The ones who spent a restless night weren't just Nero, Stelle was the same.
After driving away the demon of the Goethe Hotel, she paced around the room a couple of times. Finding nothing else fun, she went to bed to sleep.
However, she didn't sleep well.
She didn't know when it started, but in the pitch-black of her dreams, she could always hear some voices.
She didn't know where those voices were coming from. They sounded very much like the Supreme Guardian she had seen before, yet also seemed like something else entirely.
It was as if from all directions came earth-shaking calls and shouts; piercing screams tore through the barrier of reason in an instant, and a blinding white light that seared the eyes streaked across the dark dreamscape.
The voice of the Stellaron was calling out…
"Cocolia… Cocolia…"
The muddled voice seemed to grow clear at this moment, and a girl's voice began to linger from long ago.
"Who… are you? No, what are you?"
"We are allies… allies who have accompanied the Guardians for generations."
The muddled voice surged again, like a gale whipping up the sea, waves churning, monstrous swells rising to the sky, a small boat rocking on the verge of capsizing…
"What… do you want?"
The girl's voice carried confusion, tension, and a hint of fear.
"To rebuild… this dying world…
"To help you… realize your wish."
The muddled voice rolled over once more, instantly drowning out the girl's voice.
A drowsy, heavy feeling flooded her mind. Her brain seemed to turn into a walnut at this moment, placed atop that pitiful little boat.
The boat capsized.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
There was a knock at the door.
Stelle climbed out of bed, holding her head.
She should have been sleeping the whole night, but at this moment she still felt dizzy and groggy, as if she'd only slept for an hour before getting up.
After tidying her clothes a bit, Stelle went out.
March's tone wasn't very good, "Stelle, did you hear that?"
As soon as Stelle stepped out, she saw Dan Heng and March standing outside.
"A group of Silvermane Guards has arrived at the front of the inn, and they don't seem friendly."
Dan Heng's tone remained as calm as ever.
"If they were here to welcome us, the atmosphere wouldn't be this tense."
March put her hands on her hips, her voice carrying a hint of complaint.
At this moment, Nero also came out of his room.
The young man rubbed his eyes. He'd chatted with Tingyun a bit too long yesterday and hadn't slept much.
Yet, miraculously, he didn't have dark circles.
Because they had already made assumptions and plans in advance yesterday, everyone had a sense of what to expect in a situation like this, so no one panicked.
This was one of the anticipated developments.
Stelle found a spot with a window and looked outside, seeing those fully armed Silvermane Guards.
Then she asked March, "How can you tell it's tense from those helmets?"
The little gray-haired girl's gaze was sincere and pure. It didn't feel like sarcasm at all, there was quite a bit of Nero's essence in it.
"It's a feeling. A feeling."
March rolled her eyes at Stelle, then frowned as she looked at the bleary-eyed Nero.
Dan Heng spoke up, "There are three options for what we do now.
"First option, push straight through these troops and fight our way out, taking down the Supreme Guardian. The difficulty is high, the success rate is low, and even if we succeed, the payoff isn't great."
"Second option, break through the Guards' encirclement and head to the snowfields. The snowfield environment and the roaming Rift creatures can hinder the Guards' pursuit. The difficulty is moderate, the success rate is fairly high, but after succeeding we'll lose a geographic position that's convenient for gathering intelligence."
"Third option, go straight to the sealed Edge Passage. That area has been eroded by the Rift, and the Rift creatures inside can also block the Guards' pursuit."
"The difficulty isn't high, the success rate is very high, and it preserves a geographic environment that's convenient for gathering intelligence. However, we're unfamiliar with the terrain of the Edge Passage and may get lost in the Rift, or, with a small probability, be surrounded by the Guards."
"So, Teacher Dan Heng, which option do you recommend?" Nero looked up at Dan Heng.
"I recommend the third option. In fact, yesterday I specifically looked for a map of Belobog and memorized the routes and landmarks on it."
"Dan Heng, you're way too reliable!" March was pleasantly surprised, then gave Dan Heng a thumbs-up. "As expected of you!"
Dan Heng shook his head. "This is just an escape option. The specific situation still depends on the attitude of these people.
"However, judging by their momentum, the chances of good news are slim.
"In short, be ready to fight at any time. Let's go down and meet them first."
Stelle stretched her arms, indicating no problem.
"Yesterday, the Galactic Baseballer chased away the inn demon. Today, the Galactic Baseballer can also chase away the evil Guards."
After confirming the code words and the plan, the Trailblaze squad quickly went downstairs and walked out the doors of the Goethe Hotel.
Once they stepped outside, they immediately saw quite a few onlookers gathered there. It seemed that watching the excitement was popular even in the harsh environment of Belobog.
Of course, aside from these civilians, there were also the Silvermane Guards who had been stationed there since before dawn.
A stern-sounding Silvermane Guard stepped forward and said to them, "You! Commander Bronya is waiting for you below. Go see her at once, don't think about pulling any tricks!"
