"Hehehe! How interesting—this is really interesting!"
Inside the Mechanical Settlement's prospector camp,
the doll that had transformed into a plush toy moments ago abruptly reverted back into Sparkle's true form.
"Ehehe~ This world really is a circus!"
"That guy is preparing to put on a ridiculous little play."
"And the funniest part? You're the one directing it yourself~"
To be honest—
the moment Sparkle appeared in front of Sampo, even he couldn't help but shiver.
When it came to causing chaos for the sake of amusement,
Sparkle was on a completely different level.
"S-Sparkle…"
Sampo asked cautiously,
"You didn't seriously plant a ton of bombs all over Belobog… did you?"
"Who knows~"
"A thousand? Ten thousand? Or maybe a hundred thousand?"
"Either way, I can guarantee this city will be blown sky-high!"
"Bright enough that even the universe will notice it flash for a moment~"
Sparkle raised a finger, casually pointing at the detonator in her hand.
Sampo twitched.
Even among followers of Elation,
her idea of 'fun' had absolutely no bottom line.
This world is already falling apart… and I'm the one trying to patch it together…
How tragic.
Without another word, Sampo turned and left the prospector camp,
completely ignoring the Elation follower who was now shivering in the freezing wind behind him.
"Hey!"
"At least I personally delivered your mask, Sparkle the Great did!"
"And you're just leaving me here?!"
"Oi! Old man!"
"Don't just abandon me—this place is freezing! The environment is horrible!"
"Hey!!"
Sampo didn't even turn his head.
Seeing she was being ignored, Sparkle instantly accelerated,
throwing herself forward and clinging tightly to Sampo's leg.
"I don't care—take me to a mansion! Somewhere warm!"
"…You're afraid of the cold?"
"You're not just a Pathstrider, stop pretending."
"You've already become their source of amusement."
Sampo glanced sideways.
Several prospectors had peeked out from their tents,
pointing and whispering as they watched the spectacle unfold.
"Praise Aha—this is true Elation!"
"Ahahahahaha!"
"So this is the Upper City…"
Evan and Seele passed through Svarog's corridor and emerged into Belobog's Upper District.
Compared to the harsh conditions of the Underworld,
this place felt like paradise.
Yes—it was still cold.
But heating units were installed at regular intervals throughout the city.
There were even greenhouse-like structures.
Not for food.
For flowers.
Flowers—
something the Underworld had never seen.
That alone spoke volumes about how barren the lower districts truly were.
Meanwhile, the Upper City used warmth to nurture ornamental plants.
"So refreshing!"
"The air here is completely different from the mines below."
Seele placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath,
as if she wanted to inhale the entire Upper City and carry it back with her.
"Now I understand why you want to overthrow the Supreme Guardian."
"Huk and the others deserve to breathe air like this too."
"But because of Cocolia's selfishness,
the children of the Underworld have never even seen the outside world."
If you wanted to change someone's beliefs,
the simplest way was to let them see the truth with their own eyes.
The difference between Belobog's Upper and Lower districts
was painfully obvious.
"Don't get distracted," Evan said calmly.
"Sparkle keeps her word."
"Belobog has seventy-two system hours left."
"…No—seventy-one hours and fifty-eight system minutes now."
His gaze fell on the red detonation button in his hand.
Silent. Heavy.
At the exit connecting the Upper and Lower districts—
A blond man clad in Silvermane Guard officer armor stood watch,
a long silver spear in hand,
a massive shield—shaped like a guitar case—resting against his back.
"Captain Gepard,"
one of the soldiers whispered,
"We've been waiting a long time, but the traitors that girl mentioned haven't shown up."
"Could we have been deceived?"
Gepard.
Yes—this man carrying a guitar-case shield was none other than
Gepard Landau,
descendant of the Builders and a member of the prestigious Landau family.
An officer of the Silvermane Guards.
A direct subordinate of Bronya Rand.
A proud and powerful Pathstrider of Preservation.
"This order came directly from Lady Cocolia," Gepard said firmly.
"And it hasn't been that long."
"When we deal with Fragmentum incursions, we wait far longer than this."
"Two system hours is nothing."
Having finished reprimanding the soldiers,
Gepard's eyes suddenly narrowed.
His gaze fixed on the corridor leading up from the Underworld.
"…They're here."
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