Chapter 387: Is This the Gentle, Steady Head of the Family?
For the four members of the Cunning Hares, who had long scraped a living in the chaotic streets of New Eridu and prided themselves on surviving countless "grand spectacles," the sheer absurdity of the battlefield unfolding before them hit with the same mind-bending force as their very first plunge into a Hollow.
Nicole, Anby, Nekomata, and Billy stood frozen in their tracks. Even Wise and Belle, who had braced themselves for a spectacle, found their jaws slightly slack. Six pairs of eyes tracked the twin forces of nature tearing through the combat zone, utterly mesmerized by the god-like display of destruction.
The trance broke only when Himeko pivoted on her heel. With a single, devastatingly clean upward slash, she caught a towering Farbauti attempting a blindside ambush. The massive Ethereal was launched skyward, detonating into a brilliant, roaring fireball before it even reached the apex of its arc.
On the opposite flank, Welt piloted the imposing Tyrant Sword Demon. Two elusive Thanatos had miraculously slipped past Himeko's fiery sweep, blinking onto a high shipping container. Welt didn't even bother with a proper strike. He simply swung the flat of his mecha's colossal energy greatsword, swatting the teleporting Ethereals out of the air like bothersome flies. They slammed into the concrete below, instantly shattering into a rain of dissipating purple Ether shards.
The deafening cacophony of explosions and monstrous roars died down in an instant. All that remained was the hungry crackle of residual flames and the low, vibrating hum of fading energy fields.
The industrial platform was utterly unrecognizable—a cratered, scorched wasteland devoid of a single standing Ethereal. A thick, suffocating cocktail of scents choked the air: the acrid stench of charred flesh, the sickly-sweet aroma of volatile Ether, and the sharp tang of slagged metal.
A heavy silence settled over the group. Nicole swallowed hard, her throat suddenly feeling like sandpaper.
Without realizing it, she took a half-step backward, shrinking slightly behind Wise's shoulder. When she spoke, her voice was a hushed, trembling whisper. "Proxy... Th-these two... they're our 'teammates,' right? Like, one hundred percent on our side... definitely, right?"
She trailed off, her wide eyes darting toward the four-meter-tall blue mecha that radiated a freezing, oppressive metallic sheen. Then, she looked at Himeko. The red-haired woman was casually lowering her blazing greatsword, her crimson armor catching the dying firelight, looking every bit a mythical Valkyrie descended for war. Nicole's voice cracked.
"Because if we accidentally end up on their bad side... I'm pretty sure all of us combined wouldn't even count as a proper warm-up."
It wasn't her usual cowardly exaggeration. It was a cold, calculated assessment born from witnessing absolute, overwhelming slaughter.
Belle let out a bright, airy laugh, the tension melting from her shoulders. "Relax, Nicole! They are absolutely on our side, genuine articles! Remember when I told you about the two super reliable heads of the family from the Astral Express Crew? Well, meet Mr. Welt and Himeko."
"Heads of the family?" Nekomata murmured. The feline girl had silently padded over to Belle's other side, her slitted eyes locked unblinkingly on the two figures currently disarming themselves. Her little nose twitched, wrinkling in deep suspicion as she voiced the exact thought terrifying the rest of the Cunning Hares.
"Hold on a second, Proxy. When you talked about them before, didn't you specifically say Miss Himeko was a 'gentle, intellectual navigator who loves brewing coffee and doing research'? And that Mr. Welt was a 'steady, reliable, grandfatherly gentleman'?"
She tilted her head. Her furry ears flicked back and forth, her tone dripping with pure bewilderment and a heavy dose of false-advertising accusation.
"I know it's rude to pry... but their fighting style back there looked a whole lot less like 'coffee brewing'and a whole lot more like legendary, blood-crazed'Berserkers'or walking'War Machines'."
"Uh... well..." Belle choked on her words, completely derailed by Nekomata's razor-sharp logic. She stammered, her cheeks flushing slightly as she scrambled to piece together a defense. What was she supposed to say? 'Yeah, they're usually chill, but they just got shiny new gear and got a little trigger-happy'? Or maybe, 'Absolute power just lets you unleash your inner beast'? Neither sounded particularly comforting.
