Facing the Engine of Creation

"Everyone, the Supreme Guardian is waiting for you in her office at Kliperburg. Please follow me," Gepard said in a low voice.

"Is it because the sky cleared up?" March 7th couldn't help asking.

Gepard shook his head and said only:

"The Supreme Guardian will explain the details to you herself."

The group followed him through the Administrative District.

The residents along the way were still enjoying the long-awaited sunshine. Some leaned against walls with their eyes closed, pretending to sleep, while others quietly hummed unfamiliar tunes.

Seele, however, couldn't relax.

Her gaze passed over the city's white buildings and settled on the distance.

The clouds there hadn't truly dispersed. Instead, as though stirred by an invisible hand, they were slowly gathering toward Everwinter Hill.

Bai Luoming noticed that something was wrong with Seele. He slowed down to walk beside her and said softly, "It's all right. We'll take care of it."

Seele nodded, but her hand unconsciously clenched into a fist.

When they reached the square in front of Kliperburg, its doors slowly opened, and Bronya stepped out.

She was no longer wearing the elaborate outfit she had worn to handle official affairs that morning. Instead, she had changed into dark combat attire that allowed her to move freely, accented with silver-white metal armor that gave her a streamlined appearance.

In her hand was a lance that had lain untouched for many years. Its shaft was plain and ancient, and it was remarkably heavy.

Bronya's face still showed unmistakable fatigue, but her expression was much firmer than it had been that morning.

Gepard stepped forward and was about to speak.

"The situation has changed, everyone."

Bronya had already reached them, her voice clear and urgent:

"An urgent report came in from the observatory. Fragmentum activity around Belobog is weakening rapidly, but energy readings near Everwinter Hill continue to climb. Several monitoring devices have already overloaded."

She paused for a moment, then continued.

"That means the Stellaron is gathering its strength." Bronya looked at them. "It has given up maintaining the Eternal Freeze and the Fragmentum outside so it can concentrate all its power. Once it has finished gathering strength, the Eternal Freeze that disappeared earlier may return on an even greater scale."

The square fell silent.

March 7th glanced back at the residents still basking in the sun in the distance and said quietly, "Everyone... still has no idea."

"It's a good thing they don't know for now," Bai Luoming said. "They can't help on the front lines, and announcing that the end is coming now would only cause panic. Everything will be fine once we deal with the Stellaron."

Bronya gave him an approving look, then walked over to Stelle.

She solemnly held the lance out to her horizontally.

"This was the weapon used by the first Supreme Guardian, Lisa Rand." Bronya's voice was quiet, but her tone was firm.

"It is also a symbol preserved to this day by the Architects and generations of Guardians. Seven hundred years ago, Supreme Guardian Lisa used it to lead our predecessors against the Antimatter Legion. The lance carries the will of Preservation that has sustained this city to this day."

Looking Stelle in the eyes, she said, "I hope you'll keep it safe for the time being."

Stelle froze for a moment, then reached out with both hands and accepted the lance.

The lance felt immensely heavy in her hands, far heavier than its size suggested.

Everyone's gaze converged on the lance. They held their breath without realizing it, waiting for some kind of miracle.

After a while, the lance showed no reaction at all. It remained just as it had been when Bronya handed it to Stelle.

Stelle looked down at the lance in her hands, then back up at Bronya. Scratching her head, she said, "Hmm, maybe it hasn't woken up yet."

"Pfft." March 7th couldn't hold back a laugh.

Even the corners of Dan Heng's mouth rose by an almost imperceptible two pixels.

Stelle tried hoisting the lance onto her shoulder and striking a pose like a hero in a picture book. The heavy butt of the lance nearly swept into Dan Heng beside her.

Dan Heng stepped half a pace aside in advance and calmly reminded her, "Maybe you should get used to it before using it."

Stelle hefted the lance. Although she couldn't use it for now, she still put it away carefully.

Bai Luoming reminded Stelle, "Keep it safe. Since it's a treasure of the Supreme Guardians, don't even think about using it to pry open trash cans."

Stelle fell silent for a moment and quietly pushed down the bold idea that had just popped into her head.

"Reporting to the Supreme Guardian!" Gepard's voice rang out again. "The main force of the Silvermane Guards has assembled outside the city gate. The frontline defenders have also cleared a safe route to Everwinter Hill. They await your orders!"

Bronya looked toward the city gate, where the fully equipped Silvermane Guards stood ready.

She watched the Guards' formation and said solemnly, "This battle will decide Belobog's future. I will go with you."

"I've already contacted Himeko and Uncle Yang!" March 7th raised the terminal in her hand. "They're on their way from the train! But the Stellaron is interfering with the space around Everwinter Hill, so they can't land directly. They'll have to come in from the outskirts."

Bai Luoming quickly calculated the timing in his head and made the call. "Then we'll set out first and clear the way. We can't stand around at the city gate waiting for the Stellaron to finish charging its ultimate."

The group moved quickly, setting off toward the Stellaron's location.

As they entered the Corridor of Fading Echoes, a chill swept over them.

