[Your personal guard, Ron, spoke his final words to you.]
[You were panic-stricken, yet you could not stop his steps as he walked towards the Stellaron.]
[In the gloom-shrouded sky, you witnessed the most brilliant firework of your life.]
[Even as Belobog faced an endless, eternal night, your personal guard, Ron, became a firework that lit up the heavens, bringing the dawn to this cold, dark world.]
[Your Affection for Ron has increased dramatically. Your current Affection for Ron is 100 (Cap reached. Exchange Vows of Fate with him to raise the limit).]
[You knelt on the summit of Everwinter Hill. The first warm ray of dawn shone upon you, yet you felt not a sliver of warmth.]
[The severe cold enveloped you. You clutched the fabric over your chest, a heart-tearing pain endlessly radiating from within.]
[Your vision blackened. You bit your lip so hard that blood trickled from the corner of your mouth. Large, silent tears streamed down your face, falling into the snow and turning to ice crystals.]
[Silence fell upon the summit of Everwinter Hill.]
[As the sun set and the bright moon rose, the surging tide of sorrow in your heart subsided.]
[But your heart was covered in scars.]
[Your life had undergone a great change. You were forced to mature.]
[You returned to Belobog and became its nineteenth Supreme Guardian.]
[You swore an oath before the Everwinter Monument, vowing that Belobog will no longer sway in the blizzard and its people will no longer tremble in the winter cold...]
[You truthfully proclaimed everything that happened on Everwinter Hill, telling the citizens of Belobog that Ron was the true hero who brought the dawn, and frankly admitting your own mistakes.]
[Your prestige has declined. Dissonant voices have appeared in Belobog.]
[You heard that the leader of Wildfire, Seele, secretly snuffed out these discordant voices, clearing the obstacles for you.]
[Under your diligent rule and with the full cooperation of the Overworld and Underworld, Belobog has redeveloped the Commercial District reclaimed from the Fragmentum.]
[The peaceful days lasted for several years...]
[Until the last echoes of the Stellaron finally faded, and the perennial ice began to melt under the blazing sun—]
[The minions of Destruction broke free from their frigid prison and once again bared their fangs at Belobog.]
[The flames of war were ignited on Jarilo-VI once more.]
[You commanded the Silvermane Guards to construct a seamless defensive line, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot against the invasion of the Anti-Matter Legion.]
[Seele temporarily led Wildfire, who had been developing the Underworld, back to the Overworld and launched a final resistance against the Anti-Matter Legion.]
[Wildfire's resistance failed.]
[Destruction embraced this cold world.]
[Game Over.]
[To ensure the player's gaming experience, simulation memories have been loaded.]
A flood of heavy memories poured into Bronya's mind. Although she had only spent a year with Ron in this simulation, even shorter than the last, the memories of him were weighty, sinking deep into the bottom of her heart.
Even though time had passed, the firework that had bloomed in the sky was still vivid in her mind's eye.
The flat text and images on the screen could never convey the sheer gravity of what had happened...
Ron's final walk towards the Stellaron was just a simple animation in the game, but in the memory Bronya received, it was a nightmare that would jolt her awake with guilt every night.
She could still remember the utter exhaustion on Ron's face when he arrived on Everwinter Hill to save her;
Remember him standing in front of her, shielding her from the Stellaron, sheltering her from the wind and snow;
Remember when she had grabbed the corner of his clothes, petulantly not wanting him to leave—
Ron had simply looked at her gently, without another word.
And then, with the resolve of one facing death, he had dragged his battered body and, together with that Stellaron, had become a shooting star across the sky.
The reason Ron was so exhausted was all because he had been clearing obstacles for her, solving the problems she had caused, covering for her...
In the end, all of her mistakes combined had forged the terrible outcome of Ron's forced sacrifice.
The heavy memories stirred a great wave in her mind. Two silent streams of clear tears slid down the corners of Bronya's eyes. The same pain she had felt on Everwinter Hill when she saw Ron die for his conviction spread through her chest.
But she was, after all, no longer the person she once was.
"Ron... this time, I will absolutely not fail you again."
"Belobog... let's preserve it together!"
Thinking this silently in her heart, Bronya gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. Her entire being seemed to have changed.
She seemed to have grown colder, and she inexplicably exuded the unique, noble air of a high-ranking person. She had matured a great deal.
Although she looked no different than before, the faint, forced maturity that had belied her naivete had been completely washed away.
The last simulation had changed her too much.
She could now become a worthy Supreme Guardian.
New text appeared on the screen before her:
[Your score for this life simulation is: 40.]
[You have gained 400 World Experience.]
[As a Supreme Guardian of Belobog, you could be considered qualified.]
[But so what? Belobog's crisis is far beyond what a merely "qualified" Supreme Guardian can solve... As Belobog's final Supreme Guardian, its last leader in a time of crisis, you are far from worthy.]
[You once held the hope of saving this world... but you held him back, forcing him to end his life prematurely.]
[You are still not mature enough.]
The evaluation on the screen faded, and the reward options popped up:
[You have successfully completed one simulation. Please choose—]
[1. Obtain "Belobog Front-Line Prison Key" x1]
[2. Obtain "One-Punch Guard Training Method" x1]
[3. Obtain "Lance of Preservation" x1]
Looking at the options, Bronya chose number two without hesitation.
A thin booklet fell into her hands.
To save Belobog from the blizzard, strength was an indispensable component. This training manual was the most efficient way to increase the combat power of the Silvermane Guards.
And the most efficient way to increase the combat power of those under her command.
Having experienced the last simulation and knowing the full story, Bronya had changed a great deal.
She now knew what she had to do... It was just that many of those things could only be done after she became the Supreme Guardian.
So now, she had to become the Supreme Guardian as quickly as possible.
She looked through her window towards the majestic Qlipoth Fort, towards the Supreme Guardian's office—
"For the continuation of Belobog, and for my future, Ron's future, everyone's future..."
"I will no longer be manipulated by you. And neither will Belobog."
"Goodbye, Mother... and my cowardice."
---o---