Chlorine Sodium's Arknights

"Boring. They're just a few mortals. To me, squashing a few Emperor's Royal Guards would be as easy as crushing bugs."

However, as the woman was spouting such nonsense, the Emperor's Royal Guards were present at the military's request!

After all, this was a military-organized investigation, and the Emperor's Royal Guards, as one of the military's trump cards, naturally had to be brought along.

"What did you say!?"

One of the Royal Guards' chilling voice emanated from behind his mask.

Few people ever got to see an Emperor's Royal Guard in a rage.

Because those who did rarely lived to see the next second.

"I said, why are these stray dogs still here? If you're the military's dogs, you should go back to your masters and beg for bones, not get in the way here."

You're not welcome here, you weaklings.

The sentiment was practically written all over her face. Unlike Koschei, who was "easy to talk to," Yaga Glazunov didn't give the military any face. But that was normal. In this land, strength spoke louder than words. Yaga Glazunov could say it because she could back it up; otherwise, the Emperor's Royal Guards wouldn't be questioning her, they'd be attacking.

"This is all you've got. I have to say, it's impressive you've made it this far. What seems impossibly strong to you is nothing special in my eyes. I really don't understand how four of you managed to fight like this. I can only say, a bunch of bugs that learned to bite are only capable of this much."

Yaga Glazunov's tone was utterly contemptuous, leaving no room for compromise. Of course, she didn't need any. People don't negotiate with bugs, and gods don't need to negotiate or compromise with mortals.

"You!"

"Will it kill you to shut up for a bit? Enough! This isn't the place for you to argue, all of you shut up!"

The one person among the three who had been silent finally spoke.

He was a Ursus man in a black suit, with a scar across his right eye.

His deep voice immediately silenced both arguing parties.

"Yes, we're all here because of the Snow Demon. There's no need to argue like this. We all serve Ursus."

However, the cunning Koschei continued to stir the pot.

"Please don't lump me in with bugs, Duke Koschei. As for the so-called Snow Demon, I see it as no different from them. Does a mere beast that crawled out from who-knows-where deserve such a fuss? The military is really getting worse."

"It is precisely because of this that we need your help. I am quite distressed that such an incident has occurred in my territory."

Koschei's false smile only earned him a roll of the woman's eyes.

"Your smile disgusts me, Koschei. Fine, you've always been like this anyway. I called the Snow Demon 'no different' because I have the power to kill it. If it dares to show itself, I can crush it whenever I want."

Yaga Glazunov said afterwards, incredibly arrogant and without a hint of pressure. Everything in her eyes was merely an ant.

"If it were Nian from the East or an Abyssal existence, perhaps I'd feel a little pressure. As for some Snow Demon, I don't have time to waste on it. Just give me your conclusion and I'll go finish this farce."

With that, the woman left.

"A boring farce."

"She's as arrogant as ever."

Koschei maintained his faint smile and spoke to the remaining man.

"It is indeed a farce, but not as pathetic as she makes it out to be. I, on the other hand, am quite interested in the Snow Demon."

"Speaking of which..."

The scarred man stroked his chin.

"I recall it's not just the military that's having a headache. It seems some of the new elites are also getting restless."

"Just a bunch of new kids. It's normal for them to be curious, but..."

Koschei shifted the topic, following the man's lead.

"I've had some new ideas recently."

"Let's hear them."

"I have new ideas about Lungmen..."

A blizzard would be passing through soon. While Chlorine Sodium herself was indifferent, as pure natural disasters posed no obstacle to a Herrscher, the Traveler state consumed too much energy.

Furthermore, she had to travel on foot, appearing as an ordinary person. It was completely unrealistic to walk out of the blizzard's range.

Fortunately, the two were lucky. After waiting by the roadside for a while, they managed to get a ride from a middle-aged man heading out of the city.

"Where are you two headed? It's quite unsafe outside the city."

"To Chernobog."

"Chernobog, huh? That's quite a long way."

The middle-aged man smiled, flicking the reins to urge his Tuo Beast forward.

Of course, the main reason they got a ride was because the two of them looked harmless.

The middle-aged man was indeed bored traveling alone, and having someone to talk to could pass the time.

"These days, things are so chaotic outside. Young ladies like you should be careful when traveling alone, especially recently with this Snow Demon business. Everyone's on edge whenever they have to travel far."

Under Yelena's curious gaze, the middle-aged man enjoyed chatting with the cute young girl.

"Snow Demon?"

"Oh, oh, you're not from around here, are you, little girl? You probably don't know yet, this sounds pretty wild."

The middle-aged man sighed and said.

