Listening to Pei Guang and Stelle's banter, March 7th complained, "How can you two still joke at a time like this? Are the enemies in the ice even still alive?"
Pei Guang casually picked up one of the frozen statues, "If I can collect it, it's dead. If I can't, it's still alive."
"Oh, I see… Wait, what do you want with these things?" March 7th asked, puzzled.
"They're ice sculptures! Perfect for decorations. And with so many of them, you never know what they might be useful for," Pei Guang explained.
Stelle agreed wholeheartedly, "Exactly! It's always handy to have something on hand. If it's useless, you can always gift it to someone to raise affection points."
March 7th sighed, "Who would want this stuff?"
As March 7th grumbled, Stelle noticed that one of the frozen statues couldn't be collected. "Pei Guang! This one won't go into inventory. Does that mean this March 7th is still alive?"
"Enough with the March jokes!" March 7th snapped.
Pei Guang nodded, "Yup, if it can't be stored, it's alive. Just break it."
And when it came to smashing things, Stelle was a professional. With her bat, empowered by a light cone, she infused it with raw destructive power. With a duang~ sound, the ice statue shattered into pieces, and whatever lingering life it had was snuffed out.
As the group continued upwards, collecting along the way, they eventually spotted a massive hand.
Seele was shocked, "Is this a relic left by the Architects?"
Serval nodded, "Yes, this should be… an Engine of Creation. It was used about 700 years ago. Only…"
Pei Guang stood next to the giant hand. "Only, I can't store this thing. It's probably still active and considered 'owned,' so I can't take it. Such a huge hand… it's like a replica of the Gaebolg Fist."
March 7th asked, "Gaebolg Fist? What kind of weird ability is that?"
Pei Guang recalled, "It's an awakening skill from a game I played once. Using space tech, you could summon an ancient war machine's fist to land a powerful blow on your enemies. Too bad I can't collect this. It would be so much fun to use."
Dan Heng, picking up on a keyword, asked, "Owned? This can be activated?"
Pei Guang nodded, "It can. It's a fully functioning Engine of Creation, I'd guess. No worries, though. We can figure out how to take it with us after we defeat the boss."
March 7th, a bit concerned, asked, "Will it turn into our enemy?"
Pei Guang shook his head, "Definitely not. It might even become part of our forces. Let's keep moving forward. We should be close to Bronya and the villainous boss now. I just hope Bronya isn't under mind control… If she is, well, we'll have no choice but to loot her body."
March 7th retorted, "Looting with tears in your eyes, sure. I bet you'd be thrilled."
Pei Guang grinned, "I'm just asking—if her body drops some shiny gold loot, would you take it or not?"
March 7th, without hesitation, replied, "Take it!"
As the group pressed on, Cocolia had already brought Bronya to the Stellaron within the device. Cocolia turned to Bronya and said, "Don't resist, Bronya—accept the united will."
At that moment, Bronya, who had been keeping her mind blank, saw a beautiful vision. In this vision, all the dead citizens of Belobog were living together in harmony, and the past generations of the Guardians extended an invitation to her.
"Come on~ Be free~"
"Join us in a new world."
"There are warm homes, endless food, and endless drinks."
"No sorrow, no pain, and no fear."
"A world that can be guarded… forever…"
As Bronya moved closer to the Stellaron, she realized that simply emptying her mind was no longer enough to resist its erosion.
"Is it... my willpower that isn't strong enough?" she wondered.
Cocolia, at this moment, began to speak in a persuasive tone: "You've seen the future it promises, haven't you? A world without poverty, cold, or pain; a world where people no longer need to beg like prisoners: a world that can be protected forever."
Cocolia gazed into the distance: "For seven hundred years, we have tried and fought, believing that humanity's brilliance would guide our revival. And yet? We have been utterly defeated."
With devotion in her eyes, Cocolia turned toward the Stellaron: "Why is it that, when faced with an undeniable force, our first instinct is always to resist, to cover our ears instead of listening to its message?"
Cocolia had deep feelings for her daughter, but at this moment, her eyes held no pity or love—only emptiness. "That is the foolishness and cowardice buried deep within humanity. Abandon them. Free yourself from those chains that bind you! The Stellaron will lead humanity to evolve. It will..."
At that moment, despair began to creep into Bronya's heart. She could feel her consciousness being slowly eroded by the Stellaron. As for the so-called new world, she didn't believe in it at all.
Is there a better life? Bronya believed there was. Maybe not now, but in the future, or in the future beyond the future, the people of Belobog would surely live in a time when they no longer had to worry about destruction, where they could have warmth and food.
This new era... may require help from outsiders, and the continuous efforts of Belobog's people. But it wouldn't be achieved simply by wishing for someone else's dream.
Through all the conversations along the way, Bronya had come to a certain realization: The woman in front of her, who called herself Cocolia, had her mother's memories.
But... she wasn't fit to be the Supreme Guardian. Bronya refused to recognize this Cocolia, who denied all the efforts of her predecessors and sought to destroy the world, as her mother. This person could never be her mother!
Her mother had been the late Supreme Guardian, Cocolia, not the one controlled by the Stellaron.
