Chapter 29: Give me back Diao Chan!

The Turtle Grongi was feeling rather glum.

He had been happily engaged in the "Gegeru" – the killing game revered by the Grongi tribe.

But then Kuuga had interrupted his fun.

The two clashed fiercely.

Unfortunately for the Grongi, Kuuga reverted to his white form and managed to escape with his life.

Just as the Turtle Grongi was about to cause chaos and destruction everywhere to force Kuuga out, he inexplicably found himself in this strange place.

A high-tech space station from an interstellar age—everything seemed bizarre and outlandish to the primitive Grongi.

He intended to grab a couple of Lindo (humans) to ask where he was, but suddenly, several strange-looking figures clad head-to-toe in armor appeared and started hunting down the Lindo.

Was there a war happening here?

War? Excellent!

The inherently brutal Grongi relished conflict and slaughter.

Trying to capture a Lindo to interrogate, the Turtle Grongi discovered he couldn't understand their language at all.

He had just learned Japanese recently, and now there was another new language? Damn it!

Unable to make sense of the situation, the Grongi decided to stop thinking and start playing his favorite game, Gegeru, by his own rules.

Just as he was establishing the rules of his game, he saw a magnificent being with dark skin and white hair!

This presence was far grander and more vast than even the king of the Grongi tribe, like a true god!

The Turtle Grongi nearly prostrated himself on the spot, utterly awestruck. He could feel the power bestowed upon him by this great entity!

Feeling divinely favored, the Turtle Grongi immediately resolved to please this god with the highest-standard Gegeru game.

Then, he encountered a white-haired young man wielding a peculiar greatsword, along with the warriors he led.

Initially, the Turtle Grongi paid no mind to the guns in their hands. The "peanuts" they fired couldn't even pierce his skin, let alone harm him now that he had received divine grace.

Until a shot hit his knee, nearly making him buckle.

Damn it!

The weapons these Lindo wielded were nothing like the noisy toys he remembered!

While the Turtle Grongi reeled in shock and uncertainty, Arlan and the Security Department personnel were equally perplexed.

"What in the world is this monster?"

"Could it be a new type of war weapon developed by the Antimatter Legion?"

"But it looks purely biological, with no negative particle energy readings... Besides, Voidrangers understand human speech. This thing doesn't seem to have a Synesthesia Beacon, does it?"

The Security Department members exchanged thoughts cautiously.

Arlan's expression was grave. His previous injuries hadn't fully healed, and this monster seemed stronger than an ordinary Trampler.

Just as Arlan was about to call for backup, he suddenly heard Caelus's voice.

"Holy crap! Turtle Bro? You're still alive?"

The unexpected shout made everyone freeze for a moment, then turn towards the source of the sound with varied expressions.

"Caelus, you know him?" Dan Heng frowned.

"No, don't know him personally, just know of him. First time seeing one... And... why does this guy's aura feel a bit off?"

Caelus carefully sized up the monster before them.

Were real Grongi actually this strong?

Did those tokusatsu shows nerf them that much?

"Mr. Welt, you've arrived."

Seeing the reliable older man, Arlan breathed a sigh of relief. Half the space station had likely seen the pseudo-black hole; with Mr. Welt here, this monster wouldn't be able to cause much trouble.

"Mr. Caelus, do you know the origin of this monster?" Arlan asked curiously.

"Just call me Caelus is fine."

Caelus waved his hand dismissively. "This type of monster is called a Grongi. They are creatures mutated by the influence of a strange meteorite, existing for a very long time. That's all I remember."

Caelus tapped his head, not forgetting to reinforce his amnesiac persona.

"A monster from genetic mutation? Sounds like something out of a movie."

A voice as lively as a lark chimed in.

"March, Stelle, you're here too," Dan Heng said, turning his head.

"Yeah, we were heading back to the Master Control Zone to regroup, but heard the commotion over here and came to check it out."

March 7th had already whipped out her ever-present camera and started snapping pictures of the Grongi.

Stelle's reaction, however, made Dan Heng pause.

The grey-haired girl struck a pose, hands hovering as if loosely gripping something near her waist. Then, one hand formed a fist pulled back to her hip while the other swept across her front, before both hands spread slightly outwards.

"Henshin~!"

The movements' meaning was unclear, but even Dan Heng had to admit, it was... kinda cool.

