[The ice sculptures of the Antimatter Legion, discovered and contained one by one by the Pioneer Groups, were kept frozen at the empire's border, as there was no better way to handle them.]
[These sculptures not only possessed the formidable defenses inherent to them as war machines of the Antimatter Legion, but the hard ice covering them also provided an unimaginable reinforcement. The influence of the Stellaron treated all things equally; while the Antimatter Legion was frozen, it also received the Stellaron's protection.]
[As the Emperor's deputy, you had once seen the Empress, Natasha, use a method you had never witnessed before to effortlessly crush a frozen Antimatter Legion sculpture.]
[But the moment it was crushed, the sculpture emitted an unimaginable energy wave. The Voidranger's antimatter furnace exploded upon being both frozen and then warmed, and the resulting energy, though quelled by Natasha with a single hand, clearly possessed the power to destroy an entire street.]
[Therefore, Natasha abandoned the idea of killing the Antimatter Legion in their slumber. Instead, she did her best to keep them frozen, delaying the melting of the ice, leaving them to be dealt with later.]
[However, although the empire had developed significantly with its now-abundant resources, it had not climbed to the high end of the technology tree... The Stellaron is a wondrous existence even in the context of the entire universe. No one knows its secrets, let alone the current empire.]
[The empire's refrigeration technology was merely a freezing field constructed with Natasha's help, using strange cold-air plants and refrigeration units. The cold it produced was far inferior to the planet-freezing blizzard unleashed by the Stellaron, and could only slightly delay the Antimatter Legion's awakening.]
[Time was not delayed for long... Shortly after the last of the ice sculptures were collected and the entire territory of Jarilo-VI was reclaimed, the ice layer on the Antimatter Legion—once considered the great enemy of civilization, which had nearly shattered the planet and brought it to ruin—began to melt unstoppably.]
[The will of [The Destruction] awakens on Jarilo-VI. It is about to trample this planet once more, to light the embers of annihilation upon this civilization.]
Reading the text on the screen, Bronya sat somewhat numbly on her bed. The light had completely vanished from her eyes, and her thoughts had drifted a thousand miles away, lost in contemplation.
Compared to Seele, this simulation had shaken Bronya far more severely. After all, Ron had deceived her for a very, very long time in this run, only to "betray" her at the last moment, completely upending all of her plans and thoughts. This was something Bronya found incredibly difficult to accept.
But now that the simulation had reached this point, she suddenly understood everything...
It had to be said, Bronya was no fool. Although she sometimes displayed a certain innocence befitting the princess of Belobog, a result of being overly protected by Cocolia, it didn't mean her abilities were in any way inferior.
Having once undergone a hellish training regimen with only six hours of rest a day and the rest of her time meticulously scheduled, Bronya was, in terms of capability, not weaker than anyone... Just like now. At this stage of the simulation, she had completely figured out the reason for everything that had happened.
It was obvious... Ron was a player. He had to be a player of the Life Simulation Game.
If he wasn't, the confluence of events was simply too coincidental... She refused to believe in so many coincidences, even if Ron was the one causing them.
The blind spots Seele had noticed, Bronya could of course notice as well. In fact, Bronya could see even more—Ron's actions changed in every simulation, and he would always completely avoid the problematic choices from the previous run.
Although each simulation saw drastic changes, these changes were undoubtedly a part of Ron's choices... If he wasn't a player, how could he make them?
Previously, Bronya might have believed it was all due to Ron's incredible competence, but faced with so many coincidences now, she had gradually discarded that possibility.
Ron's personal abilities were certainly trustworthy, but it was unlikely he achieved this without the help of the Life Simulation Game... Ron was also a player. He had to be!
With this realization solidifying in her mind, Bronya gradually returned to her senses. The light returned to her eyes, and she tugged at her drill-like ponytails, deep in thought.
If Ron was a player, everything seemed to become simpler...
She no longer needed to outwit Seele and Natasha in the simulation, nor did she need to overthink things. She just had to explain everything about the Life Simulation Game to Ron in reality, and then sincerely ask for his help. Wouldn't that solve it?
