Under the protection of the power of [The Trailblaze], the group landed safely in the snow-covered land, finding their footing in the thick drifts.
Ron silently gazed at the thick snow, unique to this planet, feeling the biting cold on his skin. He gently brushed off the snow that had landed on Bronya's shoulder and said softly:
"Jarilo-VI—we're back."
"...Yes, we're back."
Bronya's expression was complicated as she looked at the familiar, snow-covered landscape. The thoughts she had when she last stood here were completely different from the ones she had now. Perhaps Bronya had changed, but what had clearly changed even more was this world.
March 7th, on the other hand, clearly didn't share Bronya's complex emotions. She stretched languidly, her exquisite figure outlined perfectly by her thin clothes, fearlessly feeling the biting cold under the protection of [The Trailblaze].
"—It really is a land of ice and snow."
Stelle nodded silently and stretched in the same manner.
"It really is a land of ice and snow."
March 7th was suddenly speechless, a deadpan expression on her face. "Are you a repeater?"
Stelle just smiled and shrugged, turning to Bronya beside her. "Just kidding... This place is a vast expanse of white. Which way should we go?"
Bronya, who had been maintaining her silence among the group and had never spoken with them, seemed a little unused to being addressed by Stelle, but she still answered earnestly:
"Just head straight. Our landing point isn't far from the outskirts of Belobog. Another hundred or two hundred meters and we should be able to see Belobog's ever-standing high wall—though it might not be there anymore."
As Bronya spoke, she couldn't help but voice her own doubt:
"Why didn't we land directly at our destination? The power of [The Trailblaze] should be capable of a pinpoint drop, right?"
Hearing this, the smiling March 7th's face suddenly stiffened, and her entire presence seemed to wilt.
"Ha, haha, right, why is that..."
She scratched her cheek awkwardly, her gaze darting to the side, clearly hiding something.
But Ron calmly took over the conversation, exposing March 7th's clumsy disguise.
"Because March 7th once smashed a hole in the Taikiyan Stadium... That's what I heard when I was chatting with Pom-Pom just now."
Ron said, a teasing smile gracing his lips.
"If we don't want our whole group to smash headfirst into Qlipoth Fort, then we can only land here."
"...Ahhhhh! Why would Pom-Pom tell you something like that!"
March 7th covered her face and wept, declaring that her dignity as a beautiful girl had been shattered.
...But it was a pity; she had wronged Pom-Pom.
Pom-Pom was a stickler for rules and would rarely gossip about others. This was just a cover story from Ron...
...Besides, during his chat with Pom-Pom just now, there was no time to insert such irrelevant content.
The smile on Ron's lips slowly faded. The earlier teasing was just a cover... He no longer had much time for pleasantries.
Recalling Pom-Pom's words, the scene from the train corridor just moments ago surfaced in his mind—
After Mythus of [The Enigmata] revealed the new Moment calculated by Nous, the Erudition, Ron had asked Pom-Pom and Mythus many more questions.
But the result was fundamentally the same... Even they, without a hint of hesitation, confirmed and told Ron that the Moment calculated by Nous would inevitably come to pass.
It was unstoppable, inviolable.
This wasn't because of something They did... They didn't use any power to control the occurrence of this "Moment," so even with power comparable to Nous, one couldn't resist its arrival.
After all... the "Moment" was simply there.
What Nous, the Erudition, did was merely observation and calculation. It calculated countless possibilities and confirmed that only one situation was certain to occur. This was the Moment that Nous derived by relying on its Deific Authority.
This "Moment" was extremely special... It was there, and there was no way to escape it.
Therefore... Ron was certain to die.
Seven days from now, he would die at the hands of Terminus, The End. There was absolutely no possibility of a different outcome.
Thinking of this, Ron couldn't help but let out a deep sigh from the bottom of his heart.
He suddenly felt like everything had accelerated far too much... Was it because none of his enemies were fools?
Ron had originally envisioned having a few months to complete his plan to burn the Tree of Existence, but now it seemed the plan was not going to be that easy...
The enemies he had to face to burn the Tree were too powerful, and none of them were idiots. They had pushed the deadline for his plan's failure infinitely forward, pushing it to this extremely short moment in the future, just seven days from now...
