Chapter 45 - 42 - The Great Edifice Is About to Collapse

"I think we should just go find Natasha directly." Wende shook his head. He had a feeling he wouldn't get a single good night's sleep before leaving Belobog. "Ugh... mmm." Rubbing her bleary eyes, Stelle felt sore all over. It seemed sleeping on a table was a bad idea after all... "Alright, let's go wash up and freshen up! We're heading back to the Overworld today, you know!" March helped straighten Stelle's messy gray hair, cheering everyone on. "Mhm..." After tidying themselves up, the Trailblazer's team went to the meeting spot they had arranged with Natasha the day before. Seele and Sampo were already there waiting, but for some reason, Natasha was nowhere to be seen. "Cocolia... Cocolia..." They continued to whisper in her ear. "I..." Having finally woken up after being unconscious for three whole days, Cocolia stood before the gates of Qlipoth Fort, gazing down at the scenery of Belobog. For a moment, she felt a sense of disorientation. It was like... she had a dream? She dreamed she had returned to the time before she became the Great Guardian. Back then, she could still open her heart to her dear friend, enjoying music that no one else appreciated... Back then... she was so free... No one whispered in her ear, and no mountain-like pressure weighed down on her. That's right... there was no going back... "Your Excellency, the Great Guardian..." "Your Excellency, the Great Guardian..." As she slowly descended the steps of Qlipoth Fort, the Silvermane Guards on both sides lowered their heads, greeting her with deep respect. The Silvermane Guards did so, as did the residents of Belobog. After walking for an unknown amount of time, she came to a mechanics workshop. Peering through the window, she saw the person inside repairing machinery... She turned and walked away into the snow. "This is for Belobog. This is to end this thousand-year-long, senseless calamity... Serval..." Cocolia murmured to herself. A momentary clarity flashed in her purple eyes, but it was quickly shrouded by a golden light, dimming once more. "Commander Gepard, the frequency of Fragmentum monster attacks has been increasing these past two days. The brothers on the front lines are having trouble holding on." An adjutant handed a loss report to Gepard. Taking the report, Gepard's brow furrowed. In just one week, they had lost nearly half of the automatons guarding the main gate. The Silvermane Guards stationed at the city walls and within the in-city Fragmentum zones had also suffered heavy casualties... Recently, higher-level Fragmentum creations had reportedly appeared. And from the Great Guardian's side, there were indications that she wanted them to continue advancing the front line. A threefold pressure now rested on Gepard's shoulders. Should he choose the Silvermane Guards, or should he choose Belobog... or should he trust the Great Guardian's command and continue to push the front line forward... "Order the front-line troops to pull back and defend Belobog. We cannot continue like this." Gepard slapped the report on the table, his expression grave. "But... Her Excellency, the Great Guardian..." the adjutant said with hesitation. Such an act was tantamount to disobeying a military order... "I will personally go to Her Excellency to atone for my actions after this crisis is over. Our brothers cannot continue to die needlessly out there. This is not just for us; it is for all of Belobog!" At this moment, Gepard still held a sliver of faith in the Great Guardian. What he didn't know was that, thanks to Cocolia and the Stellaron's manipulation, the news of Bronya's defeat in the Fragmentum had never reached the front lines. And not long after Bronya left for the Underworld, that squad of Silvermane Guards still in the Fragmentum had, with "no one to ask after them," "mysteriously" vanished. Belobog was now under attack from both within and without... The number of Silvermane Guards... was dwindling. In the Belobog Administrative District, the Great Guardian Cocolia was delivering a passionate speech. Before her stood a group of armored Silvermane Guards. These guards were Belobog's reserve forces. Some were brand-new recruits. Their faces were still boyish, and some had never undergone systematic training. Most of them were just children who had recently come of age. But now, the Great Guardian was ordering them to the battlefield. Fired up by Cocolia's speech, they felt only a surge of hot-blooded fervor, completely oblivious to the kind of horrors they were about to face... Cocolia had already made these preparations before she fell into her coma. Although it had been delayed by a few days, it didn't disrupt her plans. She had no path of retreat. All that awaited Belobog was "rebirth" (destruction). [This... this isn't right, is it? This... how the hell is this...] [I'll say it for you. It's like a certain failed art student.] [Thanks, I'm hard now! My fists are hard!] [Cocolia!! Be a goddamn human being!!] [As expected, no matter where she is, Cocolia is just as detestable.] [They're just kids... What a sin!] [Crap, where's the Trailblazer! Get back here, quick! Save them!] [Where is my General Wende? If Wende were here, everything would be alright.] Seeing the bullet comments explode in her stream, Fanyin also felt a sense of unease. She picked up her phone and checked the official Star Rail account again. She wanted to see how this game went from a 12+ rating to something closer to 17.9+. Looking at the chaotic comment section, it was clear that the players were disgusted by Cocolia's actions. One brilliant player had even written a formal "Proclamation to Denounce the Traitor" for Cocolia. With that, the Express crew now had a "just cause for war." "Alright, you're here. Natasha still has some matters to deal with in the Underworld and can't get away, so she asked me to explain things on her behalf," Seele said, her arms crossed as she addressed the Express crew. "Understood. She is responsible for the entire Underworld, after all," Dan Heng nodded in understanding. "Look, if it isn't the great heroes who saved the Underworld!" Sampo chimed in with a fawning smile, perfectly matching his superficial profession as a merchant. "Err... why are you here too?" March asked, looking at Sampo with confusion. "Here's the thing. Natasha said that to get to the surface safely, we'll still need Sampo's help, so she hired him again," Seele explained with a shrug. "I brought you down, so naturally, I have to bring you back up. Don't worry, it's a complimentary after-sales service, satisfaction guaranteed~" Sampo's face was a mask of sincerity, but his gaze quickly shifted to Wende. "But we're all old acquaintances this time... so we won't be needing the lightning needles, right?" Seeing the electric light flickering in Wende's hand, Sampo was already feeling a bit of PTSD...