Given Ron's character, he definitely wouldn't refuse... If all else fails, she could just give him a raise!
For a moment, a great hope flared in Bronya's eyes. She even felt the urge to rush out of her room right then and there, knock on Ron's door next door, and tell him everything.
But after a moment's thought, she calmed down and abandoned the idea.
Ron was clearly in the middle of a simulation right now. Although there was nothing more she could do in this run, Ron certainly still had things to do. She couldn't interrupt his simulation and his gathering of future intelligence...
It was better to wait until this simulation was over.
With this thought, Bronya looked at the text on the screen, hesitated for a moment, and then tapped it to let the simulation continue.
At this point, there was really nothing left for her to do in this run. As the emperor's deputy, she shared the same rank as Cocolia, assisting Natasha in governing the empire, but most of her time was spent on tedious paperwork.
The outcome of this simulation had nothing to do with her anymore. And since Ron had already turned into an azure dragon, this had become a worldline she would never choose...
Bronya had briefly considered letting the AI auto-simulate, but the memory of what the AI had done last time when she wasn't paying attention made her shudder slightly, and she dismissed the thought.
She would rather see it through from beginning to end...
The text on the screen faded, and new words appeared:
[These ancient warriors, reforged in the crucible of war, once again wielded the power of [The Destruction]. Countless war machines, harnessing antiparticles, marched out of the containment site in droves. Following their primal desire for destruction, under the direction of the will of [The Destruction], they launched a surprise attack on the empire, charging towards the firm defensive line at the border, a line composed of giant trees and the Pioneer Groups.]
[The soldiers of the Pioneer Groups had long been tempered by the blizzards of the Fragmentum. The blessing of [The Abundance] flowed in their blood. Even against an enemy like the Antimatter Legion, they miraculously gained an absolute advantage—]
[No one could take a single step past the empire's defensive line. Where the Pioneer Groups stood was the empire's indestructible iron wall... Unbreakable, unbeatable!]
[Every day, antimatter cores detonated at the front lines, and powerful energy waves swept the battlefield, yet they were unable to shake the soldiers of the Pioneer Groups.]
[Even though they shed blood in the war, and a batch of soldiers would be severely injured in every battle, thanks to the blessing of [The Abundance], everyone's wounds healed within days. They could then return to the battlefield, their military strength endlessly replenished.]
[Under the solid defense of the Pioneer Groups, even the warriors of [The Destruction]—war machines born from the crucible of war, long accustomed to annihilating civilizations—broke their sharp fangs against them.]
[The Antimatter Legion's offensive grew weaker and weaker. Good news from the front lines came frequently. It seemed the terrifying destroyers that once plagued Jarilo-VI were now nothing more than noisy but harmless mosquitoes to the current empire. A single swat would turn them into a sticky smear on a wall, completely suppressed by the Pioneer Groups.]
[But things were clearly not that simple... The flames of ruin ignited at the empire's border defenses. A verdant, new forest was eternally condemned to these flames, turning into fine, snow-white ash.]
[The sound of heavy footsteps came from the depths of the containment site. A terrifying war machine shook the remaining ice and snow from its body, and the longsword in its hand ignited with the sparks of [The Destruction].]
The text on the screen faded, replaced by a new image:
A Vanguard of Catastrophe, clad in ice and snow, walked out of the empire's meticulously designed containment site, striding step by step towards the empire's defensive line.
The grievances of ten thousand skeletons and the disastrous shadows of old days formed the shell of this war machine. An engine burning with antimatter flickered with iridescent light within its chassis, like the bleak starlight of an entropic universe revealing its sorrow.
The dull silver longsword in its hand ignited with the gray flames of ruin. A single slash incinerated the grove of giant trees that formed the empire's defensive line. Many soldiers of the Pioneer Groups fell into the flames and were completely consumed before they could even let out a cry of agony.
It symbolized the resolute will of [The Destruction]—
No matter what world the flames of war were lit in, no matter which god had blessed that world, no matter what glorious foundation it once possessed, even the most brilliant civilization among the stars would be annihilated by the Legion before the catastrophe...
