Was there even a question? Of course, he chose option two.
Ron made his choice without a shred of hesitation. Option one went against Belobog's ancestral traditions. The last person to violate those traditions was Spanjie, who propped up the unchosen child Cyrille as a puppet Supreme Guardian.
The result was a palace coup, and Cyrille went down in history as the infamous [The Fool].
Thanks to them, Belobog was extremely wary of anyone who tried to become the Supreme Guardian without being chosen by the Architects...
Although this was an emergency, Ron knew that if he dared to pick option one, he would be "suicided" later. How he would die was uncertain, but it would likely be the classic "falling into an armory chest and suffocating."
After all, while the guards followed his command now, their loyalty was fundamentally tied to Bronya's authority... he was far from qualified to become the Supreme Guardian himself.
Option three was the obvious "give up" choice. Given the deteriorating situation, the only possible outcome was the defensive line being breached.
Only option two had any real room to maneuver.
As Ron made his choice, new text gradually appeared on the screen:
[You know that without a Supreme Guardian, the guards' morale will inevitably collapse, and they will be unable to fend off the Fragmentum's invasion.]
[You return military authority to the recovering Captain Gepard Landau, take a small squad of elites yourself, and charge into the Fragmentum without hesitation.]
[Under your leadership, the squad cuts a path through all obstacles. You finally venture deep into the Fragmentum and see a familiar figure.]
An image materialized on the screen—
On the frozen tundra, the ice-sealed forms of the Anti-Matter Legion stood like silent statues.
And between these statues, Bronya, severely corroded by the Fragmentum, was fleeing with a limp. A strange, floating humanoid figure pursued her from behind, its staff conjuring bolts of lightning that turned the snow around her into scorched earth crackling with electric arcs.
Bronya had failed to find Cocolia Rand, but she had found a bizarre phantom of a person, one that carried the residual aura of an ancient Supreme Guardian.
Under the phantom's assault, Bronya's life hung by a thread.
This was a phantom manifested by the Stellaron's power, carrying out its will to expand the Fragmentum.
The Guardian's Shadow was one of the strangest and most powerful creations within the Fragmentum. Typically, only those who had walked their Path for a long time—Pathstriders—had the ability to fight it.
For a commander like Ron, who possessed only leadership skills and had not yet set foot on a Path, facing it was nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
But Ron did not turn and flee.
"Take Commander Bronya and go. Leave the rear guard to me."
The rescue squad was weary from their journey. Ron's halberd cleaved through the deep snow as he planted himself in front of the Guardian's Shadow.
"Then... what will happen to you?" Bronya asked him.
The only reply she received was the muffled sound of Ron adjusting his helmet.
"I've been deep in the Fragmentum. Without the protection of the Amber Lord's power, I'm already severely corroded."
His tone was full of a casual acceptance. "Either way, it's death. I might as well make it a heroic one."
"Leave the rest to me!"
"But you..."
Bronya wanted to say more, but the guards forcibly dragged her away. As she left, her eyes remained fixed on Ron.
She saw him stand before the Guardian's Shadow, unmoving like a mountain.
The halberd in his hands split the lightning, and he weaved between the golden arrows of light.
Deep purple arcs of electricity danced across Ron's body. Projectiles pierced his flesh.
A hero was about to meet his end.
The image faded.
[You ventured deep into the Fragmentum and found the Supreme Guardian's heir, Bronya.]
[To ensure her safety, you chose to have your elite squad take her, who was deeply corroded by the Fragmentum, away while you stayed behind to cover their retreat.]
[The power of the Guardian's Shadow was not to be underestimated. You fought with all your might, but you could only slow its advance.]
[You successfully saved Bronya but left yourself behind in the Fragmentum.]
[After your death, Bronya's return restored the morale of the guards, and hope was rekindled.]
[However, Bronya had been in the Fragmentum for too long. She was gravely injured and severely corroded.]
[Not long after your death, she too was completely annihilated by the Fragmentum.]
[In the same month, Cocolia, assimilated by the Stellaron, returned from the Fragmentum. Belobog's defensive line collapsed in an instant. The light of the Preservation was about to be extinguished on this planet.]
[With the world about to end, the lockdown between the Overworld and Underworld was lifted. Seele led the "Wildfire" organization out of the Underworld and launched a final counterattack.]
[Wildfire's counterattack failed.]
[Destruction embraced this cold world.]
[Game Over.]
"Can't win, huh..."
Ron's teeth ached a little.
It turned out he wasn't some all-powerful master. Being able to pull a defensive line together in a crisis was probably thanks to his affinity stat. He'd spent the entire two years of this simulation just socializing, so his personal affinity was maxed out.
But as for combat prowess... he felt he was no match for Geppie.
Being able to hold off the Guardian's Shadow in the simulation was likely him performing at 200% capacity. Dying in the Fragmentum was a reasonable outcome.
"Whatever. I'll note down this trap and be more careful in the next simulation..."
Ron sighed. He had prepared for everything, but he had forgotten the deep mother-daughter bond between Bronya and Cocolia.
Even though Bronya had agreed to the coup, at most she only wanted to replace Cocolia to salvage the situation. Her feelings for her mother were still very deep.
The moment Cocolia pulled some stunt, Bronya was bound to run into trouble. This time was a profound lesson.
"Damn it, one misstep leads to eternal regret. I threw away a winning game..."
Ron was full of remorse, but the game was over. The settlement screen had already popped up.
[Your score for this life simulation is: 60.]
[In the 2180th Amber Era, 37th month, the Armed Archaeology Division of the Intelligentsia Guild excavated the ruined planet of Jarilo-VI after it had been feasted upon by the Anti-Matter Legion.]
[Buried beneath the grey dust and snow, ancient artifacts were unearthed and sent to the Interastral Peace Corporation.]
[The Corporation shared the artifact data with the Herta Space Station, where one document was archived by [Herta: Luster Casket Division] and lost within the sea of files—]
["Under the influence of the Stellaron, Jarilo-VI ultimately fell into the hands of [Destruction], no different from the other planets in the sea of stars that became brilliant fireworks under the Anti-Matter Legion's assault."]
["However, the artifacts buried in the gloom have revealed to us the resistance waged by the civilization on this planet for the sake of its survival—"]
["Under the leadership of Commander Ron, the soldiers received the blessing of the Amber Lord and, for a time, held the defensive line..."]
["But no one knows why the situation on this planet suddenly took a drastic turn for the worse. It is only known that Commander Ron inexplicably died in the Fragmentum, and with him, the light of the Preservation was extinguished."]
["Another star's flame has been snuffed out by [Destruction]. How are we to face our own future?"]
["The author is filled with sorrow, but I ask any department member who reads this document to join me in paying tribute."]
["To the resistors, to the heroes."]
The text on the screen dissolved as if washed away by water, and a trait glowing with a deep purple light materialized upon it:
[You have obtained the trait: Will of the Preservation (Purple)]
[Will of the Preservation: The spark of Preservation clears the fog before you. You have glimpsed the golden, headless colossus building its wall in the boundless cosmos. The brilliant crystal wall glimmers with the sparks of civilization. All darkness surges outside the wall but is powerless to consume it.]
[Upon equipping this trait, you will set foot on the Path of the Preservation and become a Pathstrider.]
This was truly a timely blessing...
Ron equipped the trait without hesitation.
The reason the last simulation ended in tragedy was, at its core, because Ron wasn't strong enough to fight.
The difference in power between a Pathstrider and a mortal was like a chasm. If he had become a Pathstrider during the simulation, the outcome would surely have been different...
"I refuse to believe it. How can I still lose after equipping this trait?"
Ron tapped the screen.
"One more round!"