Although there had been quite a few strange things happening lately, after seeing his sister arrive together with the outsiders, Gepard still reined in his thoughts.
After that, under everyone's watch, a fierce argument and debate broke out between the brother and sister, Gepard and Serval.
The former was stubborn to the extreme, far too rigid, no matter how much the latter explained, she simply couldn't persuade him.
Watching the siblings quarrel, March narrowed her eyes and sighed, "If only Nero were here right now. He definitely wouldn't lose an argument. I wonder if that kid has met Mr. Yang yet?"
Dan Heng shook his head and said, "Even Nero wouldn't be able to persuade Gepard."
"The reason he was able to shake Bronya was because Bronya herself was already a bit confused and wavering from the start, stuck in a state where she couldn't truly make up her mind."
"But Gepard, he's just too firm."
Seele curled her lips. "Like a rock that's both smelly and hard. But when it comes to fighting the Fragmentum and protecting the people, that's exactly the kind of person you need."
It was obvious that Seele still greatly admired Gepard.
Stelle also spoke up, "If it were Nero, the moment he realized Gepard couldn't be talked into it, he'd probably go straight on the offensive to achieve his goal."
"Ahaha…" March tugged at the corner of her mouth. "So it still ends up being a jumping slash…"
"In that case, I'll take care of those Iron Guard soldiers first. You focus on that officer and try to take him down as soon as possible."
After saying that, Seele fell into a quantum state the very next moment.
No one noticed the girl who suddenly vanished…
And then, Gepard received the same treatment as Dunn.
However, as the Silvermane Guards' captain, Gepard was still very strong. Even under everyone's combined assault, especially with the weapon barrier not yet repaired, he held out for quite a long time, not getting knocked out in a single blow like Dunn.
After the battle, Gepard leaned against the barrier to support himself, gasping for breath, his face looking rather pale.
Seele gritted her teeth and said, "This guy… he's ridiculously tough. I've never run into such a stubborn opponent!"
March also sighed. "…Ha… it feels like no matter what, you just can't knock him down."
"Because he's single-minded. Whether it's arguing or fighting, once he's decided on something, he'd rather die than give in… That's why he's not cute at all, this guy!"
Serval complained like that, but from her tone, it was clear she still cared deeply about her brother.
Then Serval sighed. "That's about enough, right, Gepard? Look around you, only you're still standing!"
Gepard clenched his teeth. "…Even if I'm the only one left, I won't give in…"
"Please just give in already!" Stelle said helplessly.
Dan Heng also tried to persuade him. "We're not trying to force you into submission with violence. Obedience like that would be meaningless."
"Exactly!" March chimed in.
"Our goal is clearly the same as yours, Serval's, and Bronya's, to protect this world! There's no reason for us to be enemies at all, okay?"
"Gepard… little brother, at this point, you should know how to be flexible," Serval urged again.
"Even if you don't trust these outsider friends, you should at least trust me, uh, well, maybe I really have worn away all of your trust in me, then at the very least, trust Bronya!"
The others from the Express crew were still too kind.
Beating Gepard into submission here really wouldn't mean much, but knocking him unconscious would be very meaningful, and very useful.
If Nero were here, he would probably choose to knock Gepard out directly, then after everything was settled, let Gepard go argue it out with the others himself.
If "save the world first" or "persuade Gepard first" were treated as a single-choice question, the efficiency would become extremely high.
It might seem a bit lacking in human warmth, but it was very much in the spirit of the Hunt.
When he heard Bronya's name, Gepard's expression perked up. "…Miss Bronya?"
Without a doubt, to Gepard, Bronya was still someone he could trust.
After that, everyone explained the whole situation to Gepard and handed over the letter written personally by Bronya.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Gepard slowly spoke, "I am the captain of the Silvermane Guards. It is my duty to carry out the orders of the Supreme Guardian."
Hearing this, Stelle silently tightened her grip on the bat and said, "Alright then, I'm still not done fighting!"
After all, if even this couldn't make Gepard change his mind, then the only option left would be to knock him unconscious.
It's worth mentioning that everyone shouldn't think that what Stelle said, "I'm still not done fighting", only referred to combat.
Anyone who's punched a sandbag before should know the kind of satisfaction you get when your attacks receive feedback…
That's right, what Stelle really meant by "I'm still not done fighting" was treating Gepard like a sandbag. After all, with so many of them ganging up on one person, Gepard could only take the hits…
However, things didn't develop in the sandbag direction. Gepard continued speaking without pause, "...But Miss Bronya is the de facto commander on the front lines."
"According to military regulations, when orders from the front lines conflict with orders from the rear architects, one should remain in place and wait for further instructions."
Hearing this, the disappointment in Stelle's eyes flashed by and disappeared. Then she praised him, "Good kid. You've really got this figured out!"
Faced with Stelle's way of speaking, like stripping someone naked to expose their secrets, Gepard's gaze drifted for a moment.
He cleared his throat and stubbornly said, "To the Silvermane Guards, the Guardian's orders are supreme and absolute. But in our oath, there is something else just as important as her orders…"
Serval picked up the sentence. "…The people of Belobog." She was already doing her best to give her brother a way out.
"Yes." Gepard looked at his sister gratefully, but then his expression turned serious.
"Without the people, the existence of the Iron Guard loses its meaning. Fighting the Fragmentum monsters is for preservation, but fighting you… I don't yet understand the meaning of that."
"If you truly can stop the ever-expanding disaster, then everyone in Belobog will owe you their gratitude."
"But if you are covering up your true intentions with layer upon layer of lies, using Bronya and my sister… I swear by Qlipoth that I will punish you without mercy!"
After that, everyone talked a bit more, and the outcome was good, Gepard was willing to help them.
However, worried about Gepard, Serval stayed behind and decided to work with the Guards to buy time for the others to break through.
———
On the Express, Himeko had been observing the condition of Jarilo-VI and hadn't detected any Emanator- or Aeon-level Imaginary reactions. That made her feel reassured.
She believed that this time, the kids should be able to come away with some pretty good adventure memories.
Their lives were safe, and at most, if they ran into a particularly troublesome opponent, she could provide some off-field support.
'Speaking of which…' Himeko suddenly thought of Mr. Yang.
This guy should have been able to rest easy.
But as Nero kept sending back messages one after another, something about him started to feel more and more off.
Clearly a very steady person, yet because of the messages Nero sent back, he would sometimes show surprise and disgust on his face, and other times be full of worry.
It was as if he were annoyed by some kind of thing stuck behind him that he just couldn't shake off, and at the same time afraid that thing might affect the kids' safety.
Those four young people… they weren't that fragile. Who knew what Welt was worrying about day after day…
However, after Nero sent back information about Svarog and Clara, this guy completely lost his composure.
Himeko didn't stop him. She could feel just how strong the appeal of robots was to him, no less than the appeal of the stars and the Express were to her.
'Hmm… I should remind Welt. Give young people more platforms and more time. Don't take all the work on yourself.'
Thinking that, Himeko immediately took action and sent a message to Mr. Yang.