At this thought, Ron's heart couldn't help but feel a little heavy, and a trace of helplessness touched his lips.
But... even with the arrival of the "Moment" from Nous, Ron had nothing to fear.
Even if Pom-Pom and Mythus said that this "Moment" was an absolute certainty, a future in this sea of stars that could never be avoided... Ron absolutely refused to believe that he would simply die.
He had never been one to submit, and he certainly wouldn't submit to fate—so what if it was a Moment calculated by Nous?
This "Moment" could never stop his advance... He had to complete his plan, even if it meant certain death. At the very least, he would light a fire...
—Light a fire, to prove to this world that he had been here!!
With this firm thought in his heart, Ron's slightly dazed consciousness became resolute once more.
Looking at March 7th, who was chattering away with Stelle, and then at Bronya, who was still a little unaccustomed to things but was finally able to chat with them, Ron couldn't help but take a deep breath.
...After all, he had to give these people a chance to live.
Thinking of this, Ron said softly, his voice full of determination:
"Let's go... We should move forward."
His words were calm, as if he were simply urging them onward...
But in truth, who was he really urging?
Perhaps... he was just urging himself forward.
"Alright~ Let's go, a new [Trailblaze] journey!"
The lively March 7th responded, taking the lead and heading forward. The rest didn't hesitate either, holding their own complex feelings of curiosity, nostalgia, or determination as they set off in the direction of Belobog...
It wasn't long before they had advanced that March 7th spotted something unusual—
"Hey? Look, look, what's that?!"
She pointed to a plain-looking snowdrift in the swirling blizzard not far away.
"Did you guys see that? It looks like something is moving..."
Hearing this, Stelle looked over with some confusion. She thought for a moment, then scratched her head and said:
"...It just looks like a normal snowdrift. Are you sure you're not seeing things?"
Bronya, at the side, also nodded in agreement.
"Belobog's current environment is very harsh. Apart from Belobog itself, there's no life on the snow plains... not even in the outskirts of the city."
"Theoretically speaking, even the Xianzhou [Luofu] shouldn't be able to change Jarilo-VI's ecological environment in such a short amount of time... These things aren't that simple."
"You must have seen wrong."
Hearing this, March 7th put her hands on her hips, dissatisfied, and retorted:
"Absolutely not! My eyesight is great! Come on, let's get a closer look."
No one objected. The snowdrift wasn't far ahead anyway, and it was on the necessary path to the Ever-winter City of Belobog—what was the harm in taking a look on the way?
It was no trouble at all... No one paid it any mind. Even Ron didn't notice if there was anyone in that snowdrift; he was simply contemplating his next plan.
After all... there should be someone in that snowdrift, but that someone was just Sampo—that guy was useless now. It was impossible for him to be involved in a scheme at the level of Aeons. Ron couldn't be bothered to care about that masked fool who had once annoyed him greatly.
As they drew closer, they pushed aside the obscuring snow and wind and, sure enough, saw a butt sticking out of the snowdrift... There really was a person in there.
"...Hey, stop hiding! You're trembling from the cold."
March 7th couldn't bear to see this half-a-butt shivering in the snowdrift and said helplessly, "It's no use pretending you're not there..."
But even after hearing her words, the person hiding in the snowdrift had no intention of coming out. They just buried their head deeper, waiting there, who knows for what.
Seeing this scene, Ron couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
Whether Sampo wanted to continue acting out his script, or was simply trembling in fear after sensing the power of an Aeon on Ron and burying his head in the snow, Ron wasn't going to let this guy delay them any longer.
...Fast forward, fast forward. There's no time to waste on this guy.
With this thought in his heart, Ron said softly:
"Step aside, little March."
Seeing Ron step forward, March 7th was a bit puzzled, but she obediently moved aside, waiting to see what he would do.
Ron stopped right behind Sampo's butt and said calmly:
"Did you know? In the natural world, there's a creature called the ostrich. When faced with a danger it can't escape, it will stick its head in a pile of dirt, seeking a simple sense of peace."