Fortunately, Wise stepped in to rescue his sister. He adjusted his posture, slipping effortlessly into his usual calm, analytical tone. "You have a very keen eye, Nekomata. This is indeed... a rather unique situation."
"Mr. Welt and Ms. Himeko have recently acquired some new capabilities. Much like how we had to adjust when we first started operating our Bangboo, they are currently in the process of familiarizing themselves with these integrated abilities. As a result, their combat approach just now might have come across as... slightly overenthusiastic."
He paused, glancing at the thoroughly intimidated faces of the Cunning Hares, and softened his expression to maximize his persuasiveness.
"But I assure you, their everyday personalities are exactly as Belle described. They are incredibly gentle, dependable, and wonderful to be around. Belle and I can personally vouch for that. What you just witnessed was merely a 'specialized combat state.' It absolutely does not reflect how they act on a daily basis."
As if the universe itself wanted to back up Wise's claim, the chaotic aftermath on the platform finally began to settle. The thick, swirling smoke and crackling energy fields slowly thinned out, taking the suffocating, heavy pressure in the air with them.
The towering blue mecha—the Tyrant Sword Demon—powered down. The violent blue-white arcs of electricity dancing across its chassis rapidly converged inward, emitting a low, fading hum.
Then, just as magically as it had materialized, the massive machine began to deconstruct. The armor plating along its limbs and torso detached, breaking apart into millions of shimmering blue light particles and microscopic energy components. It dissolved into the air like a holographic assembly animation played in reverse.
Within three seconds, the four-meter-tall engine of destruction vanished without a single trace. In its place stood Welt, entirely unharmed, save for a light dusting of ash on his immaculate coat. He casually pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. While his features maintained their signature calm, stoic composure, there was an unmistakable lightness to his posture—a quiet, satisfied energy that proved he was in an exceptionally good mood.
On the other side of the cratered floor, Himeko's disarmament was a masterclass in elegance.
The roaring inferno coating the blade of Surtr was suddenly choked out by an invisible force. The flames rapidly dimmed and extinguished, right before the massive greatsword collapsed into a brilliant crimson stream of light. It swirled gracefully through the air before vanishing into a sleek, inconspicuous bracer secured around her wrist.
Simultaneously, the impressive Herrscher of Flamescion armor encasing her figure began to dematerialize. The fiery plating dissolved from her limbs toward her torso like a receding tide, peeling away to reveal her usual elegant, casual attire, complete with the golden accents of the Astral Express.
She reached up, gently tucking a stray lock of her disheveled red hair behind her ear. A warm, incredibly gentle smile graced her lips, completely erasing the image of the ruthless, sharp-eyed Valkyrie who had been butchering monsters just seconds prior.
The two trailblazers noticed the frozen group huddled at the passage entrance at almost the exact same time. Welt offered a polite, understated nod of acknowledgment. Himeko, meanwhile, beamed and offered a cheerful wave. Her gesture was so natural, so effortlessly warm and maternal, it felt entirely disconnected from the carnage surrounding her.
Watching this peaceful display, the tightly wound string of panic in the hearts of the Cunning Hares finally began to loosen.
At the very least, in terms of pure aesthetics and current temperament, the two strangers did actually fit the labels of "gentle" and "steady."
"Come on, let's head over," Wise instructed, taking the lead. The four members of the Cunning Hares exchanged a series of highly skeptical glances before trailing after the siblings. Even so, their footsteps were noticeably lighter and far more cautious than usual, treating the ground like a minefield.
Belle eagerly took on the role of intermediary, stepping forward to bridge the gap between the two vastly different worlds.
"Mr. Welt, Himeko! I'd like you to meet our long-term and incredibly reliable partners here in New Eridu—the Cunning Hares." She gestured grandly toward the pink-haired girl leading the pack. "This is Nicole, the founder and boss of the Cunning Hares."
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