Chapter 136: The Galaxy Baseballer Appears Again
She awkwardly withdrew her hand, falling into step obediently behind Tribbie.
Dan Heng only released her hand when he saw she had settled down, but his vigilance remained absolute. He positioned himself at the rear of the group, his gaze sweeping sharply across the interior and exterior of the light pillar. He had to be certain that if the shimmering bridge suddenly vanished, reverting to the chasm beneath their feet, he could instantly assume his draconic form and save everyone.
Because of this, he didn't press for details about the Titans or the Divine Relics as they walked, instead silently fulfilling his duty as their guardian.
Fortunately, the corridor constructed by the "Divine Relic" was both brief and stable.
The four of them successfully reached the relatively intact platform on the other side. As their feet touched solid ground, the pillar of light enveloping the walkway quietly dissipated, vanishing as if it had never been there at all.
Dan Heng was about to speak, ready to resume the questioning about the true nature of the "Titans" that had been so abruptly interrupted—
"Ah—!! Help! It's the Doomsday Fighters! There are so many Minions of Strife! Mr. Nodus, be careful!"
A shrill, terrified scream echoed from deep within the temple ruins just ahead, immediately followed by the heavy thud of impacts and a chorus of panicked shouts.
'It's Nodus!'Dan Heng's eyes narrowed, all questions instantly suppressed.'And they've run into enemies.'
"Save them!" he growled, his body already a blur as he shot toward the source of the commotion, leading the charge.
"Understood!" Stelle and March 7th reacted in a heartbeat, scrambling to keep pace. Stelle didn't forget to shout over her shoulder, "Tribbie, stick close to us!"
Tribbie followed tightly behind them, her small face taut with worry as she unhesitatingly pointed the way through two crumbling archways. "Quick! Over there!"
They burst into a relatively open but rubble-strewn temple forecourt.
More than a dozen terrified refugees—mostly the elderly, the weak, women, and children—were huddled together in a corner, their faces pale with fear.
Standing between them and a swarm of monsters were just two men, wielding crude weapons and desperately trying to fend off the attack. Those monsters were clad in rough stone armor, their eyes flickering with a malevolent crimson light. They were the very same Minions of Strife that had ambushed the group earlier—the Doomsday Fighters and Doomsday Hunters of the "Strife Titan," Nicadori.
The two guards were clearly at their limit. Their bodies were covered in wounds, and each block and parry was a monumental effort.
Behind them, Nodus, his hair and beard a stark white against his priest's robes, was struggling to maintain a faint, glowing shield. It barely protected the tribespeople cowering behind him, its light flickering and dimming rapidly under the monsters' frenzied assault.
"We have to save them!" Dan Heng's eyes were cold and focused, his resolve absolute.
He swept both hands forward and let out a low cry. "Aegis of Jade! A shield for all living things!"
A translucent barrier shimmered into existence, its surface swirling with deep, aqueous patterns. It spread out in an instant, precisely enveloping Nodus and all the refugees. The shield pulsed with the steady, unyielding luster of the earth, immediately reinforcing Nodus's precarious defense and absorbing the fatal blows. The terrified cries of the refugees quieted, replaced by gasps of relief.
"Nice one, Dan Heng!" Stelle praised, but her eyes were already burning with an excited, predatory light. "You've got defense covered! That Phainon girl snatched my kill earlier, and I didn't get a real fight. Time to make up for it!"
With a flick of her wrist, her signature bat materialized in her hand. She slung it casually over her shoulder, the power of the Destruction subtly coiling around it, making the weapon gleam with a cold, hard metallic luster.
"Let me at 'em!" Before the words even left her mouth, Stelle launched herself forward.
She didn't charge in a straight line. Instead, she wove through the battlefield with an uncanny footwork, slipping between the monsters like a phantom. The heavy bat in her hand felt as light as a feather, transforming into a whirlwind of devastating force.
A simple, unadorned horizontal sweep—the raw power behind it sent a pouncing Doomsday Fighter flying, its sturdy stone armor shattering like brittle porcelain.
Stelle's movements were a blur of speed and brutal precision. There was no showiness, no wasted motion; each swing carried immense power, aimed directly at the monsters' vital points. The bat in her hand seemed to have a life of its own, at one moment thrusting like a spear, the next smashing down like a warhammer, then sweeping across in a wide, staff-like arc.
These Minions of Strife, so ferocious against the ordinary guards, were little more than clay pigeons before her. A glancing blow was enough to injure them; a solid hit shattered them completely.
A display of dull thuds and the monsters' broken, grating roars filled the air. In just a few seconds, the dozen or so creatures that had been leading the charge were reduced to a pile of shattered stone and dust.
Standing beside Dan Heng, Tribbie watched Stelle tear through the monsters as if a tiger had been let loose in a flock of sheep. It was an effortless, overwhelming display of power, yet the young woman's brow, nestled beneath her fiery red hair, was slightly furrowed with a hint of helpless, elder-like reproach.
'That child, Phainon…'she thought to herself.'She was far too reckless. Just watching this guest, Stelle, it's obvious she is no ordinary opponent. Her strength, speed, and technique are leagues beyond what's normal.''And that Mr. Dan Heng is so steady and reserved, yet his power is extraordinary, capable of protecting so many people in an instant. Though Miss March hasn't made a move, her presence is certainly not weak… How could Phainon have dared to try and disarm them without a single word?''Couldn't they have just talked things out? Alas, that child carries too much on her shoulders. Her temper grows more impatient by the day. It's truly worrying…' Tribbie shook her head gently, sighing as if for an unruly but beloved junior.
Soon, the last Doomsday Hunter was obliterated by a clean, upward slash from Stelle's bat, and the battle abruptly ceased.
The temple forecourt was left with only the shattered remains of monsters and a haze of lingering dust.
"Phew—!" Stelle let out a long sigh, propping her bat on the ground. She stretched her arms wide, a deeply satisfied smile blooming on her face. "Awesome! Finally, a satisfying fight! All that pent-up frustration from being ambushed and having my kill stolen is finally gone! I feel so refreshed!"
March 7th dismissed her ice bow and leaned in, curiously pointing at the bat in Stelle's hand. "Hey? Stelle, ever since you learned that crazy Fire Dance Whirlwind, I've only seen you clear out mobs with sword beams at the slightest excuse. Your Flame Lance has practically become a decoration. Why'd you decide to bring out your precious bat this time?"
Stelle swung her bat proudly, glancing over at the still-shaken refugees being comforted by Dan Heng and Nodus, then at the crumbling temple ruins around them.
Lowering her voice, she adopted a tone that said, 'You just wouldn't get it.' "Silly March, think about it. There are a ton of people here, the space is tight, and those pillars next to us look like they're about to fall over."
"You know my Fire Dance Whirlwind. When I let loose with that sword, the power is incredible, but what if I can't control it perfectly and bring the whole place down on top of these innocent people?"
She put on an expression of deep foresight, as if she were considering the fate of nations. Patting March 7th's shoulder, she said earnestly, "March, oh March. If you can't even understand such a simple principle, how are you ever going to follow this savior and save the world?"
March 7th stared at Stelle's smug, quirky expression and couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yes, yes, yes! Our great Stelle considers everything so thoroughly! Are you happy now?"
She was already well accustomed to Stelle's occasional "savior of the universe" declarations.
With the crisis resolved, Tribbie walked over to Nodus.
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