Chapter 36: The Vagrants Besiege Rocky Town

Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng returned to the Underworld.

As soon as they stepped out of the portal, they encountered Clara walking toward them. Since the portal was located inside her home, Clara had spent the previous night there rather than on the Astral Express. She was clutching a thick, heavy textbook as she approached the portal.

"Big Brother Dan Heng, Big Sister March 7th, and Big Sister Stelle, good morning!"

March 7th waved back. "Good morning, Clara! Where are you headed?"

Clara shook the textbook in her arms. "I'm going to find Mr. Welt to study. He lent me this book, but there are a few parts I don't quite understand, so I wanted to ask him about them."

March 7th couldn't help but admire Clara; if she had to read such a thick book, her head would surely explode. "You might be a little early, though. When we just came over, it seemed like Mr. Yang hadn't woken up yet."

Clara looked a bit disappointed, but her expression quickly returned to normal. "Then I'll just go over and wait. Goodbye, Big Brother and Big Sisters!"

Clara bid them farewell and stepped through the portal into the shop.

...

The three of them stepped outside the house and saw Svarog leading a large group of automatons toward the exit. March 7th was puzzled. "What is Svarog doing?"

Dan Heng remarked, "Let's go up and ask. Judging by the situation, this can't be a minor matter."

The trio quickly caught up to Svarog. Stelle gave Svarog’s leg a firm pat. "Svarog, where are you going?"

After Stelle patted him, the little fire monkey perched on her head also tapped Svarog’s leg and let out a few chirps. "Hoo-hoo!"

Svarog looked down at Stelle. "Outsiders? A riot has broken out in Boulder Town. I am leading a squad to suppress it."

Stelle was surprised. "A riot? What happened?"

Svarog explained, "I received a distress signal from Natasha, the leader of Wildfire in Boulder Town. A large number of Vagrants are attacking the town."

Upon hearing that Boulder Town was in trouble, March 7th became very anxious. "What? Boulder Town is under attack? Quick, let's go help!"

Dan Heng and Stelle nodded, following Svarog’s detachment of automatons toward Boulder Town.

...

At that moment, near the entrance to the Great Mine in Boulder Town, a massive crowd of Vagrants was frantically charging at the defensive lines held by Wildfire.

Seele darted through the battlefield with her scythe in hand, claiming the life of a Vagrant with every swing. Bronya, who had just been rescued by Seele, also joined the defense. Her rifle fired rhythmically, dropping a Vagrant with every shot. Displaying the demeanor of a battlefield commander, Bronya began directing several squads of Wildfire members to stabilize the line.

"Everyone, coordinate! Don't panic! Hold the line!"

"Understood!"

Inspired by Bronya's strong leadership, the Wildfire members followed her commands perfectly. It helped that Bronya’s combat prowess was formidable, which earned their respect.

Natasha and Oleg stood at the rear, forming the final line of defense. Natasha’s brow furrowed as she observed the intense battle. These Vagrants had learned that Boulder Town held a large supply of resources, leading them to plot this assault. Based on the scale of the fighting, there were at least several thousand armed Vagrants involved.

Fortunately, the members of Wildfire were no pushovers. Thanks to the ample food supply over the past two days, their physical condition was excellent. Furthermore, everyone in Wildfire cherished this hard-won food. Now that outsiders were trying to seize it, they were determined not to yield. Their morale was exceptionally high, and even though they were outnumbered, they held their ground.

However, the disparity in numbers was significant, and the Vagrants were charging like madmen, relentlessly hammering the defense.

Oleg surveyed the front line and spotted a breach where a group of Vagrants had broken through. "Natasha! I'm leaving this to you! I’m going to lead some people to plug that gap!"

With that, Oleg charged out with a small squad of Wildfire members. Although he was not a Pathstrider, he had been an elite of the Silvermane Guards in his youth, and these Vagrants were no match for him. Wielding his spear, Oleg cut down the attackers, and under his command, the line was successfully stabilized.

Even so, it was only a matter of time before the defenses were broken. Just then, a familiar voice whispered in Natasha’s ear.

"Big Sister, don't worry. Reinforcements are on the way."

Natasha looked at the newcomer. "Sampo? You called for reinforcements?"

Sampo raised an eyebrow. "That's right. I contacted Boss Svarog in your name. If nothing goes wrong, they should be here any second."

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

A violent explosion rocked the battlefield as Svarog descended from the sky, landing right in the center of the conflict.

"Riot detected. Initiating extermination protocol!"

Svarog’s missile racks opened, and a barrage of projectiles swept toward the Vagrants. Dan Heng, March 7th, and Stelle arrived with the automatons, striking from the rear.

Stelle immediately unleashed her ultimate. "Heavenly Fire! Unsheathed!"

With one slash, she cleared a massive section of the battlefield. Dan Heng’s Cloud-Piercer spear surged with potent energy. "Cloud-Piercer, Dream of a Long Night—Break!"

He thrust his spear forward, releasing a cone of energy that knocked down a vast number of Vagrants. March 7th drew her bow to its full tension, summoning a flurry of ice arrows to freeze the enemies in their tracks. The automatons were far less merciful, using brute force to subdue the Vagrants and strip them of any capacity to resist.

Seeing Svarog and the others arrive, Natasha finally exhaled with relief.

"All units! Reinforcements have arrived! Full counter-attack! Charge!"

The morale of the Wildfire members soared, and they launched a fierce counter-offensive. The surviving Vagrants, realizing they had lost, turned and fled, seemingly wishing they had extra legs to run faster. With the combined efforts of the automatons and Wildfire, the attackers were successfully driven out of Boulder Town.

Natasha, Oleg, Sampo, Seele, and Bronya approached Svarog’s group.

"Stelle! March! Dan Heng!"

Stelle slung the Heaven-Slayer over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think, Seele? Is this Galactic Baseballer cool or what?"

Seele gave her a thumbs-up. "Cool!"

Natasha turned to Svarog with gratitude. "Svarog, thank you for the support."

Svarog looked at Natasha. "No thanks are needed. It is all for the Preservation of the Underworld."

Following this battle, the attitude of the Wildfire members toward the automatons from the Robot Settlement improved significantly. After all, if not for Boss Svarog and his squad, many more people would have died. As the Wildfire members and the machines worked together to clear the battlefield, the presence of the automatons made the cleanup process incredibly efficient.