Capítulo 5: Behind him is Beloberg!
"Is it failing..."
Bronya watched the scenes unfolding on the screen, the Life Simulation Game clearing the fog of war and revealing a full map.
The screen showed a depiction of Belobog, but the sense of safety the city usually conveyed was completely gone.
Countless red dots surged from the rift, threatening to engulf Belobog like a tidal wave.
The blue dots representing the Silvermane Guards dwindled under the onslaught of red, and the defense line was on the verge of collapse.
"As expected, my abilities are still too weak..."
Bronya sighed. She had put in all her effort, carefully making choices in the simulation to find a way to protect Belobog.
But the end had still come to this... The army had collapsed, unable to fight anymore. Despite her best efforts to strategize and command, she couldn't stop the rift creatures' advance.
Oh well... I can always start another run.
This failure was a lesson, and she would need to consider more factors in the next simulation...
Bronya shook her head, no longer concerned with the success or failure of this simulation, and clicked the screen to let the game continue—
[October: Rift creatures are about to breach the gates, and the defense line is on the verge of collapse.]
[You are unable to command the army and completely give up.]
[That same month, your personal guard Ron takes command of the frontline troops.]
A point of blue light suddenly brightened on the global map on the screen.
This small blue light, in a sea of encroaching red, seemed like a flickering candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished.
Yet it steadfastly held the situation, even slowly expanding, eventually stabilizing Belobog's defense line.
The rift creatures, like a swarm of bees, could not penetrate this seemingly fragile line.
"What is... this?"
Bronya was slightly stunned as new text appeared on the screen:
[Ron, understanding that the situation had reached an irreparable point, decided to take a desperate gamble to find a sliver of hope.]
[Facing the rift creatures about to breach the city, he decisively destroyed the connecting bridge, temporarily halting their advance.]
[Belobog gained a brief respite.]
[He swiftly rallied the fleeing remnants and organized a combat-ready force.]
The text faded, replaced by a new image—
The Silvermane Guards stood in neat formation in the square, the cold winter sun reflecting off their battered armor.
Their armor, covered in the scars of battle, bore the marks of the rift. Yet, the fear had long vanished from these soldiers' hearts.
Their fervent gazes focused on Ron, clad in a tattered officer's armor, standing on a hastily erected platform, raising his arm in a rallying cry—
"We have already stepped into the storm, and this battle is unavoidable."
"The world may be vast, but we have nowhere to retreat—"
"Behind us is Belobog!"
The soldiers echoed his cry, their eyes burning with determination.
"In the name of Preservation!"
Their shouts of conviction echoed through the sky.
The image faded, and more text appeared:
[Under Ron's command, the Silvermane Guards strengthened their belief in Preservation.]
[They glimpsed a fragment of fate, and though they had yet to become Pathstriders, they gained some strength from it.]
[The rift creatures finally broke through the gates, but under Ron's command and Preservation's blessing, the remnants fought with all their might, miraculously holding the line.]
Bronya's eyes widened in shock, her pupils dilating.
"Even in such a dire situation, Ron can resolve it..."
For a moment, she had a new understanding of the "ability to solve any problem" described in Ron's character card.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Seeing the text on the screen, Ron couldn't help but smile confidently.
What else is there to say? Victory!
This gamble on fate had led Ron to foresee a major win in the simulation.
While rift creatures were strange, they were not immortal—if killed, they would dissipate into light dust within the rift, as if they had never existed.
Though the rift would continue to replicate these bizarre creatures, it would take time.
As long as Ron maintained the defense line, the rift creatures' offensive would weaken over time, granting Belobog much-needed respite.
Once the situation stabilized and he secured command of the frontline troops, overthrowing Cocolia would be straightforward—what chance would she have to resist?
Then, leading 300 axemen into Klipperfort, Ron could drag Cocolia down and ensure she realized the folly of her ways.
What good is that damned Stellaron? Always obsessing over your "new world" instead of Belobog's welfare? Enough already!
Ron was already preparing how to deal with Cocolia once he kicked her butt.
...His confidence held until the front-line updates on the screen stopped and other text appeared.
[November: You successfully stabilized the frontline situation, and the rift creatures are temporarily unable to invade Belobog.]
[In the same month, High Guardian Cocolia issued eighteen urgent orders, commanding the frontline troops to launch a counterattack against the rift.]
[However, you discarded these orders as waste paper and did not follow any of them.]
[The same month, High Guardian Cocolia rushed to the front line, broke through the guards' defenses, and entered the rift alone.]
[Upon hearing this, Silvermane Guard Leader Bronya insisted on entering the rift to find the High Guardian, despite others' attempts to stop her.]
[You lost contact with them.]
Ron was stunned—what is this mess now?
Seeing the text on the screen, he rolled his eyes and almost fainted from anger.
Ron could guess with his feet why Cocolia went into the rift—
In Everwinter Ridge, there was a containment device for capturing the Stellaron, built by the Interastral Peace Corporation and the Builders.
However, at that time, the corporation's technology was not advanced enough to capture the Stellaron freely, and the Stellaron containment project failed, leaving a creation engine and the Stellaron containment device in Everwinter Ridge... along with the Stellaron.
Under the Stellaron's influence, Cocolia had long abandoned the path of Preservation, turning instead to Destruction—she harbored delusional fantasies about the new world the Stellaron would bring.
For years, she had worked tirelessly to weaken Belobog's forces, with more than half of the Silvermane Guards likely having perished under her direct command in suicidal battles... This counterattack against the rift was probably another such attempt.
In her mind, this would likely result in the remaining Silvermane Guards being wiped out, leaving the Builders defenseless against the Stellaron's invasion.
Then, Belobog could fully embrace Destruction, and she could usher in her "new world"... But Ron was simply too capable, practically a super prodigy.
With Ron, a super god-tier card, at the helm, he managed to save Belobog from the brink of disaster.
The Guards held the line, and the rift creatures couldn't invade Belobog, pushing the "new world" further away.
In desperation, Cocolia likely went to retrieve the Stellaron herself, intending to take matters into her own hands... Ron guessed she entered the rift for this purpose.
But if she went, she went—going crazy with the Stellaron might just mean an extra boss for Ron to deal with. But why did Bronya follow her to die?
Was it some kind of deep mother-daughter bond, sacrificing herself as well? Did she have to be this filial, Duck?
Ron was momentarily at a loss for how to react.
The text on the screen continued to refresh—
[Although you immediately sealed off the news, it gradually spread, and eventually everyone knew.]
[With the High Guardian and her heir both venturing into the rift and losing contact, the Guards' morale plummeted.]
[The Guard's defensive line gradually weakened, and occasionally, rift creatures broke through the defense, invading the logistics area.]
[Though these monsters were quickly eliminated, the worsening situation revealed a harsh truth to you—]
[The High Guardian is Belobog's last line of defense. The entire city looks up to the High Guardian, holding unrealistic fantasies about them.]
[Without a High Guardian, the Guards, knowing they have lost their leader, will eventually lose their fighting spirit, and the defense line will collapse, becoming irreparable.]
[Facing this crisis, you decide—]
[1. Temporarily take the throne. If they can be High Guardians, so can I, Ron!]
[2. Launch a rescue mission, entering the rift to save Bronya or Cocolia, and rallying the troops.]
[3. Maintain the status quo, letting events unfold while continuing to command the Guards against the rift as usual.]
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