The sound of footsteps echoed against the metallic floor as the group advanced cautiously.
The air carried a faint scent of rust and dust, with a subtle undertone of something else… something rancid.
Aleph rested his ice bat on his shoulder, his eyes scanning the area attentively.
It seemed this wasn't over yet.
A dry, grating noise caught his attention.
A revived soldier stumbled out from between the containers, his body twitching like a broken puppet struggling to move forward. Two more followed, dragging their feet with rigid movements, their faces completely obscured behind visors overgrown with golden roots.
"Tch…" Aleph clicked his tongue and spun his bat, the ice on its surface letting out a faint crack as a burst of frost engulfed the nearest Mara-possessed soldier.
"If they get up, we'll knock them back down."
The Mara soldiers didn't respond. They simply charged at them with incredible speed.
Welt raised his staff, lifting one of the soldiers with his gravitational control before violently slamming him into a container. Stelle effortlessly dodged another and struck its torso with her bat, sending it crashing to the ground with a dull thud.
Aleph grinned and pushed forward, sliding across the floor as he activated Zio.
He discharged the accumulated electricity in his bat onto one of the soldiers, making it convulse before finishing it off with a direct hit to the skull.
March 7th fired a series of ice arrows, stopping those attempting to flank them.
"How many more of these are we gonna run into?" she asked, a mix of frustration and exhaustion in her voice.
"Who knows," Welt replied, knocking several down at once.
The battle didn't last much longer. One by one, the remaining Mara soldiers fell until silence once again took over the port.
Aleph took a deep breath and dusted off his shoulders.
"Well, that was fun."
March 7th shot him a tired look.
"'Fun'?"
"Oh, come on, nothing like starting the day with a good exp farming session."
"…Aleph, this isn't a video game."
"…If I pretend it is, it'll be way less boring."
Before she could reply, a voice rang out not far from their position.
"Miss Tingyun, fall back!"
The group reacted immediately.
"It's coming from below," March 7th noted.
Wasting no time, they rushed down the metal stairs leading to a lower level of the port.
Once they reached the bottom, the scene became clear.
Three Nimbus Knights had formed a small defensive circle, protecting a woman with dark brown hair and fox-like ears. Her long, fluffy tail swayed slightly as she observed the situation with apparent calm.
Aleph blinked a couple of times.
His eyes locked onto those ears and that tail.
He swallowed hard as his gaze fixated on them.
His mind took a few seconds to process before his thoughts slipped out as a murmur.
"…They look incredibly fluffy."
His hand made an absent-minded motion in the air, as if petting something.
March 7th stared at him in disbelief before clicking her tongue and pulling his ear.
"That's what you're focusing on right now?"
Aleph winced, rubbing his ear.
"Hey, not fair! Stelle's doing the same thing, and you're not saying anything to her."
March 7th turned her head to look at Stelle.
Stelle stood there with a calm expression.
When March 7th looked back at Aleph, Stelle seized the moment to stick out her tongue and silently mouth something.
No words came out, but Aleph understood exactly what she meant.
Slow.
Aleph narrowed his eyes and shot her a betrayed look.
Ignoring the exchange between the three, Tingyun gave them a smile.
"Please, could you lend us a hand?" Her voice was soft, almost melodic. Once again, Aleph found himself swallowing hard under March 7th's accusatory stare. "We can't hold out much longer."
Aleph shoved aside Stelle's betrayal and focused on what mattered.
"Time for action!"
Without waiting for an order, he charged straight into the battle.
Stelle followed immediately, bat at the ready.
"Hey, what happened to counting to three?" March 7th grumbled before drawing her bow and joining in.
Welt sighed and stepped forward as well.
"Why do we never get to say the dramatic line?" March 7th muttered.
But there was no time to complain.
The Mara soldiers were closing in.
And the battle began once more.
....
The Nimbus Knights were surrounded, yet they continued to fight persistently to protect Tingyun.
Aleph struck one of them with a Zio-enhanced attack. Electricity coursed through its body before his bat sent it crashing into a container. The soldier twitched for a few seconds before falling lifeless.
Stelle moved beside him, spinning her bat in the air before slamming it into another soldier's legs, making it drop to its knees. Before it could recover, she finished it off with a downward strike.
March 7th fired a barrage of ice arrows, freezing two enemies in place and leaving them vulnerable for Welt to destroy in one swift move, ensuring they wouldn't rise a second time.
One by one, the Mara-possessed soldiers fell until the last one collapsed with a dull thud.
Aleph dissolved his bat and cracked his knuckles. He kept his face as expressionless as possible as he saw the level-up notification.
One of the Nimbus Knights lowered his weapon and turned to Tingyun.
"Miss Tingyun, although the Mara-possessed have been defeated, the situation remains dangerous. We must escort you to the Sky-Faring Commission immediately."
Tingyun nodded with a calm expression.
"I understand, I understand. I don't want to cause you trouble. But it would be rude to leave without first thanking our benefactors."
She turned to the group with a gentle smile.
