"This place… it should be where the Stellaron containment device was built, right?"
Staring at the sheer cliff face before them, Serval subconsciously swallowed. This was her first time here as well, but she never expected it to be so… "spectacular"?
"Is this it? It's so cold… The power of [The Trailblaze] alone is no longer enough to withstand the low temperature!" March said, rubbing her arms.
"That means we are approaching the Stellaron… approaching the heart of the Eternal Freeze," Dan Heng analyzed, then turned his gaze to Stelle.
"I feel… very strange…" Stelle said, shaking her head.
Walking at the front of the group, Wende's face had suddenly gone pale, but he hid it well, not letting anyone else notice his abnormality.
The closer he got to the Stellaron… the more those memories…
But this didn't make any sense. Why would he be affected by the Stellaron? If that were the case, why was he perfectly fine when Stelle was right beside him?
Wende was deeply confused, but he couldn't afford to get lost in his memories now…
Looking up at the snow-covered Everwinter Hill, Wende sighed inwardly, his purple eyes filled with helplessness.
"Because… it's time for a boss fight!"
"Hm? Wende, what did you say? What boss?" Seele asked, looking at him with confusion.
"Hah… nothing. I said I'm about to freeze to death," Wende exhaled a murky cloud of air, spouting nonsense with a deadpan expression.
"Mhm… it is a bit cold…" Seele nodded. Yet the girl, with her exposed thighs and what looked like a skin-tight bodysuit, didn't seem to feel the cold much at all. Even Serval was wearing thick stockings, though her midriff was also exposed.
Perhaps… it was a regional talent?
"Serval? What's wrong with you? Are you too cold?" March asked with concern, noticing Serval had stopped in her tracks at some point.
"Hm… ah, thanks, little March, but I'm fine…" Serval said, looking as if she had just snapped out of a daze, forcing a smile for March.
"Are you really okay?" March bent down, looking carefully into Serval's eyes.
"Err…" Serval looked uncomfortable and moved her hands behind her back, looking awkward.
"Sigh… okay, fine. I do have something on my mind."
In the end, as if moved by March's concerned gaze, or perhaps for some other reason, Serval gave a sad smile.
"I… I think I should go back. My little brother and his men are under so much pressure right now… I, as his older sister, should go and help him, right?"
Serval offered a flimsy, plausible excuse.
"But it's so dangerous for you to go back alone now! And you shouldn't have to worry about your brother, right? After all, he has so many guards, and we helped clear out a lot of Fragmentum monsters after we left…"
March 7th wanted to say more to Serval, but Dan Heng stopped her.
Dan Heng shook his head at March.
Serval stammered, her heart in turmoil.
She had come all this way; fleeing at this stage was certainly not the right thing to do, but…
"But Cocolia… how am I supposed to look at you now?"
Gazing at the peak of Everwinter Hill, Serval's eyes were deep with thought as she muttered to herself.
Was the Cocolia of today her old friend? Her best friend? Or the arrogant Great Guardian… who in the end became a monster whose will was controlled by the Stellaron?
No matter which it was, she didn't want to witness it, especially not her end…
"Don't worry. We will handle this."
Wende had walked over at some point and comforted the bewildered Serval.
"Sorry… I just really…"
Serval gave a bitter smile. The shadow Cocolia cast over her was not something that could be dispelled overnight. Sometimes she really wanted to let it go… but now…
Closing her eyes, Serval took a long, deep breath. Her chest heaved as she forced her breathing and emotions to calm down.
She recalled the moments she spent with Cocolia, then the betrayal, the contempt, and finally, the silent disregard…
Great Guardian, must you really be ?
Serval's gaze hardened. This time, it wasn't just for herself. It was for the guards still fighting to the death on the front lines in the Restricted Zone; for the civilians in Belobog still struggling on the brink of life and death; for Belobog!
Looking at the concern filling March's eyes, Serval smiled at her, then turned her gaze to the endless stone steps before them.
"Cocolia, it's time for us to settle things. But not for me. For all of Belobog! In the name of Landau!"
[It's getting hyped!]
[Are we finally going to annihilate Cocolia!]
[Gotta say, I think Serval x Cocolia is a good ship!]
[??? Actually, I think it's good too!]
[You guys are so… what's wrong with Cocolia x Bronya?] Latest content published on n0velfire.net
[You… you guys… this… count me in! (]
[Okay, okay, you're all shipping heretical CPs here!]
[Snap out of it! We're about to fight a boss!]
"Huh? No way? You can even ship this!!! Although I was thinking the same thing, aren't you all being a bit too extreme?"
The famous connoisseur of beautiful girls, Sister Guoguo, pushed up her round glasses, which reflected a strange white light.
[Waiting online for Sister Guoguo's analysis of Belobog's black stockings series.]
[For real, Pela's round little face! And those round black stockings, hehehe…]
[Damn, I didn't even notice until you guys said it, but the female characters in Belobog really have a strong 'stocking' game!]
[The smell must be pretty strong! Shove Bronya's sweaty feet in my mouth!]
[Seele runs around the Underworld all day…]
[Platform Admin has joined the chat.]
"Stop! I said stop! I swear, I'm not streaming Arknights! Admin, listen to my rebuttal… I mean! Explanation!"
[Platform Admin: Hehehe, Serval's little feet in black stockings… hehehe…]
[Oh no, the admin is one of us.]
[Hehehe, I want to see Pom-Pom in white stockings…]
[You're a little too extreme!]
[Oh no! There's a furry!]
"Admin! Calm down! Don't be deceived by the superficial allure of black stockings! You're a Platform Admin!!"
Sister Guoguo shouted at the admin, who was already lost in a beautiful vision of sweaty feet and black stockings, trying to awaken his filth-covered soul.
[Platform Admin: Actually, I'd rather see Wende in black stockings. Hehe (drooling)]