Caelus looked around and saw that at some unknown time, a dense crowd had gathered outside the door, surrounding him. The leading figures were particularly familiar.
"He's one of those foreign lackeys! Right now, his companions are still running rampant in Belobog!" Cocolia declared indignantly.
The Silvermane Guards and the Underworld's Wildfire members behind her seemed to give her immense strength, allowing her to wave her hand angrily. "Belobog will never surrender, let alone lose to this group of shameful thieves!"
"Alright, stop putting on an act." A purple-haired woman standing nearby was completely unmoved by Cocolia's impassioned speech and spat disdainfully. "Watching you grandstand makes me sick… Wildfire standing here has nothing to do with you. Our only goal is to protect our home—and after dealing with these guys, you're next!"
"Seele…"
"...Hmph, at most, I'll spare your life for Bronya's sake, just beat you half to death!"
Looking at the clingy Bronya and Seele, Caelus only found them noisy—how dare they show off their affection in front of him? Were they bullying him because his companions weren't around?! If Big Sis White Hair or Twilight were here… even Dan Heng wouldn't be unacceptable! If only he had a teammate, Caelus wouldn't have to endure this!
Unfortunately, he was all alone now. Even if he was provoked, he could only try to reason with the people opposite him…
"Everyone, why be so aggressive? We, the Express crew, are good people known throughout the galaxy…" The opponent had numbers and strength.
Caelus could only point at Cocolia. "She's the bad guy, and the Eternal Freeze that has ravaged your planet for hundreds of years was actually caused by these Supreme Guardians using the Stellaron from the very beginning!"
"Perhaps. After all, it's a fact that this person uses the power of that thing called the Stellaron." A woman with gray-blue hair and a distinct mature charm shook her head at him. "But that is ultimately Belobog's internal conflict… Even in a world surrounded by cold, we cannot hand over our only home to others. Don't worry, we just want to negotiate with your companions. If it's a misunderstanding, we will naturally let you leave."
They all sound so righteous. Why didn't I see them when Big Sis White Hair was around a couple of days ago… They just see him alone and easy to bully.
Although Caelus also believed that bullying the weak was efficient, the thing he hated most in his life was people who bullied the weak and feared the strong, especially when directed at him!
Sigh, but there were so many pretty big sisters on the other side… It felt like he had taken the wrong route, causing characters who could have been companions to all become enemies.
"We are not colonizers, we have no malicious intentions. We are just passing by and kindly wanted to help you solve the Stellaron crisis—"
"L-Liar! Hook personally saw you and that terrifying white woman rush into Clara's home a few days ago, and-and then kicked her big robot until it broke…"
"It wasn't broken, its arms and legs were just a little disassembled…"
Facing the accusation from the cute loli in the crowd, Caelus subconsciously retorted, but immediately realized the inappropriateness of his statement. Sure enough, the next moment, his words were like a huge stone thrown into water, causing countless waves!
"Too cruel! Daring to kick robots today, I don't even dare to think what he'll dare to kick tomorrow!"
"He doesn't look like a good person. No wonder he was sneakily poking around trash cans the other day…"
"I think the isolation between the Overworld and the Underworld might also be their conspiracy."
"The underpants Boss Oleg lost two days ago might have been stolen by him too—"
"You're talking nonsense!" Caelus raged.
Words could be fearsome weapons. Although Caelus hadn't read many books, he understood this principle. Therefore, when the people before him made wild speculations, Caelus was still relatively calm, thinking about how to refute them.
But after hearing that last pure slander, he really couldn't hold back anymore—these people could suspect his ill intentions and questionable character, but they absolutely could not insult his dignity!
He would rather die than touch an old man's underwear!
"Ah, he's getting flustered~ I think we hit the mark!"
"…Alright, alright. Since you want to fight, let's fight." Gritting his teeth, Caelus pulled out his baseball bat. Today, if he didn't beat these guys until their faces bloomed with blood, he wouldn't be called the Galaxy Baseball Bat Man!
"Hmph, showing your true colors." Cocolia sneered. "There's no need for chivalry against this kind of guy. Everyone, attack together!"
The Supreme Guardian lacks martial virtue, actually resorting to ganging up…
Looking at the approaching crowd, Caelus couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, wondering if he could hold them off—huh?
"Ha, hahaha…"
Caelus suddenly laughed, startling the surrounding people so much that their steps subconsciously slowed down, thinking this person had gone mad.
But Caelus ignored them, casually putting away his baseball bat, standing confidently with his hands behind his back, and pointing at a small robot by the roadside with a smile: "Today, I'll stand right here and won't move. If any of you can hurt even a single finger of mine, I'll eat this robot on the spot!"
Seeing Caelus's pretentious act, Seele's fiery temper flared up instantly. The thing she hated most in her life was this kind of pretentious trickster!
