[On that frozen land forgotten by the cosmos, two rebels raised their banner of defiance and embarked on a path of salvation, their actions composing a hymn of deliverance.]
[They drew the gaze of an ancient deity, bathing the earth once more in the golden radiance of Preservation.]
[They ignited the people's thirst for life, rallying them to strike back against the endless hordes spewing from the Fragmentum.]
--+--
Kiana: 「That was epic! The shot of Bronya standing in front of Qlipoth Fort, raising her spear high during her speech! The sense of destiny was just so intense!」
Himeko: 「On that rebirth night four years ago, the girl who watched Mr. Bai Heng defy Cocolia knew nothing of what was to come. But today, she has grown. Now she stands there herself, doing the very same thing Mr. Bai Heng did. It's heartening to see how far she's come.」
Stelle: 「@Bronya, see? You didn't fail Bai Heng at all!」
Sparkle: 「Yeah, yeah~ Her score's finally gone from 0/21/0 to 0/21/1~ How wonderful, just wonderful~」
Silver Wolf: 「As touching as it is to see them fighting side by side, sorry, all I feel is the relief of finally seeing a newbie account get properly leveled up....」
--+--
The live chat buzzed with comments.
Truth be told, since the story began, a large portion of the audience, though they never said it out loud, hadn't held much approval for Bronya's role in these events.
The reason was simple.
As the successor to lead a nation, she was far too immature.
She lacked the strong conviction and decisiveness a leader should possess, and she hadn't found a way to redeem her people from despair.
Worse, as a successor, she seemed only capable of following in someone else's footsteps.
By any measure, Bronya Rand was falling short.
But today, after witnessing the scenes that played out, their opinion of her shifted, if only slightly.
Even if she was still tracing the path Bai Heng had walked, at least she had grown.
And that was something to be happy about, truly.
--+--
As the discussion died down, everyone's attention returned to the screen.
Belobog, the Outlying Snow Plains.
A ragtag 'army'—not even fully composed of Silvermane Guards—arrived and witnessed a scene that shook them to their core.
It was a hellish landscape of absolute desperation.
Crimson blood stained the snowy plain everywhere, dyeing the pure white expanse with patch after patch of dark red.
Fragmentum creatures dissolved into dust upon death, so all that remained were the mangled remains bearing the Silvermane Guard insignia.
They had held the line to their last breath, stopping the Fragmentum onslaught right at the edge of the camp in the snowy outskirts.
No one could imagine the ferocity of the battle that had raged here.
Taking it all in, a flicker of grief passed through Bronya's eyes, then vanished like a wisp of wind.
She knew now was not the time to stop and mourn the fallen Guards.
With decisive clarity, she ordered Captain Gepard to lead a squad of the best-equipped soldiers to reinforce the ongoing fight, while she took another team to search for survivors.
It had to be admitted—the silver-haired turbo-duck had genuinely grown.
Compared to before, the confusion in her eyes had lessened, replaced by a resolve reminiscent of Bai Heng's.
Yet within that resolve now lingered a distinct trace of worry.
Her gaze swept across the icy plain, searching for something.
That figure—the one she had always chased.
Passing by one Silvermane Guard corpse after another, Bronya's expression grew graver, her unease mounting with every step.
"If it's him… he would have followed my orders…"
Muttering this seemingly irrational thought, she forcibly suppressed the anxiety swelling inside her.
Finally, after what felt like an aimless search, she spotted a familiar figure standing before a frozen statue.
Bai Heng—the man she regarded as her mentor, the goal she tirelessly pursued.
There he stood, motionless. But unlike his usual upright posture, he was hunched over, barely supported by the war axe in his hand.
The snow at his feet was stained a dark red with blood. Several horrifying wounds marred his powerful frame, the blood within already dried to a brownish crust.
Her silver-gray eyes widened slowly; a wave of dread exploded in Bronya's heart.
The usual composure vanished from her delicate features. The pace of her military boots quickened visibly. A mere few dozen meters felt endlessly long.
So long that it seemed if she slowed even a second, the life of the man before her would slip forever beyond her grasp.
At last, Bronya reached Bai Heng. Suppressing her ragged breath, she carefully, gently pressed her ear against his chest, straining to hear any sign of life.
But…
All she heard was the howling wind and a deathly silence.
Her right hand fell limply to her side. The girl slowly bowed her head, a single tear tracing the curve of her cheek.
In the live stream, everyone stared silently at the scene.
From Bronya's reaction, they had their answer.
Yet, they still couldn't quite believe it.
To them, a man whose conviction was strong enough to move Preservation itself—his passion should have been poured onto the path leading Belobog toward its future. He shouldn't have fallen here.
But the scene before them felt all too real.
A slow sadness began to permeate the air. Just as everyone instinctively lowered their heads, ready to pay their respects to this hero of the frozen land…
Cough… cough…
A weak cough pulled everyone back from the brink of grief—Bronya included.
Stunned, she watched as Bai Heng suddenly coughed up blood, his heart resuming a faint, delicate beat. For a moment, she was at a complete loss.
Seeing her like this, a tired yet mischievous grin spread across Bai Heng's blood-stained face.
"I've always… wanted to try pulling that off once…"
"Though as a joke… it might've been a bit too cruel…"
"But, Bronya… you kept our promise beautifully."
Tears of sorrow gradually gave way to joy. The silver-haired girl, her hand over her mouth, was about to speak when she noticed…
As a cold gust of wind swept past, where the man's right arm should have been—
There was nothing but empty space.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.