Chapter 85 - 84: Battle Preparations

Feeling the hand on her shoulder, Bronya replied earnestly, "I will do my best to survive. Thank you for your encouragement." To her, Pei Guang's words were meant to motivate her not to give up easily. However, on the side, Serval was pondering, "But there's still a problem. You all might be able to deal with the Stellaron, but what about the invasion of the Fragmentum creatures during the battle? My brother..." Serval had a good understanding of the frontline. The attacks from the Fragmentum creatures had been growing stronger, and she worried whether her brother Gepard and the Silvermane Guards could hold the line if the Stellaron attacked Belobog at this critical moment. Although Serval wasn't officially an Architect, she was responsible for maintaining many of the weapons used by Gepard and the Silvermane Guards. In fact, she had a high level of respect within the restricted zone. Hearing this concern, Stelle proudly said, "Of course, our unbeatable Ah Guang has already thought of a solution." March 7th chimed in, "Exactly!" The three of them had been working together for a while, so Stelle and March 7th were well aware of Pei Guang's preparations. Stelle beamed, "Come on, let's celebrate! Let's cheer for our invincible Ah Guang!" Pei Guang tapped Stelle on the head, "Stop, stop. 'Invincible' is a debuff, don't go throwing that around so easily. But yeah, I've made some preparations." From the Space Station to Belobog, Pei Guang had been collecting parts and materials gifted by Asta, which had now come in handy. Pei Guang clapped his hands, and a mass-produced version of Svarog appeared before everyone. Stelle, hands on her hips, proudly introduced it, "Look! Our Ah Guang created this mighty Svarog!" Compared to the real Svarog, Pei Guang's creation had slightly different colors. Just by looking at it, you could sense the odd mismatch. Svarog's body typically had a consistent design, all from the same factory. But Pei Guang's version? It was a mishmash of colors: red, green, white, black, and even the camera on its head flashed with rainbow lights. Seeing this multi-colored Svarog, Clara was the most bewildered. "Svarog... has become so colorful?" she muttered. Svarog himself noted, "The holder of the Starship once accessed my data... I didn't expect..." Stelle grinned, "Our Ah Guang made twenty of these! In different colors—red, black, white, and with matching outfits. Wait, are they outfits?" Pei Guang nodded, "Yeah, we used all the oversized clothes we collected. Besides Svarog, I've prepared dozens of other machines. Each mass-produced Svarog is equipped with mechanical arms that have special capture devices." These mechanical arms were based on weapons from Svarog's memory archive, ones he had used in the past but could no longer produce due to resource constraints. However, Pei Guang had plenty of resources and had equipped each mass-produced Svarog with two specialized arms to quickly restrain enemies. Since a boss fight was coming, Pei Guang had decided to use up all his resources to make as many robots as possible. The hardest part to replicate from Svarog was the core chip, but Pei Guang didn't worry—he had plenty of civilian tech from Asta. These civilian chips weren't strong enough to make advanced AI but worked perfectly for producing mass-produced machines. March 7th boasted, "Thanks to Ah Guang's cleverness, we collected a ton of mechanical parts from the Space Station. He used these parts as cores and made the outer shells from resources we scavenged from Rivet Town. Ah Guang just clapped his hands and—bam! A robot appeared. Hehe~ Too bad I'm not smart enough. I only remember how to make self-destructing robots. If I could, the Svarogs I'd make would definitely look cooler." At this point, Dan Heng, who had been quietly observing, suddenly felt concerned. Cooler? Wait, did March 7th learn something? Making robots? Self-destructing robots? Dan Heng wondered if he had missed something important during the two days he had been resting. He looked at the multicolored Svarog—at least it looked passable. If March 7th got involved, would it turn into a garish display of red and purple lights, creating total visual pollution? As Pei Guang brought out more of the robots he had made, he explained, "Let Svarog control these mass-produced models, and Clara can help maintain them. With