After completing the sequence seemingly drawn from her subconscious, Stelle looked down at herself. Seeing no cool armor appear, she pouted in disappointment.

"Caelus, why didn't I transform?"

"You need to learn the 'barely escape with your life' skill first before you can transform."

Caelus laughingly patted Stelle's head.

Only to get figuratively bitten for his trouble.

"Insolent Lindo, how dare you ignore me!"

The somewhat relaxed atmosphere felt like an insult to the Turtle Grongi, who roared in fury.

However, unlike Caelus, who was a divergence from Stelle's body from another dimension, the Grongi, despite also being transported to this world, had no Synesthesia Beacon within him.

If he had spoken Japanese, Welt might have understood, and Caelus could have gotten the gist.

But he spoke in the Grongi language, and no one present could understand a word.

Amidst Stelle's bewildered expression, Caelus grabbed her by the collar from behind, stepped forward, and channeled the imposing aura of Lü Bu Fengxian, roaring, "Who goes there? State your name!"

Everyone present was momentarily stunned by Caelus's abrupt action. Didn't you just say you knew what he was?

"Who are you? (Grongi language)"

The Turtle Grongi adopted a fighting stance.

"Why am I here?"

Caelus gently gripped Stelle's swan-like neck from behind as if wielding the Sky Piercer Halberd, shouting sharply.

"Do you wish to face me alone? (Grongi language)"

The Turtle Grongi was baffled by Caelus gripping his companion's neck. He wasn't the only one; Arlan and the security officers looked utterly dumbfounded.

Huh?

Why am I here?

Do you even hear yourself?

Only the Trailblazer crew, who understood the situation, exchanged glances and nodded grimly.

That's right, he's having another episode!

"Give me back Diaochan!"

Grongi: "What is this guy talking about? (Grongi language)"

"Enough talk! I'll take your head first!"

Overflowing with a dominant aura, Caelus 'swung' the Sky Piercer Halberd in his hand—by picking Stelle up and throwing her towards the Grongi.

"CAELUS!"

Stelle roared, grinding her teeth.

This brat!

Though cursing Caelus internally, Stelle's body reacted instinctively, whipping out her baseball bat.

"Everyone, charge!"

Having spent so long in the Security Department, Arlan had never experienced such a bizarre battlefield atmosphere.

However, seeing Stelle draw her bat, he quickly reacted, charging forward with his plasma greatsword.

No one plays fair, knightly duels with invaders.

"I'll help too!" March 7th drew her composite longbow, nocked an arrow, and took aim.

The Turtle Grongi's face turned a shade greener, though nobody could tell since his skin was already dark green.

It was true that Grongi were inherently brutal, but that didn't mean they were idiots who only knew how to charge recklessly to their deaths!

Facing a single warrior stronger than himself, a Grongi would rarely flee a fair 1v1 fight.

But being surrounded and still charging headlong? That was pure stupidity!

And so...

Time to run!

Swinging his meteor hammer, nearly a meter in diameter, he blocked the incoming baseball bat, knocked Stelle back, and the Turtle Grongi instinctively made a swift retreat.

"Don't run!"

Stelle was brimming with anger that needed venting. She couldn't unleash a serious beating on Caelus, since she'd feel the pain too, so she could only direct her fury at the enemy.

The Turtle Grongi was a warrior whose stats skewed towards defense. Having embarked on the Path of Destruction likely compensated somewhat for his lack of speed, so his movements weren't slow.

Bat in hand, Stelle gave chase.

Just as the Turtle Grongi was about to pass through an automatic door into the next section...

BANG!

The moment the door slid open, there was a heavy, muffled impact.

The dark green figure flew backward like a cannonball, landing and rolling like a bowling ball down the long corridor until it came to a stop right in front of Stelle.

Stelle looked up, stunned.

A figure walked out from the now-open automatic doorway.

"A creature mutated by meteorite influence? Mildly interesting."

The voice was crisp and leisurely, underscored by a distinct pride.

Oho~!

Seeing that figure, Caelus, who had been running after Stelle, stopped in his tracks. His gaze towards the Turtle Grongi gained a touch of pity.

Turtle Bro, you would have been better off going back and getting kicked to death by Kuuga!

At least that way, you would have died with a bit more dignity.

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