The five of them teleported and landed on the ground.
The surrounding air was still bone-chillingly cold, with a piercing wind blowing from the end of the wasteland. The wind carried tiny ice particles that hit their faces, bringing a slight stinging sensation. As the temperature dropped, a thin layer of white frost began to reform on the ground.
Jarilo-VI, this planet covered in ice and snow, was about to undergo a massive change in its ecological environment after the planetary extermination...
Having regained her basic mobility, Rozaliya chose to move with Aidan. Her reasoning, after testing Aidan's physical strength, was a suspicion that he might die for some ridiculous reason.
"Don't look at me with those eyes."
"Do you remember your codename?" Aidan turned his head to look at the pink-haired girl beside him.
"I remember. It's Delta."
Delta glanced at him.
"By the way, that Planet Buster cannon just now was indeed powerful..." Stelle scratched her head as she looked at the wasteland cleared by the Imaginary Storm. "But, did you level the city along with it?"
"No."
Aidan flatly denied it.
"The set frequency only targets the Antimatter Legion. To other matter, it's no different from a gust of wind blowing by."
"Fine, fine, you're the expert, you call the shots." Stelle turned to look at the city in the distance. "But it's really cold here. I feel like my snot is going to freeze into icicles."
Through the gaps in the wind and snow, they could vaguely see the silhouette of a huge city built upon the snow plains.
"I suggest staying alert. Although I cleared a large area of targets, there may still be hostile targets that escaped elimination due to the unique nature of their existence."
As if Aidan's words carried the weight of law, the snow ahead suddenly churned violently, and several twisted humanoid monsters emerged in front of them.
"Leave those trash to me." Delta gripped the hilt of her greatsword, her gaze instantly becoming sharp.
With a low shout, her figure charged out like a bolt of pink lightning. The heavy sword behind her traced a massive arc in the air, accompanied by splashes of red and blue paint. The dull thud of the greatsword sounded like a heavy hammer hitting frozen meat.
"Second one!"
Delta performed a graceful roll in the air, using her Tail to push off the snow and leap up again. Another greatsword was held in her left hand. Spin!
"——Swan Lake!"
Dealing with these kinds of minions was second nature to Delta as a soldier.
"...Not even enough to warm me up."
Delta returned to Aidan's side; it was a bit warmer near this guy than outside.
After all, Delta did not walk the Path of Trailblaze. She couldn't do what March 7th did—drifting in space for 5 system hours after being swept into a subspace storm, flying 120,000 kilometers and remaining perfectly unscathed, with the maximum damage being a hoarse voice from crying. That level of absurdity was beyond her.
"Let me hide here, it's too cold."
Delta unashamedly huddled near his portable heater.
"Look, that looks like a giant robot."
"Mr. Yang would be ecstatic."
"How about taking a photo to show Mr. Yang?"
Stelle held up a finger.
Knowing that Mr. Yang liked giant robots, Stelle deeply regretted not being able to see the usually composed Welt lose his composure on the spot...
"Sure, sure, you're quite the loyal friend."
The upper body of that giant robot stood tall, but the lower part was severely damaged, with many parts broken.
Click!
Stelle took a photo of the giant robot and sent it to Welt.
Dan Heng estimated that if this giant robot stood up, it would probably be about as tall as the thunderbolt on Aidan's warship—maybe a bit taller than the thunderbolt, but Aidan's thunderbolt... seemed to be able to fly.
"Mr. Yang asked me to take a few more photos from different angles."
"Then take them." Aidan rubbed his hands and exhaled a puff of white mist. "It's not like it's going to run away anyway."
March 7th leaned in close, craning her neck to look at the massive mechanical head. Even after enduring long years of wind and snow erosion, the cold, hard metal lines still showed hints of its former grandeur.
"This thing must have been incredibly powerful back then," she remarked. "A civilization that could build such a big guy couldn't be too weak, no matter how you look at it..."
"It's not weak now either." Aidan pointed toward the city. "Look, the city is still running."
"I knew Mr. Yang wouldn't be able to sit still."
March 7th leaned over to look at Stelle's screen and laughed out loud.
The five of them split up.
Aidan and Delta ran into someone who was currently putting eye drops into his eyes.
When he saw that person, Aidan raised an eyebrow, took out a small Stealth Cube, and quietly approached the blue-haired man from behind.
"He~llo~ there~"
Aidan spoke behind him in a top-tier deep, gravelly voice.
"Ah! Holy—!"
The blue-haired man almost jumped out of his skin.
"...It's you?"
"That's right, it's me. Long time no see, friend."
Sampo Koski.
Strictly speaking, Sampo was the first playable character Aidan had met.
When Aidan first woke up, the first thing he transformed into was a Masked Fool—the kind without much power, whose abilities were limited to changing appearance, and he didn't even know how to use it at first.
Luckily, he met Sampo, who taught Aidan how to use the power of Elation to change his appearance. Sampo even wondered if Aidan was some guy pretending to be a fool for fun, but after confirming Aidan was a rookie, Sampo gave him a piece of advice.
"You're not suited for the The Tavern; it's best not to deal with those guys."
Sampo glanced at Delta beside Aidan, an unexpected expression appearing on his face.
"I can still run into you here? Yo, is this your girlfriend?"
"No, she's my subordinate."
"Subordinate? I haven't seen you for a few days and you already have subordinates?"
"Ah~ I guess I've recovered some things from the past."
"So that's how it is. But I... hmm? That on your chest..."
Sampo stared at the ticket on Aidan's chest, lost in thought.
"You... joined the Trailblaze?"
A Masked Fool walking the Trailblaze... actually seemed quite reasonable?
After all, Aha was once a Nameless too.
"Speaking of which, do you know what happened with that light just now?"
"Oh, I did that."
"Oh... you, wait, what? You did that?"
"Yes, I did it."
Sampo's eyes widened. He sized Aidan up and down, his expression shifting from shock to confusion, and then to a certain subtle suspicion. "I haven't seen you for just a few days, and you've become this fierce?"
Are you serious?
But...
"Where's the power of Elation on you? Why don't you even have the power of Elation anymore?"
"Well... it's a long story."
"Then make it short. I'm quite curious to know. I say, friend, your career change is a bit too thorough."
Now... he didn't look like the simple, easily fooled person he used to be at all.
Sampo thought to himself.
So, what happened?
Could it be... he was in a state of amnesia before?