"You don't know, things are getting worse every day, and then this thing shows up. All the young people in our village have been conscripted, and the other villages too. The lord says he's building something, and a lot of foreigners have arrived. They say it's related to the Snow Demon."

"As for what the Snow Demon is... I don't know either. This is a legend I heard recently from the military camp, supposedly from those big-headed soldiers."

Gossip truly knows no borders or dimensions.

"They say it's real. Those big-headed soldiers and the noble lords are all spreading the word. Look, my kid even gave me this thing, said it's all written on it. Too bad I'm old, my eyes aren't good, and I can't read."

As he spoke, he took out a scroll from his person.

It was a newspaper. This kind of thing was common in cities, but rare in such a remote place. Furthermore, very few of these poor people could read, so even if they were given a newspaper, they wouldn't understand it.

emmmm.

I don't recognize it either.

Glancing at the contents of the newspaper, little Yelena was also bewildered. How could a child raised in a mine have a chance to learn to read? Besides these scribbles, the only thing she could understand was the black and white illustrations.

Fortunately, the middle-aged coachman had heard some rumors.

"My kid said that the Emperor's big-headed soldiers saw the Snow Demon. Those soldiers had never seen anything like it. They say they got into a fight with it right then and there..."

Suddenly, the old hunter lowered his voice, looked around, and said mysteriously.

"They say a lot of people died."

"The Snow Demon, it eats people?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's a divine manifestation. But they say the newspaper doesn't mention any of this, only the matter of the Snow Demon. Alas, too bad this old bone can't read, I can't understand it."

The middle-aged man kindly patted Yelena's head.

"It's a real disaster. I'm really worried about my kid now. He's also gone to work for the lord. Although the reward money is quite good, I'm still worried."

Snow Demon?

Ignoring their words, Chlorine Sodium took the newspaper from Yelena's hand and looked at the contents.

She didn't remember hearing any legends about a Snow Demon.

This place was somewhat similar to Russia in a parallel world, at least in many customs and geographical environments.

Even the legends corresponded one by one, such as the immortal Koschei.

However, the monsters and ghosts in this world seemed to have become real entities, otherwise, the identity of that Duke couldn't be explained.

So, who exactly was this Snow Demon?

"15th Army Group's Garrison Legion attacked by Snow Demon?"

The report was very vague, more like a notice than a report. As for the outcome, how it happened, casualties, or battle results, nothing was mentioned. It was even relegated to a corner of the newspaper.

Interesting.

The newspaper, controlled by the Ursus authorities, would naturally have its content filtered. If it wasn't a victory, it wouldn't be widely reported.

That means... they lost.

Continuing to read, there was another illustration.

It seemed to be a photo taken from a great distance, the image was blurry, and with black and white printing, the clarity was very low.

But it was still possible to see that it was a photo taken towards the sky, and vaguely, the true form of the so-called Snow Demon... seemed to be a... woman?

Wait a minute?!!

It wasn't until Chlorine Sodium saw the iconic single golden wing that she realized.

Isn't that me?!

ps: Ah, I've been feeling so sleepy these past few days. Why can't humans hibernate? I really want to sleep through the winter. [Huddles in blanket]

Chapter 24: Nightmare

What the hell, Snow Demon???

What kind of ridiculous name is that.

Chlorine Sodium looked at the fragmented report in the newspaper.

It was a strange feeling to see oneself from another's perspective.

But wasn't this name too embarrassing?

However, this also proved that her actions had had a significant effect.

[The Emperor has issued a new decree. His army will quell the rebels.]

That's what it says, but in reality, the people at the top are probably panicking like crazy.

Then... the mystery of who the protagonist of this world is should be revealed soon, right?

With malicious speculation, in a corner unnoticed by anyone, the girl's lips curled into a wicked smile.

However, beside the young girl, Yelena also suddenly fell silent, wordlessly watching the snowscape passing by.

The middle-aged man's words were merely a rumor.

Yet, that photograph, the one blurred by the limitations of printing technology in the newspaper, gradually sharpened under the sketch of the meeting.

It was as if unreadable text could become clear simply because one recognized it.

A dark mine, pillars of light connecting heaven and earth, intense heat that instantly burned everything...

And that blurry figure...

All of it entangled the sole survivor of the event, officially labeled an "accident," like a nightmare.

Someone who survived by sheer luck, but luck doesn't last forever.

That pillar of light and the blurry figure behind it seemed to embody the world's unreasonable and incredibly cruel nature.

Destruction wherever one looked, people instantly vaporized...

People disintegrating mid-air...

People burning into fireballs and then turning to ash...

It was like hell.

What was behind that light?

Was it God?

A miracle?

Or something else entirely.