Nero curled his lips. "That tone doesn't sound like someone planning to treat us nicely."
Dan Heng raised a hand and placed it on Nero's shoulder.
He hoped this would calm his fellow townsman a bit, so he wouldn't just leap in with a jumping cleave.
"Ah… this really feels like we've gotten ourselves into something big…" March's tone carried a bit of panic, but more disappointment.
"The Galactic Baseballer fears nothing."
Stelle stood beside Nero. She was already prepared to do a jumping cleave together.
The Trailblaze squad advanced along the road that the Silvermane Guards had strictly controlled and cleared out.
Eventually, they arrived in front of Bronya and Pela.
"Huh, you're… from yesterday at Qlipoth Fort…"
March clearly still remembered the girl with the triple-turbo hairstyle.
"I am Bronya Rand, acting commander of the Silvermane Guards. In the most exalted name of the Amber, by the order of the Supreme Guardian Cocolia Rand, I am here to arrest infiltrators who intend to incite rebellion."
"Hereby, in my capacity as the Supreme Guardian's proxy, I temporarily strip you all of your autonomy of movement and speech; when the Tribunal interrogates you, you will be given the opportunity to defend yourselves."
"Abandon pointless resistance and come with me."
The members of the Trailblaze squad exchanged glances, helplessness showing in their eyes.
Sure enough, things had developed to this point.
There was even a hint of disdain in Nero's eyes, making a move on the very first day, so impatient.
"W-wait a second! This isn't what we agreed on, right? She clearly said she wanted to invite us to discuss important matters…" March tried to salvage this relationship that was about to shatter.
Dan Heng's tone remained flat. "Without a doubt, this betrayal was planned long ago. March, there's no point in saying anything now, because that was her goal."
The Guards had already closed in, surrounding the Trailblaze squad tightly.
March sighed. "It feels like every three worlds, there's a chance we end up as prisoners…"
"If you didn't always act rashly without a plan when your head heats up, this situation would happen far less often," Dan Heng said.
March blinked. "I'm growing too, you know. Didn't we already have a plan this time?"
Stelle nodded at the side and said softly, "I also don't want to be arrested by people who slap random labels on others."
Clearly, after listening every day on the train to the Interastral Peace Corporation's radio broadcasts telling heroic tales, her vocabulary had undergone a terrifying upgrade.
"In that case, let's follow the plan we made earlier," Dan Heng lowered his voice. "Observe one corner and infer the rest."
"The ruler's command has no second," Stelle also murmured.
"Hey! What are you whispering about? Hurry up and come with us!" The Guard was getting impatient.
Nero lightly flexed the hand that wasn't holding the Blazing Splendor Construct. A wisp of wind, only the size of a thumbnail, was pinched between his fingertips.
"Borrow one from the city."
March recited the final code phrase. The moment her voice fell, Nero aligned his fingers and crushed the wind wisp.
In the next instant, a violent gust of wind abruptly rose from the flat ground, howling as it instantly blew away all the surrounding Guards, including Bronya and Pela.
In the next moment, the four of them immediately ran toward the Edge Passage.
The Guards stationed at the Edge Passage tried to step forward to block them. Dan Heng summoned Cloud-Piercer, and Stelle took out her bat, both of them charging at the front.
With one swing, Stelle smashed her bat into the face of the first Guard who came to intercept, knocking him unconscious on the spot. Then she swung left and right, successively stripping the Guards of their fighting ability.
Dan Heng held his spear in a reverse grip, sweeping it out with the butt of the spear in a move like a horizontal army-clearing strike, instantly knocking down a large swath of Guards.
Nero and March followed behind them, and the four charged together into the Edge Passage.
The Silvermane Sharpshooters raised their guns and were just about to fire when they felt the weapons in their hands turn icy cold, impossible to fire.
Looking down, they saw that special ice crystals had completely frozen the insides of the guns.
March turned her head back and stuck out her tongue at the Silvermane Guards, "Bleh! We're jumping first, thanks everyone!"
In the next instant, all four members of the Trailblaze squad dove into the Rift within the Edge Passage.
After being blown away by Nero, Bronya, Pela, and a large group of Guards immediately got up and tried to pursue, but discovered they couldn't run.
A violent wind spiraled around everyone's legs, preventing them from running. If they tried to accelerate, they'd be forcibly dragged back by the wind.
That wind was like it sliced into muscles, snapped tendons, eroded bones, and bound the soul…
Only after Bronya forcibly unleashed her own power and rallied morale, after wind collided with wind, did the binding force of that sinister wind finally dissipate.
But by then, it was already too late to chase.
By the time Bronya, Pela, and the Silvermane Guards reached the entrance of the Edge Passage, the four members of the Trailblaze squad had clearly already jumped into the Rift.
The Rift was filled with danger, and the number of monsters within was countless.
The pursuit, it seemed, could only stop here…