there are at least three more new combat Ingeniums of a similar type within the Artisanship Commission."
This was also one of the reasons why ordinary Cloud Knight troops could not easily suppress the Stellaron erosion within the Artisanship Commission.
Inside the Grotto-Heaven, many new-style weapons and combat-type Ingeniums had been affected.
The previous strategy was to isolate the inside and outside of the Artisanship Commission with a great array, using tactics of besieging the city to strike at reinforcements and avoiding the strong to attack the weak, eliminating the Mara-struck Ingeniums bit by bit.
Who could have imagined that the revival of the Ambrosial Arbor would drastically intensify the severity of the Stellaron erosion? Even the new-style combat Ingeniums, which were under layers of protective isolation, were corrupted.
"...Excellent innovation. This wave, ah, this wave is basically sending the enemy a bunch of munitions blind boxes!"
Caelus slapped his thigh.
He reckoned that a Master Artisan shouldn't go so far as to be an undercover agent for the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, but it wasn't impossible for a spy to have mixed in with those old brothers engaged in arms R&D.
With eyes emitting a red glow, the Edge-Holding Yazi roared to the sky, then lowered its head to notice the group of tiny humans in the distance.
The moment their eyes met, March 7th felt a blood-red character for 'Crisis' float above her forehead.
"Stop roasting the situation! What do we do now? Do we fight it directly?"
A composite longbow appeared in her hand. March 7th condensed an arrow of Six-Phased Ice. Looking at the tiny, slender arrow and then at the opponent's gargantuan, kaiju-like physique, she felt that an attack of this level couldn't possibly break the enemy's defense.
"It's okay. Thin ones are cute too."
"Perhaps, Ah Qi, you can try using the telepathy between beautiful girls and cute small animals to persuade it to let us pass."
Caelus smiled and patted the pink-haired Samoyed's dog head.
"No matter how you look at it, that guy has nothing to do with 'cute'! Also, wasn't that last sentence a bit weird?"
March 7th muttered, puffing up her cheeks. Her shifting, watery eyes swept over two objects that had appeared out of thin air in Stelle's hands.
They looked ordinary, but recalling the experience of summoning the Storm Bringer on Jarilo-VI, Little March's eyes lit up immediately.
"Ah Caelus, could that thing in Ah Stelle's hand be...!"
March 7th bounced over and linked arms with Caelus.
"Correct."
Caelus took a green flute from Stelle's hand and passed it to the beaming Little March.
"This is a tool to summon another Demon God mecha. Although it can't compare to the Super Storm Bringer and is just a standard model, it's enough to deal with an Ingenium of this intensity."
"Yay! Caelus is the best!"
After cheering, March 7th couldn't wait to take the green flute.
"What about me? What about me? I clearly bought this? Why are you only shouting for Caelus-cub, Ah Qi?"
Stelle was depressed, puffing her cheeks out angrily.
Although she could also feel the bouncy softness pressing against his arm.
"Hehe~ Ah Stelle is the best too!"
Laughing sheepishly, March 7th scratched her head, then turned to hug Stelle's arm to comfort the jealous child.
"Mm-hm!"
Single-handedly placing a hand on her hip, Stelle nodded in satisfaction. However, she sensed a scorching gaze locking onto her hand—or more precisely, onto the object in her hand.
Stelle followed the burning gaze and, unsurprisingly, saw Welt.
He slightly lowered his head, his glasses frames seeming to devour all surrounding light before refracting it out in a single intense beam.
"Wow, so bright!"
In Stelle's eyes, Old Yang's glasses seemed to have become the brightest lamp in the dark night; the flash was so hard that she could barely look directly at it.
Watching the silently staring Welt, Stelle looked at the object in her hand again. She raised her palm high, and Welt's head tilted up slightly along with it.
She moved the object to the right, and Welt's head turned to follow.
As if discovering some interesting phenomenon, Stelle moved the object up, down, left, and right rapidly, drawing random shapes in front of her. Welt's gaze remained nailed to Stelle's hand.
Smack!
Caelus slapped the back of the Stellaron spirit's head. "Stop playing, give it to Uncle Yang quickly."
"Oh."
She knew her behavior was a bit rude. How could she tease Uncle Yang like this?
At the very least, she should wait for a different occasion to tease him.
Stelle nodded obediently: "Uncle Yang..."
"I am here."
With a whoosh, before Stelle had even said two words, Welt appeared in front of her as if using teleportation.
