☆ Time Waits for No One, My Friend
Completed.
With that, the Belobog journey drew to a close.
Countless players and streamers collectively let out a deep sigh of relief.
The story had a beginning and an end, no cryptic riddles, progressing layer by layer with joy, weight, and passion.
Sure, it was the classic "dumpling-making" formula, but so what?
As long as everyone enjoyed it, that's what mattered.
Some player communities posted polls to vote on the heaviest moment in the story.
The results were quite surprising.
It wasn't the seven hundred years of darkness in Belobog, nor the helpless struggle for survival in the lower district.
It was… Leon's silent sacrifices.
A simple line—"Don't tell everyone"—shattered the resilience of many low-tear-point players.
Saying Leon definitely wouldn't get knifed now felt like nothing more than self-deception.
Old Toby: "To be honest, Leon reminds me of Genshin's erosion theory."
"His situation is similar to the Seven Archons' erosion, but it's even more pronounced."
"You can see it with your own eyes—Leon's likely to burn himself out for his companions in the future. How far off that future is, no one knows."
"If it's slow, maybe it'll be years later in the grand finale."
"If it's fast… well, let's not jinx it."
"I really like Leon's character. An indisputable real man."
"When you need him to be reliable, unless he's lying dead in front of you, you can always count on him."
"But it's exactly this kind of character that, when knifed, hits you with massive aftershock…"
Old Toby's words resonated deeply with most in the stream, including many male players.
In gacha games, male characters' popularity usually lags several tiers behind female ones.
In extreme cases, ten tiers wouldn't be surprising.
There are plenty of factors at play.
But if the character is well-crafted and likable, male players will still stan male characters.
Like Leon right now.
His faith value skyrocketed.
A long, long time ago, he might've been thrilled for a while, seeing his efforts finally bear fruit.
But after countless years, he'd grown numb to it.
He wasn't joking with the system back then—he really planned to slack off.
This was his last cycle, his final round of gathering faith.
When this life ended, no matter the outcome, Leon intended to let himself go.
And let go of the past.
Back when he first became an Emanator of Mercy, he told himself—
I can tell the difference.
But at some point, he started losing that clarity.
The lofty version: Once entangled in cause and effect, how can one stay detached?
The plain version: Floating through the martial world, who doesn't get stabbed?
Whether he could tell or not didn't matter anymore.
With the Belobog arc concluded, the next stop was Penacony.
For now, only he, Himeko, and Welt knew the destination of their next journey. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong along the way.
But if something did, it wouldn't be surprising.
After all—
Life is always full of surprises.
…
Watching the streak of light soar into the sky, Bronya and Seele, who were debating construction plans, fell silent simultaneously, gazing out the window.
Reflecting on these past days, both were overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
Bronya's hand pressed against the glass, her expression softening.
Seele, rare as it was, showed a faint smile, her eyes locked on the streak of light.
"Their journey ahead… it's bound to have plenty of challenges, right?"
"Yeah, maybe even tougher than the future we face."
"But whether it's them or us, we'll never choose to back down."
"Meeting them was our fortune."
"That's the only thing we've agreed on today, for now."
"Heh… I'm pretty good at arguing…"
Seele chuckled lightly, her tone devoid of any hostility, quietly watching the streak of light vanish into the horizon.
On a rooftop near Fort Qlipoth, Sampo rested his arms behind his head, also watching the streak of light.
As the camera shifted to Sampo, countless players suddenly remembered this guy existed.
Since defeating Svarog and leaving the lower district, he hadn't appeared on screen.
They thought he was just a guide, but here he was at the end of the Belobog arc.
"Being a masked fool feels pretty good. Turns out, the Astral Express crew is even more interesting than I imagined!"
"…You like it? For real? Hahaha, what a masterpiece!"
"Surprises? Of course. That man named Leon—I can't see through him."
"But so what? The greatest art in theater is when surprises happen that even the director can't predict!"
"Sounds like something Sparkle would say? Haha, you're such a kidder. The surprises she likes and the ones I like are worlds apart."
"I owe Mr. Leon a big thanks."
"He gives humanity dignity, shines with the brilliance of life, and adds a radiant hue to my play!"
"Joy, unparalleled joy! He's got such taste. If he joined the Tavern…"
"Hahaha, you appreciate him too? Your taste isn't bad either."
"If it were Sparkle, she'd probably jump in and go head-to-head with him, right?"
Countless players and streamers were already drowning in question marks.
Bro, you're starting to seem kinda terrifying…
Many instinctively wondered if Sampo was the mastermind behind Belobog's disaster.
But the more they listened, the less it seemed so.
Keep listening.
"Epsilon? Nah, I'm not ready to leave this place yet. Going to some decadent, pleasure-seeking spot doesn't sound fun."
"Let's wrap it up here. Send my regards to the brothers and sisters at the Tavern—don't forget to tell them—"
"—Tell them to look forward to old Sampo's next act."
"Now, it's time for my curtain call."
At that, Sampo suddenly leaped up, giving a gentlemanly bow directly to the camera.
His next words were even more jaw-dropping.
"This story is dedicated to you, dear audience. Did you find a bit of Elation in it?"
"…If you say no, ah~~ Sampo will be very sad."
☆ Silent Galaxy
Return to the Express.
The task updated, but players barely noticed.
Sampo's apparent fourth-wall-breaking moment hit hard.
[Scared the crap outta me!]
[Holy—buddy, you were hiding that deep?]
[Who's Sparkle?]
[Old Toby, did you play with the Equilibrium Rifle? There's a huge detail—maybe a coincidence, maybe intentional!]
Oh?
Old Toby perked up, quickly asking for details.
After getting the gist, he warped back to the Herta Space Station's Curio Collection Room to find the Equilibrium Rifle.
He opened the team menu, slotted in Leon and Sampo, and interacted with the rifle repeatedly.
[Curio No. 752: Equilibrium Rifle. This gun assigns scores to creatures in its line of sight, though its scoring logic is unclear.]
[The gun's closed eye suddenly opens, spinning wildly for a moment before staring at you with ill intent.]
[Unable to score!]
[The eye spins three times, then widens abruptly, freezes for a moment, and wearily closes again.]