Without hesitation, she grabbed her weapon and was about to rush towards Caelus, but unexpectedly, a streak of light was faster than her. Before she could even take a step, it crashed into Caelus like a cannonball, sending up clouds of dust.
This scene froze everyone present, especially Seele. Looking at the force of the attack… if she had taken a few more steps and blocked its path, she probably would have been hit until only her head remained.
What terrible sins did this person commit to deserve being bombarded by a cannon…
"Twilight, Caelus, are you guys okay?!"
Accompanied by an anxious voice, March 7th rushed over with the rest of the Express crew. Seeing this, the faces of the Belobog joint forces gathered here immediately changed drastically.
No wonder this kid suddenly became so tough, his backup arrived…
If these guys wanted to control Belobog, shouldn't they be staying in the Overworld arguing with those nobles and representatives right now? Why did they arrive so quickly? Cocolia nearly ground her teeth to dust, but looking at the surrounding crowd, her spirits lifted again—the people of Belobog were on her side now!
"Everyone, don't be afraid, there are only six of them, and we still have the power of the Stellaron!" Cocolia raised her spear and roared, "Belobog never admits defeat!"
…
Three minutes later.
Caelus clutched his waist, which had almost been broken by Twilight's impact, and squatted beside Cocolia, who was lying on the ground, bruised and swollen.
"Do you yield?"
Speechless, Cocolia looked at the Upward Expeditionary Force, all lying on the ground in the same posture as her, completely wiped out, and sniffled.
She had failed the generations of struggling Supreme Guardians, failed Belobog's heritage passed down through generations, failed the people who trusted her, and failed the Stellaron—but the opponent was just too strong!
If they continued fighting, forget the new world promised by the Stellaron, it felt uncertain whether Belobog would even see tomorrow's sun…
"I yield." The proud and beautiful guardian shed tears of humiliation at this moment.
------
(Side Story Teaser)
2 months... for two months...
I can't… I can't do this anymore.
Finally admitting defeat? Took you long enough.
---|||---
"Seriously, what is her deal? Does she get off on this? Playing puppet master with my own damn hormones? Pretty sure the original Herrscher of Sentience wasn't this… dedicated to cheap thrills. This one's just a pervert with admin rights."
Lee rubbed her temples, marching down the hallway with grim determination. Tonight, the pest control began.
---|||---
"Are you sure about that?" a cheerful voice echoed only in Lee's head as she reached for a plain sleep shirt. "Kind of boring, don't you think? Especially for a… 'special occasion'?"
It's not a special occasion, Lee shot back internally. It's pest control.
"Right, right. Pest control." The mental voice practically giggled. "But even pest control can be done with a little style! Remember that black silky thing…?"
Lee slammed the closet door shut.
---|||---
"Ooh, bold move going with the classic 'I borrowed my giant boyfriend's shirt' look!" Original Lee's mental voice chirped as Lee pulled on the plain sleep shirt. "Very... understated. Trying to lower his expectations?"
Shut up, Lee thought, yanking the shirt down. Just shut up.
"Okay, okay! Just remember what I said about the vanilla moisturizer..."
Lee groaned aloud this time.
---|||---
He looked… clean. And undeniably nervous, despite the hopeful smile playing on his lips. As Kevin walked closer, his gaze fixed on her, he just… stopped.
Mid-stride. His hopeful smile faltered, replaced by a look of stunned silence.
"Wow," he breathed out, his voice low and sincere. "Lee… you look beautiful."
Huh? Lee blinked, thrown off balance. Beautiful? In this? Was he blind?
---|||---
"Sometimes… sometimes I wondered if maybe… this whole 'second personality' thing was just… you. The real you, I mean. Pretending. Like some kind of… new game you came up with?" Kevin asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Lee finally looked up, raising an eyebrow slightly. Game? Does he think this is fun for me? "It's not a game, Kevin."
He wishes! OL sounded smug inside Lee's head. If I were playing a game, he wouldn't be sitting there looking confused, trust me.
---|||---
"What about… her? My Lee? Is she… okay in there?" Kevin asked, his voice soft, serious.
Lee felt a flicker of irritation. She desperately wanted to say, 'Oh, she's fantastic. Having a grand old time watching me squirm, actually.'
Tell him! Tell him I'm enjoying the show!
Instead, Lee forced herself to give the sensible answer. "As far as I can tell… she's dormant. Not aware. Like being deeply asleep."
---|||---
"Can we… keep the lights off?" Lee finally asked, looking away.
Kevin blinked. "Off? All the way?"
She nodded quickly. "Yeah. Please… I'm… not used to this. It's easier… in the dark."
A wave of understanding washed over Kevin's face. Ah. Shy. Of course. "Okay, Lee," he said softly. "Lights off it is."
---||---