Everwinter Hill.
Beside the front lines of an ancient battlefield.
The resting place of many of Belobog's fallen heroes.
Under the influence of the Stellaron, crystals tinged with yellow stood all across the snowy plain.
Some Fragmentum Monsters were clutching their heads, seemingly howling in pain.
Nearby, dark gray steel constructs poked out from beneath the snow.
As they walked forward, they saw an enormous steel frame suspended in the air.
A closer look revealed that it was no frame at all, but a gigantic steel hand.
Even its smallest knuckle was thicker than five people standing arm in arm.
The hand was curled into a fist. Its palm rested beside the cliff on the left side of Everwinter Hill's shattered, spiraling stone steps, while its fingers lay on the right.
In the distant sky, pale white auroras drifted like fine vertical scratches across bright glass.
As they walked and their perspective shifted, the auroras seemed to drift ethereally through the sky. Some appeared behind the dense, heavy canopy of clouds, illuminated by sunlight from an unseen sun and giving off faint rainbow hues.
It was hard to tell whether the brilliant white light filtering through the gaps in the thick, blanket-like clouds—or through what seemed like floating ice on the sea—was sunlight so radiant one dared not look directly at it, yet felt it bathing and uplifting the body and soul; or whether it was the ethereal aurora, or perhaps the two combined.
The more brilliant light was sunlight, while the hazy forms hanging like countless transparent threads were the aurora.
"How beautiful." March 7th couldn't help saying as she looked up.
A faint, chilly breeze swept by, lifting the pink bangs beside her cheek.
March 7th's pink irises, fading to translucent mint green, reflected the light above like flawless gemstones.
Then March 7th lowered her head and glanced around, checking what the others were doing.
Seeing that no one else was admiring the view and everyone was simply walking on, she pursed her lips helplessly before hurrying after them.
"Hey, wait for me!"
"Why are you all walking so fast?"
"I'm going to take a picture first."
"Taking a picture won't slow us down, will it?"
March 7th's actions caught Stelle's attention.
Stelle stepped closer and said softly, "March 7th, we're about to go into battle. Why are you still acting like we're on a sightseeing trip?"
"Um..."
March 7th scratched her head.
"It's just..."
She spoke with a faint smile.
"I'm a little nervous, that's all."
"It's okay."
Up ahead, Jing Yan turned around.
He smiled gently at March 7th.
Seeing him, March 7th felt a little more at ease.
It was hard to describe. She didn't know why, but it felt like drinking the fruit juice she'd been craving—once she started, she couldn't stop.
Then March 7th seemed to realize something. Frowning slightly, she asked, "Jing Yan, did you use your Path power on me?"
"I did," Jing Yan replied without trying to hide it.
"But don't you feel a little more relaxed?"
He kept walking, speaking as casually as if nothing were amiss.
"Yeah, I do... You can do that more often," March 7th said.
The others looked at her in disbelief.
Under normal circumstances, most people didn't want their opponents to affect them with their Path powers. It could mean that their life was in the enemy's hands; if the other party had even the slightest ill intent, they could be killed.
But March 7th seemed to be a little different.
"Be careful. This is a battlefield, and danger could appear at any moment," Seele warned.
Some Fragmentum Creatures had already appeared nearby. Jing Yan took control of them, and the others immediately used their own abilities to smash them to pieces.
A Stagnant Shadow ahead was also enveloped by Jing Yan's power, transforming into a more unusual creation.
"Jing Yan, your artistic taste is really..."
"Pretty good."
Seele looked at the Fragmentum Monsters that had re-formed inside the Stagnant Shadow and offered her verdict.
Compared to the original crystal monsters, the forms Jing Yan created were more elegant. They wore armor with a metallic sheen, and the crystals were arranged like gemstones across it instead of jutting out randomly from all over their bodies like mutated branches.
Jing Yan and the others weren't the only ones moving forward. Behind them, the Mechanical Vanguards from the Robot Settlement, led by Svarog, were clearing out the Fragmentum Monsters.
Most of them were swiftly defeated by the machines.
There had originally been quite a few Fragmentum Monsters here, but perhaps because of Cocolia's deal with the Stellaron, there weren't many around the steps. The remaining ones were cleared out along the way.
They continued up the hill and successfully reached the summit of Everwinter Hill.
The area was called the "Creation Platform."
"According to the records, this was where the Architects' Engine of Creation built the city's defenses. During the Antimatter Legion's invasion, all the Mechanical Vanguards were deployed, and even the Engine of Creation was used to fight the Antimatter Legion!" Mr. Svarog explained.
"Wow, that giant mechanical hand is the Engine of Creation?"
March 7th asked in surprise.
"Yes," Mr. Svarog replied.
"Can it still be activated?"
Stelle asked.
"I am attempting to connect to it. Preparations will take some time."
"Look, is that Cocolia up ahead?"
Seele pointed toward the distance.
At the edge of the Creation Platform,
a blonde woman stood there.
"I didn't expect you to make it here, wanted criminals."
Cocolia spoke in the cold wind.
"The Frost Wave has arrived. It seems most people have gone to fight it off. Is that how you managed to sneak in?"
Cocolia murmured to herself.
"That's not the case," Jing Yan said calmly.
"Some people are fighting the increased number of Fragmentum Monsters caused by the Frost Wave, but I've confirmed they're only a small portion, not the majority."
"Because I've already dealt with most of them. And now I've come here to put an end to this once and for all. Do you understand what I mean, Supreme Guardian of Belobog?"
Cocolia froze for a moment at Jing Yan's words.
But then she burst out laughing.
As if she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"What did you say?"
"Put an end to this once and for all?"
"Hmm..."
"Perhaps. If I truly unleash the Stellaron's power, Belobog will enter a brand-new era. That would count as..."
"Putting an end to this once and for all."
Cocolia murmured in a daze, as if she were falling into a delusion.
"Wait, is the person she's holding...?"
Serval asked from nearby.
Seele looked over at the sound of her voice.
"That's... Bronya?"
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