Clara and Svarog in charge, I believe we can hold the line for a while." Hearing this, Svarog, as a machine, wanted to protest. Svarog had fought the Antimatter Legion and witnessed the destruction Stellaron could cause. Even after seven hundred years of wear, Svarog could confidently claim that with three of him and a few soldiers, they could hold a defensive line. But Pei Guang had prepared... twenty of them? Looking at the multicolored behemoths that Pei Guang had built, Seele whistled. "Impressive! Didn't think you could even make a Svarog. You did this with just the resources you scavenged?" Pei Guang nodded. "Yep. But I've gotta give credit to my mentor! Clara!" Stelle chimed in, "That's right! Our adorable mentor—Clara! Come here!" She hugged Clara tightly, nuzzling her affectionately. Blushing at the excessive praise, Clara tried to explain, "It's not like that... I just taught Uncle Pei Guang how to maintain and assemble things. I didn't expect he'd be so good at it—he even used parts I've never seen before to make a Svarog." While everyone was praising each other, Serval was examining the robot that Pei Guang had created. "Unfamiliar materials, techniques I've never seen... no visible seams, but it's perfectly assembled. How did you pull that off?" Pei Guang patted the mass-produced Svarog beside him. "It's simple: break it apart, reassemble it, break it apart again, and reassemble." As he demonstrated, the Svarog suddenly disassembled into parts before quickly reassembling into a complete unit again. Serval rubbed her eyes in disbelief. "Wait, what?" Since when did machine assembly become this... unscientific? She was still perplexed when Clara gently reassured her, "Don't worry, big sister. Uncle says this is called 'technique.' I may not be able to do it as fast as him, but I can still help Mr. Svarog with his parts. It's not that hard." Seele laughed. "Getting freaked out over this? If you saw Pei Guang at his best, you'd be wide-eyed for sure." Serval smiled wryly. "Heh... after seeing that, I don't think I'd be surprised by anything anymore." That comment seemed to trigger something, as Dan Heng, Seele, and Bronya all approached her. Dan Heng said, "I get what you're feeling. I used to think the same." Seele nodded. "Yeah, I used to think if I just stopped overthinking things, I wouldn't be surprised anymore. But..." Bronya added, "Don't worry too much about how Pei Guang pulls these things off. Just know that he can." Hearing this, Serval nodded. "I get it now. I'll do my best to... adapt. But hey, with all the crazy things going on, I guess seeing things I can't explain is normal. I mean, the universe is vast—there's bound to be stuff we can't understand, right?" Bronya smiled. "Glad to see you've come around. But remember, our next challenge is the Stellaron. No matter how strange things get, as long as we defeat it, that's our victory." Clenching her fist, Bronya was clearly nervous. Before they could head out, she turned to Pei Guang. "But before I go... could we talk privately?" Pei Guang agreed, "Sure." Outside a closed-off room in the mechanical workshop, Stelle and March 7th were eavesdropping at the door. Inside, Bronya took a deep breath. "Pei Guang... no, Ah Guang. As the leader of the Silvermane Guards, I want to thank you and your companions. But... I still have some questions. About my mother..." Pei Guang considered for a moment. "Let me guess. You want to know how much of your mother's will still remains?" Bronya nodded. "My mother taught me so many virtues. She taught me how to protect Belobog. In my eyes, she was the best mother in the world... Is there really no hope for her?" Pei Guang nodded solemnly. "If there's no plot twist, based on the story so far... no, there's no saving her. She's gone. But..." "But what?" Bronya's heart raced. She was visibly emotional. Even though the Stellaron had taken control of Cocolia, she was terrified of not being able to steel herself against the familiar face of her mother. Pei Guang, drawing on his game knowledge, continued, "In a lot of stories, when a villain has their soul replaced or their body controlled, there's usually a moment where you can see the real person one last time after they're defeated. She'll probably tell you how proud she is of your growth, how happy she is that you've become the Guardian of Belobog. If you die before the