Bai Heng, Bronya.
Everyone in the live stream had witnessed the journey of these two.
Unlike the previous tale where the star and the firefly were lost in mutual affection, this story saw neither Bronya nor Bai Heng ever baring their hearts to one another.
Yet even so, as spectators, they could keenly sense the subtle nuances between the two.
Bronya's rare smiles were always sparked by Bai Heng's actions, and Bai Heng's deeds were invariably carried out with Bronya in mind.
No matter what, none of them wished to see these two meet the ending that Sparkle had described.
But there was nothing to be done—they were merely an audience, able only to bear witness to what was to come. The most they could do was hope for even the slightest change in the outcome.
[In the 726th year of the After Fortification Era, on the 4th of May, the 20th Supreme Guardian, Bronya Rand, who had been unable to complete her succession due to a military coup, escaped from the Guardian's Residence where she had been confined and vanished into the night, disappearing into the Great Elevator—once connected to the Underworld but now sealed.]
[That same month, as the Emperor of Belobog's First Empire, you issued several decrees since taking the throne. You disclosed the existence of the Stellaron to the public, informing them of its immense dangers, while also promoting a group of scholars who had previously been driven away from Stellaron research by Cocolia's persecution, restarting the study of the Stellaron.]
[Beyond that, you vigorously advanced research into automaton soldiers, as well as the excavation and restoration of ancient technology. You implemented large-scale military conscription and raised taxes.]
[It seemed you aimed to forge Belobog into a mighty steel empire to confront the enemies yet to come.]
[That same month, the former Supreme Guardian successor, Bronya Rand, witnessed the dire state of the Underworld. Its people lived on the edge, threatened by Fragmentum creatures and struggling with hunger—merely surviving to see another day was their only hope for the future.]
[There, after various twists and turns, Bronya was introduced by Wildfire member Seele to the leader of the organization, Natasha.]
[Due to your autocratic rule, several officials began voicing strong dissent, but under your arrangements, they were swallowed by the darkness in the dead of night.]
[At the same time, rising taxes fueled growing public discontent. The people longed for someone to stand against it all, only to realize in shock that those who should have stepped forward had already faded from sight, vanishing without a trace.]
[You had seized complete control of Belobog. For your iron-fisted methods, the people bestowed upon you the title "One-Armed Dictator."]
[It was on the very night this title emerged that Silvermane Guards secretary Pela Sergeyevna used covert means to descend to the Underworld.]
[As time passed, the Stellaron research team delved deeper into the archives and materials left by the Architects, growing increasingly knowledgeable about the Stellaron. They discovered that perhaps a special device could be used to block the Stellaron's influence on Belobog.]
[This sense of crisis provoked the Stellaron. In the depth of a silent night, its seductive voice whispered in your ear.]
[It promised you a bright future—a resurgence of Jarilo-VI's prosperity from 700 years ago, all with its aid.]
[You tore away its hypocritical mask, coldly refuting its temptations. In retaliation, you were attacked by the Stellaron. An endless tide of malice flooded your mind, but thanks to the trait "Fortitude," you remained utterly unaffected. You even smiled and remarked on the Stellaron's actions: 'Pathetic rage.']
[In November of the same year, under Bronya's command, Wildfire successfully reclaimed Rivet Town, a key passage in the Underworld, reopening access to the Great Mine and resolving the imminent shortage of Geomarrow.]
[By December of that year, after months of relentless effort, Bronya, now a high-ranking member of Wildfire, integrated the Robot Settlement and the Vagrant Camp, unifying all factions in the Underworld.]
[In February of the 727th year of the After Fortification Era, witnessed by all the people of the Underworld, Bronya assumed the role of leader of Wildfire from Natasha. The people looked upon her with undisguised hope, while key figures like Seele, Clara, and Natasha offered their approval.]
[In May of the 727th year of the After Fortification Era, Wildfire leader Bronya decided to launch a counterattack on the Overworld, intending to end its exploitation of the Underworld and halt the tyranny of the "One-Armed Dictator" over the upper city.]
--+--
As the subtitles appeared, everyone in the live stream felt their hearts sink.
They realized—
The ending they had dreaded was finally here.
The Underworld of Belobog's First Empire, Boulder Town.
After a full year, this place had undergone a dramatic transformation.
The filthy, dilapidated streets had been cleaned up entirely, with no trace of the past desolation left.
Now, at the central training grounds of Boulder Town, a massive army stood ready, each soldier wearing a bright red ribbon tied around their arm.
Before them stood Bronya, draped in the Supreme Guardian's cloak, a red ribbon also tied around her arm. She stood firm, leaning on her rifle.
Gone was the hesitation that often clouded her delicate features when she first arrived in the Underworld a year ago. In its place was a confidence that radiated from within, and the resolute gleam in her silver-gray eyes felt deeply familiar to everyone in the live stream.
For a moment, they almost thought it wasn't Bronya standing there, but the man who had once led the Silvermane Guards to hold back the tide of Fragmentum creatures on the snow plains outside the city.
Taking a deep breath, Bronya looked out at everyone before her, her clear voice carrying an air of unwavering authority:
"Even moths in the darkness yearn for the light—longing for the blue sky is the right of every one of us!"
"Today marks the beginning of a new era!"
As her words faded, before the Wildfire army could erupt into thunderous cheers, a violent tremor—without the slightest warning—ripped from the Overworld down into the depths below.
A red light flashing in his eyes, the ancient automaton prototype, Svarog, arrived at a conclusion.
He turned to Bronya and succinctly uttered four words:
"The Stellaron has erupted."
--+--
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.