Chapter 77: Asura Field (Il)

"Why are you here..." Dan Heng frowned.

Svarog looked at Dan Heng, "To protect Gu Tang. I will not interfere with his choices, but I will ensure his safety."

"I already said, protecting my bro, I alone am enough." Dan Heng stared at Svarog and said slowly.

Svarog's mechanical monocular eye glowed red, "Stand down, organic lifeform 257. Your actions have revealed your recklessness."

"My name is Dan Heng!" Dan Heng gritted his teeth as he stepped in front of Svarog.

The atmosphere between the two was tense, ready to erupt at any moment.

"Wait, Dan Heng. Cocolia is just ahead; we can't afford to have internal conflicts now," March 7th quickly ran between them, separating the two.

"Hmph... Fine, the bigger picture is more important." Dan Heng turned away, keeping a stern face.

Svarog looked at March 7th, "Correct choice, March 7th. Meaningless combat with organic lifeform 257 should be avoided."

"You can call people by their names!" Dan Heng clenched his fists.

"Never thought I'd see the day we fight alongside Svarog." Seele sighed, then looked at Gu Tang, "It's all thanks to you, Gu Tang."

Gu Tang nodded, "Yes, it's good to have more firepower."

"Where's Clara?" Stelle asked.

"After assessment, this is a high-risk area. It was reasonable to conclude she should stay in the lower district," Svarog replied.

"Alright, let's keep moving, no more delays." Seele urged the group forward.

---

"I don't understand... If the truth is as you say, then why, over the past few hundred years, has every Guardian in power resisted the Stellaron's call?" Bronya asked as she followed behind Cocolia. "Did they all make mistakes, Mother?"

Cocolia showed a mocking smile, "Can't you see, Bronya? There's no right or wrong here, only human arrogance and shortsightedness."

She raised her head, looking at the gloomy sky, "To the more magnificent existences in the starry sky, a millennium is but a speck of dust, the achievements of a tiny race hold no value... I won't repeat their mistakes. If persistence is destined to be futile, then I'll choose a new beginning."

Bronya questioned, "But, the Preservation's Clipper—Isn't it one of those magnificent existences you speak of? It has always protected Belobog... Isn't it its power that has been shielding us?"

Cocolia sneered, "Hmph... When has the Preservation ever truly regarded humanity? That was just the delusion of the city builders. You will hear the true magnificent voice, Bronya... and then you will understand my choice."

---

"I see, every Guardian has been influenced by the Stellaron... It seems Cocolia couldn't hold out," Stelle said thoughtfully as she listened to Gu Tang's recount.

"It's not necessarily Cocolia's weak will. I think it also has to do with the worsening situation in Belobog," Dan Heng frowned. "Anyone would feel despair watching their world doomed to destruction. That doubt allowed the Stellaron to take advantage."

"By the way... it's getting colder." March 7th rubbed her hands, exhaling warm breath into her palms, "It's beyond what a little Pioneering Blessing can fend off."

Gu Tang looked at March 7th, "Weren't you fished out of the ice? You can even control ice yourself."

March 7th pouted, hands on her hips, "So what? A beautiful girl isn't necessarily resistant to the cold."

Seele looked around, frowning, "It's not just the cold. The atmosphere here... it's giving me goosebumps. It feels like bugs are crawling under my skin."

Stelle: "Say it plainly."

Seele: "It itches."

Stelle: "Got it."

"We're very close to the Stellaron. The area is heavily corroded by the Fragmentum, so feeling unwell is normal. Bear with it," Dan Heng explained.

"Is Bronya also enduring this discomfort? No, she must be feeling worse, both physically and mentally." Seele raised her hand, looking at her palm, murmuring to herself.

Gu Tang patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll reunite with her soon."

"Hmph, I'm not worried about her." Seele pouted, "Better worry if she'll tell Cocolia about the lower district. If Cocolia finds out she has rumors with an outsider... she might come directly for you, Gu Tang."

---

"You will hear the true magnificent voice, Bronya... and then you will understand my choice." Cocolia said slowly, her voice deep and twisted.

"You fat pig! I warn you, stop spouting nonsense!" Bronya shouted angrily.

Cocolia: "??????!!"

"No, Mother! You may not believe it, but I really wasn't talking to you," Bronya hastily explained.

---

More Fragmentum monsters appeared, hindering Gu Tang's group's progress.

As expected near the Stellaron, the monsters were several levels higher in both quantity and quality compared to the lower district.

But they didn't pose much trouble since Dan Heng and Svarog were in high spirits.

"Illusory Realm, Long Dream... Break!"

Slash!

Dan Heng's spear pierced through a Fragmentum monster, its remains falling in the snowstorm.

He looked towards Svarog.

"Eliminating threat." Svarog swung its arm, launching countless missiles for a carpet-bombing ahead.

Boom boom boom boom boom——!

As the explosion's flames dissipated, only a vast field of Fragmentum monster fragments remained.

"It seems the efficiency gap is clear, organic lifeform 257," Svarog remarked to Dan Heng.

Hiss—

Dan Heng took a deep breath, veins bulging on his forehead.

Just then, another wave of Fragmentum monsters rushed forward.

Dan Heng gripped his spear tightly and charged, then...

"Illusory Realm, Long Dream... Break!" "Illusory Realm, Long Dream... Break!" "Illusory Realm... Break!" "Illusory Realm... Break!"

He wielded his spear with unmatched precision.

It seemed his spear skills improved driven by anger.

"Illusory... Break!" "Illusory... Break!" "Illu-Break!"

Dan Heng's efficiency soared.

Stelle watched Dan Heng's figure, "If this were a game, Dan Heng would be at least ten times faster now."

"Seems the tenfold speed code isn't great, his ultimate move's dialogue is getting weird," Gu Tang commented.

March 7th scratched her head, recalling Dan Heng's words in the Great Mine.

'A brotherly relationship with competition isn't bad either...'

March 7th looked at Dan Heng and Svarog, saying slowly, "Congratulations, Dan Heng, your wish has come true."

Seele shook her head, "These people are hopeless. Fighting alongside each other, yet arguing with teammates. No sense of the bigger picture or camaraderie."

Stelle looked at Seele in surprise, "Are you serious?"