Chapter 132: Dare to Surrender My Weapons?
"Whoa... This is just too spectacular!" March 7th exclaimed, her previous unease vanishing as she was instantly captivated by the wondrous sight before them.
"But... do their stone statues really light themselves up just for the ambiance?" she murmured, instinctively reaching for her camera. "No, no, a magnificent pioneering scene like this has to be recorded! Dan Heng, Stelle, wait for me!"
She adjusted her angle, preparing to document this marvel of their trailblazing journey.
Dan Heng and Stelle nodded, also pausing to take in the stunning scene.
However, just as March 7th focused her lens and pressed the shutter, Dan Heng's sharp senses detected something terribly wrong. His gaze, quick as lightning, swept across the ancient stone statues standing silently around the elevated platform.
"Stelle, watch out!"
As Dan Heng's low warning cry cut through the air, Stelle was already moving.
At some unknown moment, the eyes of those statues had ignited with a sinister, crimson glow. The stone skin on their surfaces began to crack and peel away, flaking off like old paint. A grating, "crack-crack-crack" of grinding rock echoed as their bodies shifted, their movements rapidly transforming from stiff and lifeless to fluid and predatory. Like soldiers awakened from a long slumber, they charged silently and swiftly toward the trio.
"So noisy!" Stelle had been completely absorbed by the sight of the giant figure holding the orb of light. Being interrupted so rudely left her deeply displeased.
She didn't even bother drawing her sword, instead whipping her battle-hardened baseball bat from her back. With a whistling whoosh, she swung it in a clean arc.
Bang! Crack!
The bat connected squarely with a stone statue's neck. The hard rock, which should have been incredibly durable, shattered like fragile plaster. The statue's momentum carried its now-headless body forward before it crashed to the ground, breaking into a pile of rubble.
"Whoa!" The sudden explosion of sound and flying debris startled March 7th, who was still focused on her photography. She nearly dropped her camera. "Stelle! What are you doing?! Don't you know you can scare a person to death?!"
"March, be careful! These stone statues have come to life! They're attacking us!" Dan Heng's voice was laced with urgency.
He stepped forward, and a steady, amber-gold aura instantly flared around him. The protective power of the Amber Lord formed a translucent shield, enveloping both March 7th and himself. At the same time, his Cloud-Piercer spear thrust out like a coiling dragon, instantly shattering two more statues charging from the other side.
March 7th reacted in a heartbeat. She stowed her camera, and Sode no Shirayuki was drawn in a flash of white. A biting chill permeated the air as a crystalline layer of ice formed over Dan Heng's shield. "Understood!"
The stone monsters were numerous, surging from all directions like a relentless tide. However, their individual strength was negligible, and their attack patterns were simplistic.
Stelle wielded her bat like a tiger let loose in a flock of sheep. Every swing was accompanied by the percussive crack of shattering rock, clearing a small open space around her with each blow. Dan Heng's spear work was precise and ruthlessly efficient, picking off any stragglers that slipped past her. Meanwhile, March 7th used her frost abilities to slow the monsters' advance, creating openings for her teammates to exploit.
Though the battle was intense, the trio worked together in perfect sync, feeling no pressure at all.
"Hmph, a bunch of weaklings!" Stelle was starting to get into the rhythm of it. Seeing the encirclement about to tighten, a glint flashed in her eyes. She began to gather her power, preparing to unleash a wide-area attack to clear the field completely.
Just then, a white figure descended like a swift gale from the top of a nearby towering building.
His posture was nimble, his movements as fast as lightning. In his hand, he seemed to be holding a greatsword that pulsed with a faint glow. He flickered through the crowd of stone statues, a blur of motion. Wherever he passed, the hard rock bodies disintegrated into countless fragments, as if sliced apart by an invisible, razor-sharp blade.
In the span of a few breaths, the stone statues besieging the trio were completely annihilated.
