"What a handsome young man~ Hehe, even an old sister like me feels a little moved." Natasha covered her mouth with a light laugh, her gaze lingering on Yun Fan. After so many years in the Underworld, this was the first time she had seen a man with such overwhelmingly good looks.
"Hmm? Seele, what's wrong with you...?" While everyone was examining the unconscious Yun Fan, Natasha noticed that Seele beside her seemed... off. As if she was... trembling? Huh? Since when does Seele get scared?
"Lu—Luka..." Seele gritted her silver teeth before finally spitting out Luka's name. "You idiot, you've really done it this time!"
With that, Seele summoned her weapon and pointed it at Yun Fan on the ground. However, Yun Fan was no longer there.
"Where'd he go?" Luka stared blankly at the spot where Yun Fan had been just moments ago. How could such a big, living person just vanish into thin air?
"Impressive skills." Natasha seemed to sense something and looked up toward Oleg's office. There, the black-haired man was now sitting in Oleg's chair, flipping through some of Wildfire's important documents.
"You flatter me, Ms. Natasha." Yun Fan casually tossed the notebook aside, then interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them, smiling at the four high-ranking members of Wildfire before him.
"Hehe, it seems our guest is no ordinary person. I assume getting knocked out by Luka was intentional on your part? May I ask your purpose here?" Natasha crossed her arms, watching Yun Fan warily. If this man could evade their notice so effortlessly and make his way to Oleg's desk, then any malicious intent he harbored toward them or Wildfire would be beyond their ability to resist.
"'Our guest' sounds a bit too formal. Just call me Yun Fan." Yun Fan shook his head slightly.
Hearing this, Seele's lips twitched. This guy really has no sense of boundaries, acting like we're already familiar with him. Right now, she really wanted to slash him with her scythe, but after recalling his bizarre abilities, she quietly suppressed the thought.
...This was tactical retreat. Definitely not her chickening out.
"Then, Mr. Yun Fan, what brings you to Wildfire?"
———
"Oleg, do you believe what he said?" After watching Yun Fan leave, Natasha gently stroked her chin and asked Oleg in a serious tone.
"Natasha, I regret to say that I have no way of verifying the truth of his words." Oleg's weathered face showed a trace of regret. Everything Yun Fan had just said—about the Stellaron, about saving Belobog—sounded utterly fantastical to him.
"I actually think he has no reason to lie to us. Or rather, Wildfire holds no special value to him." The one who spoke was Seele, her gaze unfathomable, as if she was wrestling with something.
"What makes you say that?"
"That guy... he's the one who took out those vagrants."
Seele's words sent a visible shock through everyone present. Luka, who had returned later and was unaware of the incident with the vagrants, was the only one who remained unaffected.
Natasha fell silent for a moment, her eyes flickering slightly. If what Seele said was true, then Yun Fan likely possessed strength that rendered Wildfire insignificant in his eyes. In that case, he truly had no reason to deceive them.
"We cannot take his words at face value, nor can we dismiss them entirely. As for this 'Stellaron,' we'll need to investigate further."
"But where would we even look?" Seele couldn't help but interject. Natasha and Oleg were already the most knowledgeable people in the Underworld. If they didn't know about it, who else would?
"There is one person who might be able to help us." Natasha seemed thoughtful. Seeing her expression, Oleg seemed to realize something as well.
"Natasha, are you talking about... Svarog?"
———
"Phew~ That was close! Those fans were way too enthusiastic—I almost didn't make it out!"
In a dim alley of Boulder Town, March 7th cautiously peeked out. Only after confirming that the swarm of rabid fans was gone did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Hehe, Dan Heng, how does it feel to be the center of attention? Your fans were calling you Cold-Dragon Young' you know~" March 7th poked Dan Heng's side teasingly.
"...I'm slightly exhausted." Dan Heng rubbed his temples, looking thoroughly drained.
Stelle: "..."
March 7th: "..."
The two girls exchanged a glance, thinking the same thing: Damn it, he just had to make it sound cool!
Beep beep beep— Just as they were silently griping, March 7th's phone suddenly rang. After glancing at the message, her expression shifted slightly.
"What's wrong? Did Yun Fan say something?" Stelle asked, confused.
"No, not Yun Fan." March 7th shook her head. "It's a message from Mr. Yang."
"Mr. Yang says a Stellaron Hunter is heading toward Jarilo-VI. Just now, they passed right by the Astral Express."
"A Stellaron Hunter?!" Dan Heng's face darkened. The image of Blade—wielding his shattered sword, tearing through Cloud Knights—resurfaced in his mind.
"Did Mr. Yang say which Stellaron Hunter it was?" Dan Heng pressed urgently. Though he already had a strong suspicion that it was Yingxing—now Blade—some part of him still clung to a sliver of hope.
It wasn't that he feared Yingxing or Blade. Now that he had reclaimed the power of the Imbibitor Lunae, there were few in the universe who could rival him. The issue was... he didn't know how to face Yingxing. Or rather, right now, he was Dan Heng—not Dan Feng.
"Uh, let me check... Stellaron Hunter—Blade. Bounty: 8.1 billion and 30 million?! Whoa, this guy's worth that much?! Stelle, let's team up and catch him! 8.1 billion—we'd be set for life!" March 7th's eyes sparkled, practically turning into credit symbols.
"Yeah! Let's catch him and claim the bounty!" Stelle raised her baseball bat, fired up. It was as if Blade wasn't a deadly assassin but a walking gold mine.
"Don't get ahead of yourselves." Dan Heng sighed, cutting off their fantasies.
"He's not someone to be taken lightly. Though I've never seen him fight at full strength, if he were to unleash his full power, he could likely destroy an entire planet."
"Huh?! He's... that strong?" March 7th scratched her head awkwardly. "Then... never mind..."