"But this is burying one's head in the sand... These ostriches who play dead by burying their heads in the dirt never end up well."
"So... let me teach everyone a little trick for dealing with ostriches."
As he spoke, he lifted his foot—
"The best way to deal with people who bury their heads in the sand like this..."
"...is to kick them soundly in the ass!"
"Ouch!"
Ron kicked out viciously. The man hiding in the snow let out a "yelp" and stood up, clutching his butt and looking pitifully at Ron.
"I say, buddy, was that really necessary? There's no great crime in drilling into the snow. You don't have to use your boots on me, do you?"
As he spoke, as if wary of something, he chuckled obsequiously.
"Ah, but it's no wonder, heroes! Haha, my appearance was too sudden. Your boots should indeed kiss my butt soundly. It's only right, it's a must! How else would we get to know each other as good friends? Haha..."
He said, rubbing his hands together. "...May I ask if Commander Gepard is here?"
"I'm quite close with him..."
"It's useless even if you are, Sampo."
Ron sighed, having no interest in listening to this recurring plotline from the game's main story.
"Come on, you see Bronya? The next Supreme Guardian is right here. What do you care about some Gepard or no Gepard?"
"Hurry up, do something you're actually capable of. Lead us to Belobog, and on the way, tell us what changes have happened in Belobog since the Xianzhou [Luofu] arrived... Got it?"
"Got it! Got it!"
Seeing Ron's somewhat dangerous gaze, Sampo put on a fawning smile and agreed, playing the part of the obedient follower.
But even though he was leading the way out of fear of Ron's threat, he was still as lively as ever, asking enthusiastically:
"But my good sirs, are you really going to Belobog right now?"
"What do you mean 'why'?" Ron frowned. "Did something major happen in Belobog?"
Bronya also immediately caught the key point in his sentence and asked at once:
"What's wrong with Belobog??"
Hearing their questions, Sampo simply shook his head. "Belobog is definitely fine..."
"To be honest, our Belobog is doing great right now! With the help of the Xianzhou [Luofu], they've basically carried out a massive renovation of the old Belobog. The current Belobog is far more comfortable to live in than before..."
"And the Fragmentum is being cleared out by the Cloud Knights. Although the Stellaron has been activated, that's its last hurrah..."
"The Cloud Knights temporarily left Jarilo-VI for a short while, but they're back in Belobog now, and they're about to restrain the Stellaron and take it away..."
Sampo chattered on, leading the group to the main gate of Belobog. The city before them, compared to before, hadn't changed much in terms of its walls, but looking through the city gate, one could see that the architecture within was quite different from before, looking much more advanced...
"Huh? Lady Bronya is back?!"
"What! It's Lady Bronya!"
The Silvermane Guards at the gate of Belobog cried out in surprise the moment they saw Bronya. They then unhesitatingly saluted her, welcoming her back into the city...
But... just as the group was about to step into Belobog, Sampo suddenly retreated behind them and gently tugged on the corner of Ron's clothes.
Ron frowned and turned to look at Sampo, at his fawning smile, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
No... can't this guy see it? I'm not hiding it at all. An Emanator should be able to see it...
How dare he?
Ron narrowed his eyes, looking at Sampo, who seemed no different from before, awkwardly rubbing his hands. A thought surfaced in his mind, and it instantly stirred up a storm.
Could it be... could it be?!
This guy...
Sampo looked at Ron before him. Though the same humble smile was on his face, his tone was now tinged with a hint of teasing.
"Commander... let me ask you one more time. Are you really going in? Right now?"
As he spoke, he lightly put on a mask, and then a top hat covered in snow, which seemed to have just been sitting in the snowdrift.
"Think again... what exactly is following behind you?"
He curled his lips into a smile, pressing down the brim of his hat to hide his subtle expression in its shadow.
"If you really let It follow you in... can this drama truly begin?"
He spoke, looking at Ron, who was holding the Guiding Spirit Lantern and aiming it at him, his brow beaded with sweat. He looked at Ron's extremely vigilant posture and said, somewhat aggrieved:
"Why such a big reaction? And this big reaction isn't even aimed at It?"
"What's wrong? Don't you welcome my arrival... friend?"