final scene, she'll feel regret for what she did." "So after we defeat the Stellaron that's impersonating her, you'll probably get to see your kind, hopeful mother one last time as she peacefully departs this world." "Really?" Bronya's voice trembled, and she instinctively grabbed Pei Guang's clothes, hardly able to believe she might get one last glimpse of her real mother. Pei Guang nodded. "If things follow the usual pattern, there's a high chance. But I can't guarantee that this beginner town won't throw in some kind of twist. So far, though, there's been none. But be cautious—the Stellaron knows how much your mother loves you. When you face it, it'll probably try to manipulate you by pretending to be her." Bronya, teary-eyed, responded resolutely. "That's... that's great. If I can see my mother one last time... I won't... I won't let the Stellaron control me." With that decision made, Bronya's tears flowed freely. She was now ready to face the Stellaron that had disguised itself as the Guardian of Belobog. Bronya opened the door, and Stelle and March 7th tumbled inside, having been caught eavesdropping. Stelle yelped, "Uh-oh! We got busted." March 7th playfully scolded her. "Why'd you have to say that? Now she knows we were listening!" Further away, Serval watched the scene unfold and turned to Dan Heng. "Do they... do that often? You have my sympathy." Dan Heng sighed. "You get used to it." Bronya helped Stelle and March 7th up. "Thank you, everyone—from the outsiders, to those in the Underworld, and to you, Serval. I'm going to face the Stellaron now and lead it away from the city." Pei Guang stepped out as well. "Don't worry. We'll keep an eye on Qlipoth Fort. When the time's right, we'll rush in and take down the Stellaron." Seele punched her fist into her palm. "Exactly! We'll cut it down!" Bronya smiled, her last worries finally at ease. She was now ready to fulfill her duty as the successor to the Guardian of Belobog. "Everyone, I'm heading out. Belobog... is in your hands." Without lingering for more goodbyes, Bronya resolutely walked out of the room. Before leaving, she took out her phone, clipped it to a button on her coat near her chest, and activated the recording mode to capture the next crucial moments. Seeing this as the last bit of help she could provide to Pei Guang or those who would lead Belobog into the future, Bronya planned to record everything—her conversation with the Stellaron, the battle, and even if she ended up being controlled. She wasn't afraid of death, but as the heir of the Supreme Guardian, even in death, she couldn't tarnish their generations of legacy. Even if her actions were judged in the future or compared to her mother's will, she could not allow the will of Preservation to be blackened. As Bronya set off, Pei Guang was making his final preparations. The mass-produced Svarogs and all the mechanical constructs were handed over to Svarog and Clara's control, forming a powerful enough defense force with Oleg's people to protect Belobog at the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone. Once that was all arranged, Pei Guang called March 7th over: "March~ Catch this~" March 7th instinctively caught what Pei Guang tossed over. She looked down, and—wow—a Star Destroyer authorization key. Pei Guang explained, "Because of the Stellaron, warp jumps are quite tricky in this system. But in about half an hour, the Star Destroyer will jump into the orbit of Jarilo-VI~ I've already calibrated the attack parameters. Hold onto this: when you need to attack, just follow the instructions on this guide and unleash a powerful strike." Before March 7th could respond, Stelle eagerly asked, "What about me? Do I get something cool too?" Pei Guang looked at her with disdain, "You already got a rare drop. Isn't that enough?" Stelle shrugged, "There's no such thing as too much loot." Pei Guang then turned to Dan Heng, handing him a bottle of coffee: "I know you're strong, Dan Heng, but take this anyway. The three of us can handle it, so I'm sure it'll be useful to you too." Dan Heng looked at the bottle. He wanted to refuse, but thinking about his recent thoughts, he decided to accept it. Still, he wasn't sure one bottle would be enough for what he was about to face: "Got any more? I feel like one bottle won't cut it." Pei Guang nodded, "Sure thing! I'll brew you a whole barrel when I get a moment."