Chapter 69: What Is This 'You'll Regret This, Supreme Guardian' Plot?
After parting ways with the Astral Express Crew, Leon folded space itself, his figure blurring into the void before reappearing inside the grand, imposing halls of Qlipoth Fort.
He wasn't the least bit worried about how the Trailblazers were faring. Compared to the original timeline, this crew was absolutely stacked. Not only did they have Stelle, but Welt Yang was personally overseeing their progress. With the seasoned Trailblazer handling the diplomacy, their inevitable clash and subsequent communication with Gepard would flow much smoother than before.
Sitting back and watching the show unfold was a fantastic feeling.
The real problem loomed right here in the icy heart of Belobog: Cocolia.
Should he play the patient observer, letting the Express Crew slowly chip away at the frozen city's secrets until they saved Belobog according to the original script? Or should he flip the board and intervene early?
Originally, Leon had planned to sit back, eat some popcorn, and wait for the grand finale. He would step in right at the climax, right as Cocolia was about to perish alongside the Stellaron, and snatch her from the jaws of death. Then, he would publicly broadcast her merits and her sins to the entirety of Belobog, forcing her to atone by living as a sinner bound to the land. Letting Cocolia live wasn't necessarily a bad move for the city's future.
Bronya and Seele were far too pure-hearted. Every nation cast a shadow, and Belobog had its fair share of restless, corrupt nobles lurking in the Overworld. Those dark, under-the-table dealings weren't suited for the bright future Supreme Guardian or the fiery Underworlder to handle personally. But Cocolia? A woman who had walked through the abyss, faced judgment, and sought atonement? She would be perfect for the job. She could become the 'Root' hidden beneath Belobog's light...
Wait, was he crossing over into another anime's plotline?
Leon paused, shaking his head. Those were his original thoughts, anyway. Now, he had changed his mind.
Waiting for Stelle and the others to grind through the plot step by step? Who had the time for that? It was much more efficient to just kick the door down.
Thus, Leon bypassed the heavily guarded perimeter and teleported straight into the Supreme Guardian's office. The moment his boots touched the polished floor, the echoes of a heated argument assaulted his ears.
"Mother, you cannot continue to go your own way like this!" Bronya's voice rang out, laced with an uncontrollable, desperate agitation. "Forcing the front lines forward is simply sending the Silvermane Guards to their deaths!"
"Bronya, I am the Supreme Guardian!" Cocolia's response was sharp, cold, and utterly unyielding.
"Mother, you will regret this!" Bronya spun on her heel, her fists clenched in fury. She yanked the heavy oak doors open, fully prepared to storm out of the office.
Bang!
The heavy doors slammed shut.
Leon blinked from his hiding spot in the void. 'Crap, I was thinking so hard I actually hallucinated that scene. How did the classic 'You'll regret this, Kage' trope even pop out here?'
"She's right, you know. You really are going to regret this, Cocolia."
Leon's voice echoed through the vast office, casual and dripping with amusement. He stepped out of the spatial rift, his tall figure gradually manifesting from thin air.
"Who are you? What are you doing here..."
The first to react wasn't the seasoned Supreme Guardian, but the young heir. Bronya instantly shifted her stance, stepping directly in front of her adoptive mother. She gripped her bayoneted rifle tightly, her sharp eyes locking onto the uninvited guest with intense hostility.
Seeing Bronya's slender back shielding her without a second of hesitation, Cocolia felt a sudden, painful warmth bloom in her chest. Yet, that fleeting affection only hardened her resolve. It made her even more committed to the 'New World' the Stellaron had promised her. Only by believing in that inevitable future could this dying world—and her daughter—have a glimmer of hope.
[Don't talk nonsense, or I'll sue you for slander!]
Cocolia blinked, her cold facade cracking for a fraction of a second. '...What?'
Hearing the crystal-clear, panicked voice echoing in her mind, Cocolia was completely stunned. For years, the Stellaron's whispers had been a blurred, low, seductive hum. But now? It sounded like someone screaming through a megaphone.
Cocolia instantly realized that the situation had spiraled violently out of her control. She might have been bewitched by the Cancer of All Worlds, but being corrupted didn't mean her intelligence had evaporated. Her mind was still razor-sharp.
[Isn't it obvious that things aren't simple?!]
The Stellaron was currently weeping metaphorical tears of blood. The absolute second Leon had materialized in the room, he had locked onto its exact coordinates. It couldn't even sever the connection to flee if it wanted to. But what truly made the cosmic entity want to wet itself in terror was the suffocating aura radiating from the smiling man.