"Hey! Stealing my kills and my moment of glory?" Stelle's accumulated energy instantly deflated. She shot a displeased look at the white-clad figure who had landed not far away.
However, what surprised Stelle and Dan Heng even more was that after clearing the field, the white-haired youth didn't pause for a second. His gaze immediately locked onto Stelle and Dan Heng, who were still holding their weapons.
He pushed off with his feet, his body launching forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging directly at the two of them.
Although his face showed no strong killing intent, his clear target and incredibly swift movements made his objective obvious: he was coming to disarm them.
"How dare you!" Stelle was instantly enraged. Stealing her kills was one thing, but now he wanted to disarm her—the one and only Stelle? How could she possibly tolerate that?
Just as the white-haired youth's hand was about to touch the baseball bat in her grip, Stelle moved.
Her movements were faster. More cunning.
The nine days she had spent in the training room hadn't just improved her swordsmanship; they had honed her overall combat instincts to a razor's edge.
With a flick of her wrist, the baseball bat vanished into her inventory. At the same time, she slid half a step to the side, narrowly dodging the hand aimed at her wrist. Immediately after, her right hand shot out, precisely counter-gripping the white-haired youth's now-empty wrist. She used her core to generate force, her body twisting with the motion, and executed a clean, crisp joint-lock technique.
The white-haired youth had completely underestimated Stelle's speed and the ferocity of her counterattack.
He only felt an irresistible, immense force wrenching his wrist. His body was thrown off balance, the world spun before his eyes, and the next second, his face slammed heavily onto the cold, hard ground.
He was completely pinned, with Stelle's knee planted firmly on his lower back, holding him down. The entire sequence was fluid and seamless, executed in a flash.
"Ugh!" The white-haired youth grunted, a look of shock and disbelief finally appearing on his face. This... was completely different from what he had expected.
He instinctively struggled but found the strength locking him down to be astonishingly great. The technique was so expertly applied that he couldn't break free at all.
"Oh, you've got some good moves, kid. Pretty fast at clearing out monsters," Stelle said, one knee on the youth's back as she looked down at him triumphantly. "But stealing my monsters and my spotlight is one thing. You even dared to try and steal my baseball bat? You've got some nerve! Hasn't anyone ever told you not to mess with me, Stelle?"
She turned her head and called out to a slightly stunned March 7th, "March! Quick! Take a picture for me! I've already thought of the title—'A Commemoration of Me, Stelle, Bravely Capturing the White-Haired Robber Kid'!"
"Huh? Oh, oh!" March 7th was startled for a moment, then a wry smile touched her lips. She raised her camera and pressed the shutter, capturing the rather dramatic scene.
The white-haired youth grunted from the ground, his voice strained. "I meant no harm! I wasn't trying to snatch your weapons! It's just that in a place like this—in Reiyuu—holding weapons is a blatant sign of provocation!"
He continued, his words rushed, "These soldiers are minions of the 'Conflict Titan'! They kill any outsiders on sight! If you continue fighting like this, it will only attract more and stronger soldiers! When that happens, the nearby civilians will suffer!"
"Innocent people?" March 7th had just lowered her camera. Hearing this, she looked around in confusion. The area had been completely empty just a moment ago. "Where are the innocent people?"
As if to confirm the white-haired youth's words, the faint, suppressed sounds of fearful sobbing and whispering drifted from the direction of the architectural complex they had just passed.
Near an arched doorway, several terrified faces peered out—there were women clutching infants, trembling elderly people, and a few children with pale, frightened faces. They were clearly terrified by the recent battle and the loud commotion, and now they were looking over with unconcealed fear.
Dan Heng's gaze swept over the civilians, his brows furrowing tightly. The youth's words were true. He looked at the white-haired boy still pinned to the ground by Stelle. "Even so, you could have informed us verbally, rather than using such an extreme method to try and disarm us. This only leads to unnecessary conflict."
"Exactly, exactly!" Stelle pressed down a little harder for emphasis. "So rude! Attacking us right out of the blue!"
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