"Uh..."
The serious aura spreading from Welt made it impossible for Stelle to be mischievous. It was as if she were witnessing an exceptionally devout believer; a drop of sweat appeared on her forehead.
The most bewildered one was Phantylia, standing behind everyone. What is all this?
Was there something special about that green flute and that black brick?
Moreover, at a time like this, why was there no tense atmosphere among them at all?
"Here. This is what Caelus-cub promised you before. You can use it to summon a Demon God."
Stelle handed the old-fashioned black telephone in her hand to Welt.
"Thank you."
Old Yang's sudden formality in thanking her made Stelle very unaccustomed to it. Especially his current state—he was as solemn as a monk receiving a precious kasaya robe from a temple abbot.
"You... you're welcome..." Stelle scratched her head.
"How do I use this?"
Examining the old-fashioned black telephone in his hand, Welt's heart surged like an internet-addicted teenager who had received an RTX 5090 graphics card from a friend.
"Concentrate your spirit, feel it earnestly, and you will know how to use it."
Caelus grabbed Stelle's arm, spun her around, and threw the gray-haired girl—who was shouting sweet nothings while switching her weapon to the flaming lance—at the Edge-Holding Yazi that was charging toward them with a greatsword in its mouth.
The Fire Trailblazer's defense was universally known. Even if the entire team got wiped out (GG), she might only scrape a layer of skin.
He threw her over to buy time for Old Yang to summon the Demon God.
Hearing Caelus's words, Old Yang immediately took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and sank his consciousness into the old-fashioned black phone in his hand.
On the other side, March 7th was also a bit troubled; she didn't know how to play the flute.
She looked at Caelus, and after Caelus nodded, she also closed her eyes to earnestly perceive it.
The compatibility of this Demon God mecha with March 7th wasn't as high as the Storm Bringer, so the time to comprehend the summoning method might take a bit longer.
Old Yang closed his eyes for a little over ten seconds before opening them. His expression was just slightly peculiar—he hadn't expected the summoning method to be this down-to-earth.
But soon, he became excited again, just like an old boy.
He flipped open the phone and pressed the numbers: 1000.10.0.
At this moment, Phantylia, observing from the rear, finally recalled.
She remembered seeing this kind of object in some civilization that hadn't yet entered the interstellar age.
A mobile phone that could only make calls and send texts, unable to even connect to the internet. Who was he calling at a time like this?
Could this kind of antique communication device be used on the Luofu?
Or perhaps, the brick-like appearance was just a retro style, and it was actually technology from the interstellar era?
Even if the call went through, what use would it be?
Phantylia was puzzled.
After a brief dialing tone, the call connected.
"Hello, is this Senjinmaru? I need your help right now."
Welt's tone was solemn and serious.
Phantylia's brows raised slightly.
Senjinmaru?
That didn't sound like a human name. Was it a battleship from a faction cooperating with the Astral Express?
No... that's not right.
This was the Luofu's territory. It was impossible for other factions to enter without even a greeting. Moreover, even if they could enter, between answering the phone and arriving, she might have already obtained a new physical body.
"I am on the Xianzhou Luofu, inside the Artisanship Commission."
However, what astonished Phantylia was that the very next second after Welt reported his location...
The ground trembled like a beating drum. Not far away, the earth exploded out of thin air into a ring-shaped shockwave. The ground swelled with turtle-shell cracks, and red and black light emerged from the fissures.
The samurai helmet of Senjinmaru rose from the earth, followed by its entire body surfacing.
Thirty-five meters tall. Dark red armor plating. Two snow-bright arcs slashed out as its eye lenses lit up.
The Demon God Samurai dual-wielded a saber and a sword. The saber in its left hand glowed with azure light, while the sword in its right hand was wrapped in crimson lightning. On its back, it carried a long, falcon-shaped fork.
"So cool~!"
Old Yang revealed a rare excitement that he clearly couldn't suppress.
"What is going on?"
Phantylia had a look of blank confusion. If support had arrived via spatial teleportation, she could have understood it. But drilling out from under the ground of the Artisanship Commission? What the hell was that?
"Senjinmaru, a Swordsman-type Demon God. Its former pilot was Shibaraku Tsurugibe. I'm more accustomed to calling him 'The Wait-a-Minute Hero'."
Caelus crossed his arms over his chest, looking up to appraise the Demon God Samurai.
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