Normal humans couldn't sense Leon's true nature. Logically, even a Stellaron shouldn't have been able to perceive the sheer, terrifying weight of his existence. But Leon was deliberately funneling his pressure directly onto the golden sphere lodged in the city's depths. It was the equivalent of unleashing a full-powered Conqueror's Haki squarely onto the Stellaron's consciousness.
[Holy crap, what kind of monstrous setup is this?!] the Stellaron wailed internally. [Am I even worthy of such a grand execution?! Astral Express Crew, come quickly! Please, I'm begging you, come seal me! Take me in! My brothers and sisters, the Stelles of different parents, come and take me away! This child is terrified!]
Leon listened to the Stellaron's pathetic internal monologue, his eye twitching. 'Good grief...''No, Stellaron, you shouldn't be acting like this! You are the Cancer of All Worlds! You're supposed to continue bewitching Cocolia! You need to be unyielding unto death, absolutely insisting on dragging her to the New World! Then, I can dramatically grab you and refine you into a weapon in an instant! A Stellaron acting like a scared puppy is completely unqualified for the villain role!'
If the Stellaron could hear Leon's internal complaints, it probably would have roared back: [I might not be human, but you are a real dog! Is this the reason you're crushing me with this terrifying pressure?!]
Leon refocused his attention on the two women. Seeing Bronya guarding Cocolia wasn't surprising in the least. A mysterious man appearing out of thin air inside the heavily fortified Qlipoth Fort—without triggering a single alarm from the Silvermane Guards—would make anyone deeply suspicious., compared to a complete stranger, it was only natural for Bronya to place her absolute trust in her adoptive mother.
"Bronya, your instincts are spot on," Leon said, his tone casual as he strolled forward. "Cocolia is deliberately sending those soldiers to their deaths. She wants them to fall so they can transform into Fragmentum monsters and march toward the so-called 'New World' the Stellaron keeps whispering about."
To back up his claim, Leon reached into the void and pulled out a massive, burning weapon. The Lance of the Supreme Guardian.
He had spotted the legendary artifact while passing by the frozen plains and simply decided to pick it up along the way. Finders keepers! He figured he could just toss it back when Stelle and Caelus actually needed it for their boss fight. He would have to duplicate a copy by then anyway.
Or... maybe he could spice things up? Leon's mind began to wander, pondering the idea of duplicating the Judgment of Shamash. If he did that, Stelle could take the fiery Lance of Preservation and charge the front lines, while Caelus could wield Shamash and unleash absolute apocalyptic destruction. It made perfect sense. Even the dramatic voice lines would match up perfectly. How incredibly logical!
As for Old Yang sighing in despair at the sight of that cursed weapon... well, what was there to sigh about?
Welt: 'Is this really logical?'Leon:'How could this not be logical?'
"The Lance of the Supreme Guardian!" Bronya gasped, her eyes widening in absolute shock at the sight of the blazing token.
To lift that lance meant receiving the direct gaze and recognition of Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation. A seed of trust instantly took root in her heart, but she still couldn't bring herself to turn her weapon against her mother based on a stranger's words alone.
"It can't be... The Stellaron? Mother...?" Bronya slowly turned her head, looking at Cocolia with pleading eyes, desperately longing to hear a firm denial.
Instead, Cocolia threw her head back. "Hahahaha! That's right, Bronya, my dear daughter!"
"Belobog has long since lost its future! All of us will meet again in the glorious New World! Hahahaha—!"
The moment the maniacal laughter left her lips, Cocolia violently slapped both hands over her own mouth, her eyes bulging in sheer, unadulterated horror.
"Mother! You..." Bronya stumbled back, the bayoneted rifle dipping as her world shattered.
Cocolia's mind was racing, panic clawing at her throat. 'What is going on?! How did I just say everything I was thinking out loud?!'
She ripped her hands away from her mouth and glared at Leon with murderous intent. "This is your doing, isn't it?!"
She had never intended to show her hand this early. Every single one of her careful plans had been completely derailed by this smiling lunatic. She had planned to keep Bronya in the dark, slowly guiding her until the time was ripe for a confession. She knew her daughter's stubborn, righteous heart too well; revealing the truth now would guarantee Bronya's absolute rejection.
But Leon's sudden intrusion, coupled with whatever twisted power he had just used to force her mouth open, left her with zero room to hide.
Deep within the city, the Stellaron whimpered. [Sigh... say whatever you want, but please stop glaring at him! I'm terrified I'm going to become collateral damage!]
It was completely over.
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