Bronya took a deep breath and pulled out a small vial from her pocket, filled with coffee that would put her to sleep.
She, Bronya Rand, would rather die than allow her mind to be controlled by the Stellaron. And she would never choose to flee.
"Cocolia, no... Stellaron! I admit that your mental control over me is strong, and the so-called beautiful world you showed me is indeed beautiful. But there is one thing you got wrong: The people of Belobog have never been abandoned. The Will of Preservation has never given up on any of us! Neither the people nor the machines of Belobog have ever forsaken the Will of Preservation!"
Bronya recalled the calculations from Svarog, revealing that the amount of ore mined in the Underworld had the potential to provide five percent of the theoretical heating supply. This meant that for seven hundred years, the power of Preservation had always been protecting Belobog. Belobog had never been abandoned.
For seven centuries, the Supreme Guardians and countless others had upheld the Will of Preservation.
Yes, without any variables, Belobog would indeed be doomed. But it was the unwavering dedication of the Supreme Guardians over the centuries that had allowed them to hold out until the arrival of outsiders, until Pei Guang and the others appeared.
To Cocolia, their arrival seemed like a cruel mockery—mocking seven hundred years of struggle, reduced to mere play for others.
But Bronya saw further, and deeper. She saw the Will of Preservation passed down for seven hundred years, a will that had allowed Belobog and its people to endure until the day they could be saved.
If any of the Supreme Guardians over the last seven centuries had developed thoughts like Cocolia's, the civilization of Belobog would have been completely buried, and they never would have had a chance at survival or escape.
Bronya declared, "Whether it's the Will of Preservation or fate itself, neither has ever abandoned the life on this planet, nor the people of Belobog. Cocolia—no, Stellaron! I reject you. I reject all your thoughts and your understanding."
She turned to look in the direction of Belobog: "The Will of Preservation, passed down for over seven hundred years in Belobog, is not the ignorance and cowardice you speak of! It is the brilliance of humanity. It is the golden spirit of all the life on Belobog, preserved over seven centuries. This Will of Preservation is not just about blindly maintaining survival. It's about passing down our courage, wisdom, civilization, and everything that belongs to humanity."
At this moment, Bronya made her decision. Overcome with emotion, she threw the coffee away, choosing to face the situation rather than run, even if that choice meant only a fleeting moment of brilliance.
"Cocolia! I don't care if you're my mother or the Stellaron, or something else entirely. As the heir to the Supreme Guardian, I will accept the Will of Preservation, passed down through the generations of Belobog. Even if my existence can only prolong Belobog's survival by one second, I will fight with everything I have to pass down the Will of Preservation. The human's will shall never perish!"
Bronya's resolve strengthened. In that moment, her thoughts and will were acknowledged.
She found herself in the vastness of space. There, she saw the Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth, slowly bringing down its hammer. It was constructing walls, measured in light-years.
Qlipoth didn't look at her. Bronya hadn't even been glanced at by the Aeon, but she had seen it.
Just by observing, Bronya understood many things. In her understanding, the Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth, wasn't simply focused on survival. It was about...
As she grasped these insights, her vision returned to reality.
The power of Preservation had manifested as her weapon—a bayonet rifle.
Under the influence of the Will of Preservation, passed down through generations, Bronya had forged her own path.
With firm resolve, Bronya held her rifle and looked toward Belobog: "I, Bronya Rand, swear upon the Will of Preservation. Even in the face of inevitable destruction, I will hold on until the very last moment, until the end!"
Bronya, with unwavering determination, aimed her rifle at Cocolia, her finger on the trigger: "Goodbye, Cocolia. And goodbye... to the weaker me."
She pulled the trigger, and in that moment, the bullet, formed by Imaginary energy, shot out from the barrel.
Facing Bronya's resolute expression, Cocolia looked shocked: "Why... why is the Will of Preservation becoming more distant, more elusive?" She deflected Bronya's attack, but hadn't fully recovered from the shock.
Bronya fired again and spoke calmly: "Because... you've already abandoned the Will of Preservation. You've forsaken this planet, and you've turned your back on the Will of Preservation, passed down through generations of Belobog. Prepare to die!"
With another shot, Bronya charged forward with her bayonet. She would use everything she had learned, and all of her will, to fight against the enemy that sought to destroy Belobog.
Even if the person before her was once her mother, even if…
No! This fight isn't just for Belobog or the Will of Preservation—it's also for the mother who was once kind, filled with hope for the future, and resolutely followed the path of Preservation.
Thinking about the mother in her memories, Bronya's resolve grew even stronger. In the midst of her relentless assault, Bronya spoke again, "Mother! I will avenge you!"
Cocolia: "?"
Bronya thrust her bayonet forward, pulling the trigger as she did. Even though she hadn't known Pei Guang for long, she'd learned one thing—when fighting for victory, all means were justified! And Bronya Rand would use every possible means to stop Cocolia.
Looking at Cocolia in front of her, Bronya chuckled softly, "I wonder if I can hold out for '251 seconds,' just long enough… for them to arrive."
She recalled the story Pei Guang had told, about a robot falling in love with a human. To Bronya, these 251 seconds weren't just about lasting that long—they were about passing on hope!