Or the Legion would be utterly destroyed.
Before it, this newborn, verdant, and vibrant planet would ultimately die out like an extinguished ember, fading into the depths of the starry sky.
Looking at the image on the screen, Bronya couldn't help but feel hesitant.
"At a time like this... should I ask for Ron's help?"
She knew the power of the Vanguard of Catastrophe. In the last simulation, Ron had been forced to detonate the Stellaron to defeat it, taking it down with him.
Although the threat of the Vanguard was surely nothing to the current Ron, Bronya was still hesitant, unsure if she should pray to Ron for help at this point in the simulation.
Because the current Ron seemed to have lost his consciousness. He was no longer the Ron of the past.
Although the empire had been receiving periodic boons from Ron since he became a dragon—perhaps some strange seeds that could grow miraculous plants, or some docile, easily tamed creatures that accelerated the planet's ecological recovery.
Other times, it would be strange armor fragments or bizarre arrow shards, their purpose unknown... but that wasn't important.
What was important was that Ron had never had any communication with the empire. He simply coiled around the planet as a dragon, his purpose a mystery...
She didn't know if praying to Ron would work, but if he didn't help, was there really a way to defeat the Vanguard of Catastrophe...
Bronya worried, but the image on the screen did not pause. It continued to play:
A few minutes after the flames of ruin ignited, a rain of verdant green light suddenly appeared over the empire's defensive line, easily extinguishing the fire.
The soldiers who were not yet dead recovered from their injuries with incredible speed under this rain of light. The ground that had been burned to white earth, covered in ash, now sprouted tender green shoots.
In a few moments, these shoots, nourished by the rain of light, grew into towering trees... A few minutes later, the battlefield had transformed into a verdant forest.
Natasha was approaching from a distance. With each step, she walked on the treetops, sending out ripples of green light.
A faint, illusory golden-green crown materialized above her head. The entire forest seemed to rejoice at her arrival, celebrating the Empress of the Green Forest gracing this place with her presence...
The Vanguard of Catastrophe's longsword once again ignited with the flames of ruin. It unhesitatingly cut down the giant trees beside it, preparing to mercilessly burn everything once more.
But Natasha walked towards it indifferently, her pace quickening with each step. With every footfall, motes of green light splashed up, as if a strange power was coalescing within her.
She arrived before the Vanguard of Catastrophe.
And then.
She threw a punch.
The image on the screen faded, and new text appeared:
[You watched Natasha arrive at the front lines, effortlessly heal all the wounded, and reduce the massive casualties the Pioneer Groups would have suffered to a mere tenth.]
[You watched her effortlessly rebuild the defensive line, not even forgetting to plant trees, casually turning the battlefield that had just been set ablaze by the Vanguard of Cat-astrophe into a lush forest.]
[You watched her smash a fist into the Vanguard of Catastrophe's body. The Vanguard's body was cracked apart by the single punch, its antimatter core completely destroyed. It was then entangled by verdant green vines that sprouted from thin air, the light in its body gradually fading as it was completely annihilated into scattered dust.]
Reading the text on the screen, Bronya felt her mind go blank for a moment.
Wait, wait... that was Natasha?
Her pupils quaked. Where did this One-Punch Natasha come from?!
Could it be... that when Ron healed her before, it had some kind of effect that turned her into this...
Bronya pinched her own soft cheek in disbelief, the pain bringing her back to her senses. She tapped the screen to continue the simulation:
[The war was won with ease, with the loss of only a tenth of the Pioneer Group's soldiers.]
[Natasha held an exceptionally grand memorial service for them in the empire, mourning the fallen soldiers and carving their names onto the Everwinter Monument, to be hailed as heroes sung of throughout the empire forever.]
[Everything was getting better. Freed from the threat of the Antimatter Legion, the empire had lost all its shackles and was about to reach its historical peak, and would continue to break through that limit...]
[But three months later, in the dead of night, you heard a world-shaking, heaven-shattering bang.]
[You looked up at the sky and saw a purple arrow of light, trailing a tail flame of death, strike Ron.]
[This arrow... pierced the stars.]