Ahead, Fragmentum creatures poured out in great numbers from between the ice and the wreckage, roaring as they charged.

Among those monsters were figures entirely different from the Fragmentum creatures: soldiers of the Antimatter Legion.

"Is that... the Antimatter Legion?" March 7th recognized the familiar enemies at once and blurted out, "How come the Antimatter Legion is here too? Can the Stellaron call in reinforcements on the fly?"

"They weren't called in." Bronya's voice was taut in the cold wind. "These should be the Antimatter Legion soldiers who invaded Jarilo seven hundred years ago. The Stellaron has now unsealed them to block our path."

Before she had finished speaking, the Antimatter Legion charged.

"Form a defensive line!" Gepard roared, raising his shield first.

The Silvermane Guards swiftly formed a shield wall. Their heavy metal shields struck together with dull thuds, bringing the first assault to a halt.

March 7th drew her bow and fired ice arrows in rapid succession, creating an area on the flank that slowed the enemy.

Dan Heng darted out like a phantom, Cloud-Piercer striking straight at a Trampler at the front of the charge.

Seele raced through the surrounding ruins, her giant scythe tracing deadly arcs as she cut down the Fragmentum creatures attempting to surround the Guards from the rear and sides.

Stelle dragged the unresponsive lance along with one hand and swung her bat with the other, fighting in a simple and brutal fashion.

Bai Luoming took the initiative to hold the front, where the pressure was greatest.

He blasted an oncoming Voidranger aside with a punch, the tremendous force shattering its outer shell.

In the same motion, Bai Luoming grabbed a nearby Fragmentum creature, swung it like a weapon, and smashed it into the enemies behind it.

He didn't focus solely on fighting his way forward. His gaze constantly swept across the entire defensive line.

A young Guard was caught between two Voidrangers, his life hanging by a thread. Bai Luoming stepped in front of him and crushed the Voidrangers' heads, one in each hand. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.

The Guard nodded vigorously, tightened his grip on his weapon, and followed Bai Luoming, supporting his attacks.

Yet the enemies seemed endless, pouring ceaselessly from the Fragmentum passage.

Farther back in the Corridor of Fading Echoes, another high-energy reaction appeared.

"Pull back the line!" Gepard was just about to give the order.

But first, a steady female voice called from afar, "Wildfire, cover the flank!"

Natasha had arrived with the members of Wildfire through another passage.

Oleg roared and led his people into the charge, quickly taking over the Guards' hard-pressed flank. Natasha stayed in the middle of the line with medical supplies and began treating the wounded at once.

What followed surprised everyone even more.

Behind the members of Wildfire, squads of Automaton Soldiers marched in silence.

The mechanical soldiers attacked no one. The red scanning beams above their heads locked precisely onto every Antimatter Legion soldier and Fragmentum creature, and they unleashed a barrage of suppressive fire.

One Automaton Soldier strode up to the group and spoke in Svarog's voice: [The Mechanical Settlement will undertake the task of holding the enemy in the Corridor of Fading Echoes. Warning: energy readings at the Creation Platform are excessively high. Further advance by the main force is not recommended.]

"Even his reinforcements come with a risk report. Just what you'd expect from a robot," Bai Luoming remarked.

On the battlefield, Gepard and Natasha stood side by side for the first time.

There were no pleasantries. Gepard nodded to her and pointed his shield toward the left flank. Natasha understood at once and directed the Wildfire members to fill the gap.

The Silvermane Guards, Wildfire, and the Automaton Soldiers—three forces that had never fought side by side before—finally formed a united front at this moment.

"Leave this to us!" Gepard called, turning to look at Bronya as he blocked a Fragmentum creature's attack. "The rest is up to you."

"Seele, go with them," Natasha said to Seele as well. "The Underworld needs someone to witness the end of this disaster with their own eyes."

The group hesitated no longer.

Bai Luoming led the charge, clearing a path. Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng guarded the flanks. Bronya and Seele followed close behind, and the six of them broke through the enemy ranks together, racing toward the Creation Platform deep within Everwinter Hill.

When they finally stepped onto the enormous platform covered in ice and snow, a violent tremor shook the ground beneath their feet.

Ahead, the Engine of Creation, which had lain dormant for hundreds of years, was slowly starting up under the Stellaron's power.

A massive mechanical arm rose from the ice and snow, and the engine's core lit up with an ominous red glow.

"That's engineering machinery the Architects used to reshape the terrain!" Bronya shouted urgently. "Its frontal armor is extremely thick. Its joints and energy transmission nodes are its weak points!"

Before she had finished speaking, Stelle had already gripped the heavy lance in both hands and stepped forward.

"Whatever, I'll handle it!"

The gray-haired girl traced a straight line across the snow, charging to meet the Engine of Creation.

The next second, the Engine of Creation's giant mechanical fist crashed down amid wind and snow!

"Boom!"

The Engine of Creation sent Stelle flying with an elbow, lance and all.

She tumbled more than ten meters through the snow before landing heavily in the distance, motionless.

Bai Luoming looked at the figure lying in the snow and silently swallowed the "You can do it" that had been on the tip of his tongue.