I am a star...

I just escaped from Cribborg Castle, and a large group of Silvermane Iron Guards are chasing me.

But I wasn't worried at all, because their horses—no, their legs—couldn't outrun me...

Why do I run so fast?

Um...

yes.

Why?

Why does this scene look so familiar?

Why am I so confident?

Oh~

It turns out I've already gone through this once.

As a newcomer, this first exploration trip was... absolutely terrible. —Excerpt from Xingmei's first exploration mission diary.

...

They chased, they fled, and with the departure of the people from the lower districts and the pursuit of the Silvermane Iron Guards, the vast Crippleburg suddenly became somewhat deserted.

As the smoke cleared, Cocolia's beautiful eyes subtly shifted in emotion. Her gaze fell upon the man below, and her cool voice slowly rang out:

"There's also a not-so-bright turtle trapped in a jar."

"?"

"What did you say?" Zhou Xiao met Cocolia's gaze, his eyes showing no fear.

He didn't take advantage of the chaos to escape with Dan Heng and the others; instead, he simply stood still in place.

Instead of running away and waiting for an opportunity to find the star core, why not just "interrogate" Cocolia properly here?

Since negotiations have failed, the use of force is inevitable. If the enemy refuses to cooperate, then we'll force them to cooperate...

"Where is the star core located?" Zhou Xiao asked.

"?"

Hearing Zhou Xiao's blunt question, Cocolia sneered:

"Even if you knew the location of the Star Core, what difference would it make? The power of the Star Core is beyond your imagination. Outsiders... you, the Variables, will be buried under this storm, just like the legions that invaded Beloberg centuries ago, becoming the cornerstone of the new world..."

Swish—

Before Cocolia could finish speaking, an invisible blade swept past her curvaceous body at incredible speed, a strand of her hair drifting down. To Cocolia's astonishment, the wind blade ultimately intercepted and severed a white pillar.

“Unlike them, I don’t have the patience to listen to your nonsense… I’ll ask one more time… Where is the star core?”

Zhou Xiao's left hand was already on the black and white hilt of the sword, his index and middle fingers tapping rhythmically on the hilt, as if if Cocolia were to say anything more nonsense, it wouldn't just be a warning from the wind blade.

"Outsider...are you threatening me? I admit you have some strength, but only some...you can't fight against the New World..."

now.

Cocolia hadn't realized the seriousness of the problem. She didn't seem to take Zhou Xiao seriously. In her eyes, Zhou Xiao's strength was the same as those extraterrestrial visitors who wanted to change the new world.

Swish—

Zhou Xiao drew his sword.

The single-slash strike, like an eagle, hurtled towards Cocolia. This time, he didn't deliberately dodge, but attacked straight ahead.

"Great Guardian!" Jepard, who had returned to Creeperburg after hearing the commotion, witnessed the scene. He saw his weapon, which had been modified from a violin case, charging towards him.

The strange weapon's internal force field protection device activated, and the massive ice shield formed by the burst of destiny power managed to block Zhou Xiao's casual attack as much as possible.

Jepard...

Upon seeing the Silvermane Iron Guard's officers arrive to protect her, Cocolia's gaze fell upon Zhou Xiao:

"Didn't you want to know where the Star Core is? I'm leaving here now and taking Bronya to its location. If you can catch up, then come on."

It was clear that she still hadn't given up on her daughter Bronya, so she wanted to personally take Bronya to witness the awe-inspiring power of the Star Core... to completely destroy Bronya's last remaining hope, and to embrace the New World in the name of the Mother of the New World.

"Jepard, I command you... to stop him." Cocolia, who was already half-mad, gave Jepard another order.

"Yes... Lord Great Guardian."

Jepard obeyed Cocolia's orders and fixed his gaze on Zhou Xiao.

Watching Cocolia leave, Zhou Xiao didn't linger and prepared to follow, but before he could go out, Jepard, that stubborn guy, stopped him.

"With me here today... you won't catch up with the Great Guardian." Jepard, known as the Iron Wall of Beloborg, stared intently at Zhou Xiao with a resolute expression.

"Oh? So you're very confident?" Zhou Xiao flexed his wrists, his calm eyes scanning Jepard up and down.

He didn't understand what Langdao bloodline flowed through Jepard's veins. Based on the vague memories in his mind, his image of Jepard was that of an outstanding warrior, a respectable Commander Beloberg who fought against the invasion of the Rift creatures...

That's all...

“Confidence is not the answer... I will do everything in my power to stop you.” Jepard, with his blond hair and armor that gave him a classic knightly air, spoke with a serious expression.

Zhou Xiao, who was sitting opposite him, was in a hurry and nodded when he saw his expression.

The power of the Gale Force within his body continuously overflowed, and the surrounding airflow seemed to be drawn together and gathered on Zhou Xiao's arm. The longsword imbued with the power of the Gale Force hummed, like a wild beast letting out a low growl of attack.

Jepard, who was not far away, suddenly felt that Zhou Xiao's demeanor had changed, and an unnamed sense of oppression made him gather all his strength.

This will, forged by ice and snow, will never end!

Jepard gathered all his strength in one hand, a deep blue ice dot forming in his palm, and then slammed it into the ground. In an instant, extreme cold erupted, and countless solid ice crystals, like ever-rising mountains, filled their vision, freezing half of the Cripple Castle palace, including the exit.

Shocking!

An indescribable shock.

An ice shield covered in solid ice blocked Zhou Xiao and Jepard. This was Beloberg's strongest "iron wall," the last gate protecting Beloberg.

"Tsk..."

Zhou Xiao drew his longsword once again, without any dazzling special effects or a flashy prelude.

That's everything...

An ordinary, simple strike.

What would be the result of the blade aura unleashed by the longsword, which gathers the power of the gale, facing the hardest iron wall of Beloberg?

The strongest spear meets the strongest shield?

No...

No.

There was no evenly matched contest as one might have imagined; instead, there was only a silent, swift defeat.

The seemingly indestructible ice shield was sliced ​​to pieces by Zhou Xiao's blade energy as easily as paper, turning into countless tiny ice shards that fell to the ground.

...

Perhaps in Jepard's eyes, he had just blocked Zhou Xiao's slash, so he could try to fight Zhou Xiao. But what he didn't know was that the slash he blocked with all his might was just a casual test from Zhou Xiao.