"A whole day has passed?"
Fu Zhu was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the time flow in the space between Paths to differ so drastically from Jarilo-VI's. Subjectively, he felt only an hour or two had passed there.
"Where are Dan Heng and the others then?"
Gepard didn't answer immediately. He first directed the Silvermane Guards to halt the distribution of missing person posters, then pulled Fu Zhu aside to an empty corner before explaining what had happened after his disappearance.
"After you vanished, Mr. Dan Heng and the others confronted Lady Cocolia, believing she had 'betrayed' you again. Although I don't know exactly what they discussed, I received transfer orders last night.
Lady Cocolia recalled me from the front lines and ordered me to strengthen the defenses of Belobog and the front, to prevent any accidents. Then, Lady Cocolia took your companions, along with Lady Bronya and a young girl from the Underworld, towards the depths of the snowfields.
However, she didn't tell me the reason for their trip deep into the snowfields, and she forbade me from dispatching Silvermane Guards to accompany and protect them."
Deep within the snowfields?
Combining this with previous intelligence, Fu Zhu could guess their purpose in heading deep into the snowfields was the Stellaron.
But what he couldn't figure out was, given his sudden disappearance and Dan Heng and the others' anxiety, why would they choose to seek out the Stellaron without finding him first? Could it be they thought his disappearance was related to the Stellaron?
Considering this possibility, Fu Zhu didn't dare delay any longer. He had only witnessed a Stellaron within Xing, but that was in a sealed state. The power of an unsealed Stellaron was still unknown.
But judging by the Stellaron's reputation throughout the universe, it was definitely not something trivial.
If Dan Heng and the others rashly went looking for the Stellaron, danger was likely. He had to rendezvous with them as quickly as possible.
"Thanks, Gepard. I have to go now, I'm going to find Dan Heng and the others."
"Hey, wait, Fu Zhu, do you know..."
Before Gepard could say anything more, Fu Zhu turned and threw an Ender Pearl into the distance, his figure instantly vanishing from sight.
Although using an Ender Pearl hurt him every time, and the feeling wasn't pleasant, it was the fastest method of travel Fu Zhu could think of and utilize.
Thankfully, he possessed the blessing of Trailblaze Power; the life recovery effect was enough to fully restore the deducted health after multiple Ender Pearl uses with just a brief pause.
We MCs have our own breathing-based health regeneration method!
While throwing Ender Pearls to travel, Fu Zhu didn't forget to open his minimap and expand its display range to the maximum.
Only when Belobog behind him had shrunk to a small circle, its inhabitants' markers merging together, did Fu Zhu finally spot several clustered markers in the top right corner of the minimap.
The names indicated on those markers were indeed Dan Heng and the others he had lost contact with. But the situation didn't look good.
Fu Zhu noticed that amidst the group of green friendly markers, a red hostile marker was mixed in.
[Mother of Deception Cocolia (Stellaron)]
"That's not a good name at all..."
Fu Zhu had seen many entities with names in this format, but without exception, they were all bosses of some stage!
Now Fu Zhu didn't dare linger. The moment an Ender Pearl landed, he immediately threw another one forward, seeking only to reach his companions' side at the fastest possible speed.
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"Mother, wake up!"
On the snowfield, Bronya looked at Cocolia floating mid-air, completely controlled by the Stellaron, her heart filled with worry. Ignoring the stinging pain of the biting cold wind rushing into her throat, she desperately tried to awaken Cocolia.
Just moments ago, as Cocolia was about to lead everyone to the abandoned research institute buried deep underground, the Stellaron hidden there had seized the opportunity of her proximity to forcibly occupy her mind.
"It's useless."
The Stellaron looked down contemptuously at Bronya trying to wake Cocolia, sneering, "How long do you think I've been with Cocolia? Did you think all these years I only fed her empty promises, without ever worrying she might reject me?"
"Naive! So naive! I began secretly eroding Cocolia long ago! If that man hadn't been present earlier, you... would have been finished long ago!"
Before the Stellaron could finish speaking, Xing, her face grim, leaped high into the air, swinging her baseball bat directly at its head.
Startled by Xing's sudden attack, the Stellaron hastily dodged, flicking its finger to summon an ice spear and sweep her away.
However, in the next second, Dan Heng and March 7th attacked it simultaneously.
The Stellaron hurriedly controlled Cocolia's body to fly high into the air, distancing itself from the group, then condensed countless ice spears in the sky, raining them down on the people below.
Seele and Bronya quickly used their weapons to shatter the falling ice spears one by one, but the Stellaron's power seemed endless, the ice spears falling upon them incessantly.
Seele struggled to fend off the assault, frowning as she turned back to shout at Dan Heng and the others, "What now?! We can't get close to it like this!"
Xing didn't answer, merely maintaining her cold expression, recklessly charging towards the Stellaron through the hail of ice spears.
Seele was shocked and quickly yelled a warning, "Xing, don't be reckless! Dan Heng, March, stop her quickly!"
But when Seele turned her head, she found March 7th also approaching the Stellaron with a grim look, and even the usually composed Dan Heng had a hint of madness visible on his face now.
Is Fu Zhu really that important to them? Even Dan Heng is like this...
Seele sighed helplessly in her heart. She could understand the feelings of the three. If it were her, hearing the Stellaron personally admit to killing her companion, she would likely be just as enraged.
Seele pressed her lips together silently, the speed of her scythe increasing slightly. Fu Zhu had helped the Underworld so much.
At the very least, she had to contribute to avenging Fu Zhu!
Seeing that it couldn't take down these Nameless quickly even under full assault, the Stellaron grew somewhat anxious.
After all, Fu Zhu hadn't actually been killed by it. Although he had suddenly disappeared, he could potentially reappear.
If he returned, its chances of victory would be even lower!
It had to eliminate these people quickly, or at least kill the girl who had sealed its kin within her body!
Once it freed its kin and devoured it, it would have a chance against the returning Fu Zhu!
With this thought, the Stellaron drew the Guardian Lance that Cocolia carried, infused its power into it, and then raised it high.
"In the name of the Great Guardian, I command you to rise, Creation Engine!"
A giant hand broke through the snow layer, but the next second, it suddenly stopped moving.
"Hmm? Creation Engine, move!"