HSR: Getting Chased! [20]

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Clang!

The Silvermane Guard’s axe collided with the weapon of a Rift creature, sending sparks flying. The seasoned Guard quickly brought the creature down with his axe, but no sooner had he slain one than more were upon him. The second squad was slowly being overwhelmed, their already fragile line crumbling as more Rift creatures broke through, pushing deeper into the rear ranks.

“We’re not going to last much longer!!”

A Silvermane officer gritted his teeth, locked in a struggle with a massive Rift creature. He soon found himself overpowered, his axe shattered, and he was left defenseless as the hulking creature advanced on him.

Sigh…

As death approached, the officer began to reflect on his life, but found little to reminisce about. His whole life had been spent defending Belobog. He had no wife, no children—there was nothing to look back on but duty and sacrifice...

Crack...

Just as the officer prepared to meet his end, a sharp sound like glass shattering echoed in his mind.

“Made it in time!” March 7th’s excited voice rang out.

“Clear the enemies! Let’s help the Silvermane Guards retreat,” Dan Heng commanded after taking stock of the situation. Seeing the second squad’s line disintegrating under the assault, he acted decisively.

“Stelle, protect March!”

“Got it!”

The four Trailblazers sprang into action, quickly turning the tide of battle.

Dan Heng’s spear moved like a dragon through the Rift creatures, swift and deadly. March 7th’s ice shields followed close behind, enveloping him in protection.

Swoosh!

His spear cut through the air like a gleaming spike, creating a wide space cleared of enemies. Every Rift creature within his range was mercilessly slain.

Crack... crack...

March 7th’s arrows pierced the Rift creatures, and freezing cold erupted from the shafts, turning those hit into statues of ice.

“Haa!”

Stelle stood near March 7th, wielding her bat defensively. Within a ten-meter radius of March, no Rift creature could get past her. And even if one did, it would meet March’s impenetrable ice shield.

"This might hurt a bit. Bear with it," Cava muttered as he jabbed a lightning needle into a heavily injured Silvermane Guard. The power of Abundance flowed through the soldier’s body, mending his wounds.

Crack!

“Ugh…”

The Guard gritted his teeth as Cava set a broken bone back into place, sweat pouring down his face, but he nodded in gratitude.

“Take your men and fall back,” Cava ordered. “Tell your commander that we’ll retreat shortly—she should prepare defenses.”

With a wave of his hand, the lightning needles in the remaining soldiers dissipated into thin air. The Guards, now partially healed, had enough strength to return to their posts. They quickly began retreating toward their camp.

“Now all we need to do is buy them some time,” Cava remarked, his eyes cold as winter. He sent a barrage of lightning needles into the nearby Rift creatures. Each one struck with pinpoint precision, leaving the creatures paralyzed, ripe for March 7th or Dan Heng to finish off.

What had seemed an insurmountable challenge for the Silvermane Guards was now easily handled by the Trailblazers. Rift creatures fell one after another like wheat before a scythe, astonishing the remaining soldiers. In the Silvermane Guard, only Commander Jepard could fight with such strength. Yet these four fought as if they were his equals.

Realizing they needed to report this, the Guards hastily retreated to deliver the news to Bronya.

“They’re gone,” Dan Heng observed, effortlessly dispatching another Rift creature.

“Good, if they’d stayed, they would’ve only gotten in the way.”

Cava sent a lightning needle whizzing past Stelle’s hair, pinning a Rift creature to the ground before it could launch a sneak attack.

“Take that!” Stelle swiftly followed up, smashing the creature’s head like a watermelon with her bat.

“...”

Dan Heng stood quietly, spear planted in the ground, as he surveyed the remaining Rift creatures. His expression was cold and intimidating, exuding an aura of imminent danger.

Sensing that something wasn’t right, the remaining Rift creatures abruptly halted their assault. Without warning, they began retreating, disappearing back into the deeper part of the street.

“That’s it? I thought these monsters were tougher. What a letdown!” March 7th grumbled, clearly unsatisfied with the battle’s quick end.

“March, don’t underestimate them,” Dan Heng warned. “Their target wasn’t us, so they pulled back.”

He retracted his spear, explaining further, “The Fragmentum has been present on Jarilo-VI for a long time. There’s bound to be a leader among these Rift creatures. I don’t know why the Guards were attacking this specific area, but it must be connected to the Stellaron.”

March 7th nodded in understanding as she looked over to Stelle, who seemed distracted, standing still with a confused expression.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Cava, come quick!”

Seeing that Stelle didn’t look well, March 7th immediately called out to Cava, the group’s healer.

“I’m fine, March,” Stelle reassured her. “I just… heard something strange, that’s all.”

Rubbing her temples, Stelle tried to shake off the discomfort.

"Feeling dizzy?" Cava stepped up, examining her closely. Though he was puzzled, he wasted no time. Rolling up Stelle’s sleeve, he jabbed a needle into the acupoint on her hand.

Gradually, Stelle’s face relaxed. Seeing this, Cava removed the needle.

“Thanks, I feel much better now,” Stelle said with a shy smile, touching the spot where Cava had held her hand.

“No problem. We’re family, after all,” Cava replied with a casual wave. In his eyes, Stelle still seemed a bit shy—nothing like the Stellaron-wielding chaos bringer he had in mind.

Still, Cava made a mental note: if she tried rummaging through a trash can later, he would be sure to use his “lightning needle” to treat her “trash can syndrome” properly.

Her “foster mother” and “real mother” would likely thank him for it, too!

As the group made their way through Belobog, Cava suddenly felt reality start to blur. Before he could shout a warning to the others, a mysterious force yanked him out of their current world.

“...”

Staring at the floating system screen before him, Cava was left in shock and exasperation.

"Seriously? You couldn’t just pause time if you needed to summon me? You have to use all this flashy nonsense?" He muttered, rubbing his aching forehead.

The system didn’t respond to his complaints. Instead, it displayed the latest patch notes.

"Dear Trailblazers, we have implemented a hotfix patch for version 1.0 to address the following issues:

• Corrected various text errors. We appreciate all your feedback in helping us improve the game.

• Adjusted the balance for the character ‘Cava’ regarding his Stellaron abilities 'Cold' and 'Damp.'

Stellaron - Cold: Previous effect: Gained two skill points when using the ultimate; Changed to: Gains one skill point when using the ultimate.

Stellaron - Damp: Previous effect: Restores 30% HP to all allies when Cava’s HP falls below 10%; Changed to: Restores 30% HP to all allies the first time Cava’s HP falls below 10%.

Thank you for your support! For further discussion, join our official QQ group: 892330373."

Cava: “...”

“Wait, what? You approved the character design, and now you’re nerfing me?”

The screen flickered again, showing a new message.

"A hidden reward has been granted to character [Cava]. We hope Cava continues to improve the player experience in future gameplay."

“Alright, alright! Thanks, boss! I’ll get back to work!” Cava beamed with joy at the reward, quickly switching to flattery.

After the patch was applied, he was booted out of the system space.

“Hmm? Cava, why are you smiling?” March 7th asked, noticing the grin on his face.

“Huh? Was I smiling? Maybe it’s just the cold. Let me give myself a needle to fix that.”

Feigning confusion, Cava conjured a lightning needle and jabbed it into his own cheek.

“Is that... how Xianzhou medicine works?” Stelle looked at him, completely baffled.

“Hmm... Xianzhou medicine truly is something,” Dan Heng remarked, shaking his head.