[Seeing Svarog gaining the upper hand, suddenly a grenade accurately exploded at his feet, interrupting his next move.]
["Oh my—how can anyone fight without a doctor present?" Natasha and Sampo suddenly appeared.]
["Nat? How did you..." Seele was pleasantly surprised.]
["'When words don't agree, half a sentence is too many'—this must be what they mean, right? Thanks to old Sampo's preparations." Sampo flirtatiously flipped his hair.]
[Still, having a healer... was reassuring.]
With Natasha joining the fight, the group no longer held back against Svarog. Finally, after a fierce battle, Svarog was ultimately defeated. After all, he was facing the Galaxy Batting Champion who could tank a Doomsday Beast's laser, Cold Dragon Young, the little pink dragon, and... the strongest head-mounted launcher in the Underworld.]
[Seeing Svarog sparking and smoking, unable to continue fighting, Natasha was about to finish him off, but Clara rushed out and stood in front of Svarog.]
[Faced with Clara's tearful eyes, Natasha couldn't bring herself to attack further.]
["Mr. Svarog... please don't push yourself anymore. Can you tell everyone what you know? You said you'd fulfill every wish of mine, right? Clara's biggest wish now is for everyone to come together, like... like family."]
["During this time, Clara learned one thing—the results of [calculations] don't always bring happiness."]
["Even if the world outside the cage isn't beautiful, people still want to stick their heads out and see it."]
[Faced with Clara's plea, Svarog finally agreed to Stelle and the others' request, willing to release information about the Stellaron and no longer guard the core.]
["Data access approved. Now playing."]
[As his voice fell, the light on Svarog's head turned blue, projecting an image in mid-air.]
[The projection showed two figures conversing—one was a researcher studying the Stellaron, and the other was the Supreme Guardian. From their conversation, it was revealed that the one who activated the Stellaron, plunging the planet into the Eternal Freeze, was none other than the great Alisa Rand!]
[But once this news spread, it would inevitably shake the people's faith. Left with no choice, they had to conceal it.]
[To disclose this information, the researchers would first need to find a way to completely destroy the Stellaron.]
[But this seemingly simple goal consumed untold amounts of time for Belobog's researchers, yet yielded no results... Left with no choice, they could only seal away their findings, letting them sink into the depths of time.]
"I've heard Mr. Yang and Miss Himeko mention that Stellarons are tumors spread across worlds by the Aeons. Now that I see it, it's indeed true."
"The power of an Aeon is truly beyond mortal comprehension. Cloud Retainer, if the Stellaron were placed in your hands, would you be interested in trying?"
At the stone table atop Mt. Aocang, a dark-hued mystical deer raised its head, its golden-glowing eyes carrying a hint of amusement as it gazed at the tall, elegant young woman before it.
"Moon Carver... you old fool, no need to test this one. If a Stellaron were truly placed before me, of course I'd be willing to try."
As she spoke, Cloud Retainer adjusted her red half-rim glasses and proudly lifted her chin.
Her posture—eyes closed, head raised—formed a straight line from her chin to the tassels at her collar, her snow-white neck contrasting beautifully with the sheer black fabric over her chest, her beauty transcending mortal form.
"Cloud Retainer, could your mechanisms actually affect a Stellaron?" Mountain Shaper asked curiously.
"How could mortal mechanisms compare to those of an adeptus?" Cloud Retainer sipped her tea leisurely. "Though the Stellaron is a creation of the Aeons... it is not an Aeon itself. Even that little girl Stelle can contain it with her body—why couldn't I?"
"Yet mortals were able to create Svarog. Cloud Retainer, could your mechanisms produce something like him?" Moon Carver mused, seemingly finding the thought amusing.
"That tin man seemed quite formidable... holding his own against five opponents at once. Cloud Retainer, your mechanisms should be capable of that, no?"
The confident expression on Cloud Retainer's face stiffened slightly.
"O-of course...! But that hunk of metal is beneath this one's notice!" She discreetly wiped the sweat from her brow, took a deep breath, and tried to maintain her composure.
"This isn't the Archon War anymore. What use is creating things for slaughter? My [Wind-Skimming Snowboarding Divine Mechanism] and [Culinary Divine Mechanism] are both exquisitely crafted—far more practical than that tin man!"
"The mechanical settlement is covered in snow—perfect for the [Wind-Skimming Snowboarding Divine Mechanism]. If Clara doesn't eat properly, my [Culinary Divine Mechanism] can solve that... And if danger arises, I have my improved Guizhong Ballistas—every settler could have one. Who needs Svarog?"
"Uh..."
Moon Carver fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Cloud Retainer, after all that, I think you just can't make a Svarog, can you?"
"N-nonsense!"
Exposed, Cloud Retainer's face turned red. She clenched her teeth and argued, "I simply choose not to make him... choose not to! Matters of the adepti—how could it be called 'can't'?"
What followed were more incomprehensible phrases like "adeptal energy-driven" and "certified by the Prime of the Adepti," causing Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper to laugh heartily. Mt. Aocang was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
——
[In the projection, Bronya was deeply shaken after seeing the truth, staggering as if her world had plunged into darkness.]
["Setting aside fragmented details, the conclusion is this—the higher-ups of this world, including the Guardian herself, have long known that the [Stellaron] is the source of the disaster. But for the sake of the city's stability, they chose to conceal the truth, and the secret research to destroy the Stellaron ended in failure." Dan Heng calmly stated the reason for Bronya's anguish.]
[Bronya couldn't understand—since her mother knew the dangers of the Stellaron, why did she react with such hostility when March 7th and Dan Heng claimed they could resolve the crisis?]
[...There was no way her mother didn't understand Belobog's peril.]
"They used the Stellaron to cause the Eternal Freeze—why would they do that?" Akame was still confused after watching.
Earlier, Gepard had mentioned that the Architects built Belobog long before the Eternal Freeze arrived, preserving the last embers of civilization on the planet.
At first, she found it strange how the Architects could have built Belobog in advance, as if they had foreseen the Eternal Freeze.
But now they knew... the Eternal Freeze was their own doing. Of course they knew!
"Releasing the Eternal Freeze is suicide. Why..."
"Akame, do you remember that before the Eternal Freeze, this planet was also invaded by the Antimatter Legion? If they hadn't activated the Stellaron to unleash the Eternal Freeze, civilization would have been wiped out then and there." Najenda sighed.
"Releasing the Eternal Freeze might have bought them time to save themselves, even if it was just a desperate struggle."
...A desperate measure indeed.