"My name is Tingyun. I'm the Aero-Ambaassador of the Luofu's Sky-Faring Commission's Merchant Guild. May I ask for your illustrious names?"
March 7th stepped forward to introduce them.
But Aleph was faster.
Before she could speak, he placed a hand over her mouth and introduced them with a grin.
"My friend here is Pinkie Pie," he said under March 7th's incredulous stare. Then he pointed at Welt. "That guy over there is Ned Flanders."
Welt raised an eyebrow at him.
March 7th tried to protest, but Aleph increased the pressure on her mouth, keeping her from speaking.
Then, he took a step forward, hands on his waist, head held high with pride. For some reason, Stelle did the same.
"I am Max Power."
"You can call me Galactic Bat."
Tingyun covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a small giggle.
"Such heroic names."
March 7th looked at Aleph and Stelle, then let out a sigh full of resignation.
"My name is March 7th, and this is Mr. Yang… I mean, Mr. Welt Yang."
Aleph shot her a look of disappointment.
"You fool! You wasted our chance to use cool pseudonyms!"
Stelle mumbled with a pout.
"You ruined the legend of Galactic Bat…"
March 7th shrugged with an innocent expression.
"You should've told me before I said our names."
Tingyun gave them an amused smile.
But her tone grew slightly more serious.
"I appreciate your help, but there's something I don't understand."
Her sharp eyes settled on them.
"The Star-Skiff Haven is closed. I know because my ship was the last to enter before the Sky-Faring Commission locked it down. None of you seem to be Xianzhou natives. So how did you get here?"
The smile disappeared from her face.
"If you don't have a reasonable answer, I'm afraid the Nimbus Knights will have to escort you."
Welt stepped forward and spoke calmly.
"We requested a connection to the port. At first, there was no response, but then the Jade Gate suddenly opened. When we entered, there was no one to receive us. We had no choice but to proceed on our own."
Tingyun narrowed her eyes.
"You can check the Jade Gate's access logs for yourself. We're telling the truth. We also found it strange."
Tingyun sighed and shook her head.
"You're from the Astral Express?"
Welt looked at her, crossing his arms.
"You know of us?"
"I've heard of you. Unfortunately, you've arrived at a bad time. Unforeseen events have occurred in Xianzhou."
She regarded them with a softer expression.
"Whether you're here for tourism, work, or medical treatment, there's nothing you can do right now. For your safety, you should head to the central zone of the Star-Skiff Haven for shelter. We'll take you to Lady Yukong—she will decide how to proceed."
"We've heard about the incident you mentioned. We came to Xianzhou to help seal the Stellaron."
Tingyun looked at them again with a smile.
"Your actions are enough to reveal your kind intentions… Unfortunately, I can't make any promises. Only Lady Yukong has the authority to consider your offer."
March 7th puffed out her cheeks.
"But we came to help!"
Tingyun motioned for them to follow.
But just before moving forward, she stopped and smiled again.
"Before we continue… could you do me a small favor?"
March 7th crossed her arms with a pout.
"Don't count on me. If we mess up, you'll send the Nimbus Knights after us."
Tingyun chuckled softly.
"Nothing like that. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable earlier, but don't take it personally. You see, the path is blocked. The soldiers used the cargo containers to create a barricade."
She gestured toward an area where large containers blocked the way.
"But there are three control panels that activate the cranes, which can move the containers."
March 7th sighed.
"Let me guess… you want us to do it?"
Tingyun smiled innocently.
"We couldn't do it on our own—we're quite exhausted. But you could! Sounds easy, right?"
Aleph sighed and looked at the others.
"I guess we don't have a choice."
Tingyun motioned toward the direction of the panels.
"Once you clear the way, a ship will take us to the Star-Skiff Haven."
....
"Alright, let's clear this path."
But just as they were about to move…
A guttural sound interrupted the conversation.
From between the containers, more Mara-possessed soldiers began to appear.
March 7th huffed and raised her bow.
"Why does this always happen?"
Aleph sighed in annoyance as Zio crackled around his bat.
"Well, we wouldn't want the day to get boring, would we?"
The Mara soldiers roared and charged at them.
**************
The soldiers possessed by Mara charged swiftly, their erratic and spasmodic movements contrasting with the speed at which they approached.
Aleph spun his bat, letting Zio's electric current spread across its surface before launching himself into the attack.
Stelle wasted no time, advancing alongside him and striking the first soldier with an upward swing, sending them flying before finishing them off with a downward strike.
March 7th fired a burst of ice, freezing the ground beneath several enemies to hinder their advance.
Welt raised his staff, and a gravitational wave slammed several soldiers against the containers with a metallic crash.
But the soldiers didn't stop.
Even those who had already been knocked down got back up again.
Aleph clicked his tongue as he struck one of the revived soldiers hard, sending them crashing into another.
"These bastards have more endurance than they should."
Using Bufula, he froze the ground so they would slip and be easier to knock down.
March 7th dodged a soldier's attack and froze them with another burst of ice before shattering them with a reinforced arrow.
"As long as we can break them, it doesn't matter how many times they try to get up!"
There was a tic in her eye, and her smile felt a bit forced. Aleph glanced at her once more before looking away, pretending he hadn't seen anything.
Better that than dealing with an angry woman.
Stelle spun on her axis and took down two more with a powerful sweep.
Aleph let out a whistle—that had been a really good hit.
With a fluid movement, he activated Bufula again and charged at another soldier, striking them in the torso with his frozen bat.
The enemy froze upon impact before being sent crashing into the ground with a dry crunch, shattering into pieces.
One by one, they fell until the last soldier lay motionless.
Aleph took a deep breath and looked around.
"Well, that was a hassle."
March 7th lowered her bow and sighed.
"They always have to interrupt us, huh?"
"At least they're not very smart."
Stelle had already moved to the nearest control panel.
With a click, she activated the crane, and the first containers began to move, clearing part of the path.
The massive metal blocks slid with a rumble, revealing a new open route.
Welt adjusted his glasses.
"One down, two to go."
Wasting no time, they continued forward.
The air remained thick with that stale, metallic scent.
Aleph frowned—it felt like something was watching them.
And then, they saw it.
A revived soldier possessed by Mara... but different.
He was bulkier than the others, his body almost entirely covered in thick roots and golden flowers.
Some sprouted from the left side of his visor, others from his chest.
He held a massive shield, also covered in the same vegetation.
In his other hand, a long spear, entwined with roots and near its tip, golden flowers.
His stance was firm.
He didn't tremble in the slightest.
Aleph narrowed his eyes.
"That thing is different from the others."
March 7th swallowed hard.
"…I hate it when enemies evolve."
With brutal speed, he raised his spear and hurled it straight at them.
Aleph and Stelle quickly dodged as the weapon embedded itself into a container with a loud crash.
The enemy charged forward with his shield raised, heading straight for Welt.
The impact was so strong that the shockwave pushed everyone back.
Welt maintained his balance as if nothing had happened.
March 7th fired an ice arrow, but the shield blocked the attack with ease.
Aleph clicked his tongue.
"Great, looks like we have a tank."
The soldier spun his spear in one motion before launching another attack.
Aleph activated Bufula and slid to the side, striking the enemy's leg with force.
The impact made him stagger but didn't bring him down.
Stelle attacked from the other side, hitting the shield with all her strength.
A slight crack formed, but the soldier barely reacted.
"We need to get rid of that shield first," Welt said, preparing another attack.
Aleph nodded.
"Bufula!"
At his command, ice spread from the remnants scattered across the battlefield, four spikes rising close to the soldier.
He managed to dodge two, but at the cost of losing an arm and his shield.
Welt raised his staff, and the Disciple of Sanctus lifted a few inches off the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Stelle and March 7th attacked simultaneously.
A reinforced ice arrow to freeze and weaken, and a devastating strike to finish the job.
The Soldier fell to the ground.
But before he could react…
Aleph and Stelle attacked together.
Two direct hits.
With a sharp crack, the armor protecting him, along with most of the plants, flowers, and roots, was destroyed.
The Soldier staggered.
Welt took the chance and crushed him.
Aleph jumped and delivered one final blow to his head.
The enemy's body remained motionless for a moment before it began to crumble into golden dust.
The group breathed heavily.
March 7th looked at the remains with a disgusted expression.
"Please, let these things not be common."
Aleph stretched.
"Alright, let's activate the second panel before more show up."
Stelle was already on it.
With another click, the second group of containers moved.
"Two out of three," Aleph murmured.
The group advanced to the third panel.
This time, there were no interruptions.
They activated it without issue, completely clearing the path.
Finally, they reached where Tingyun was waiting for them.
In front of them was a ship that looked similar to a speedboat.
Tingyun sighed as she rubbed her tail. Aleph couldn't help but stare until March 7th snapped him out of his daze with an elbow to the ribs.
"This trip has been exhausting… I've even lost hairs from my precious tail."
Aleph murmured.
"…Tragedy."
March 7th gave him a disapproving look.
Aleph raised his hands in defense.
"Hey, any loss of something is a tragedy for the one who loses it!"
Tingyun smiled in amusement.
"Well, we've arrived. This ship will take us to the Astral Skiff Dock."
Aleph narrowed his eyes, inspecting the ship.
"Does anyone here have a license to drive this thing?"
Tingyun smiled confidently, patting her chest.
"An Aeroambassador must know how to pilot an Astral Skiff. Don't worry."
March 7th swallowed hard and leaned toward Aleph.
"…I wasn't worried until I saw that 'I've got everything under control' face."
Aleph nodded, remembering several times he'd been in similar situations.
Ugh. How could someone who calls themselves a master of cooking create such insults to good taste?
His body shuddered at the traumatic memory.
Tingyun made an elegant gesture toward the ship.
"All aboard. We'll be departing shortly."
March 7th looked at Aleph.
"...I'm leaving my room and my stuff to Pom-Pom."