Chapter 120: A Gorgeous Rebellion Against the Father King!
Magnificent a rebellion against the matriarch! Honoring one's mother is important, but the security of Belobog could not be compromised. Gepard and a contingent of elite veterans were left behind to guard the border and hold the defensive line.
These elite soldiers would be needed for another purpose later.
Clad in a silver coat, Bronya led a multitude of fully armed soldiers, marching majestically towards Belobog.
The Silvermane Guard forces Bronya had gathered within the city were responsible for securing their entry, opening the main gate with ease and allowing the army to enter the urban districts. During the process, some guards fiercely loyal to the Supreme Guardian Cocolia were easily caught in a pincer movement and subdued.
Bronya's triple-spiral ponytail was tied into a single, elegant twist, swaying in the sunlight that slanted down from between the snowy clouds.
The Silvermane Guards held their heads high, their morale soaring.
Sunlight cascaded onto their armor, reflecting a brilliant, white-blue-silver light that wasn't blinding, yet seemed capable of dispelling the darkness. Like a silver tide flowing into the city, heralding a new dawn, their armor plates shone like golden scales under the sun.
The students and residents protesting on the streets, as well as the palace guards Cocolia had dispatched to quell the unrest, all froze in astonishment at the sight of this seemingly celestial army.
For a moment, the entire city seemed to fall silent, a hush falling over the clamor.
"Citizens of Belobog, all of you, please listen to me!"
Whether it was the protestors filled with righteous indignation in the streets, the residents hiding in their homes to avoid the chaos, the grimly prepared palace soldiers, or the shopkeepers and vendors who had shuttered their doors—everyone heard that familiar, yet strangely distant, voice. They all looked up at the sky, their faces a mixture of surprise, confusion, and reverence.
"I am Bronya Rand, the heir to the Supreme Guardian!"
With design plans and knowledge provided by a companion, Bronya used the little power of the Herrscher of Reason left in her body to create devices resembling large loudspeakers. As her troops advanced into the city, she had them place these devices on the highest points of various buildings throughout Belobog.
Now, Bronya was speaking to the entire city.
"In this last bastion of humanity, this City of Preservation, Qlipoth Fort, an enemy more terrible than the biting snow and ice has appeared!"
Bronya's expression was grave, her tone severe.
Some bad news: Raven, who had returned to the city ahead of the main army to advance their plans, had discovered traces of the Shadowkhan near Qlipoth Fort.
Raven was a little surprised. Could the Stellaron's control over energy be this subtle? Could it directly teleport the Tarakudo masks from the ancient battlefield to Cocolia inside Qlipoth Fort? If the Stellaron could manipulate its power with such finesse, it could undoubtedly move freely. But the Stellaron was still in the ancient battlefield, so that was unlikely.
Barring that possibility, the most likely scenario was that the Stellaron had used its unique properties to link the power of the Tarakudo mask to Cocolia, allowing her to summon the shadow soldiers.
"Heh, should I give the Stellaron a thumbs-up for this?"
Atop a tall building near the Administrative District's Qlipoth Fort, Raven, wearing her signature mask, stood on the edge of the rooftop, a faint smile on her lips as she looked down at the shadows moving in the alleys around the fort.
"The mask arrived at the perfect time. I was just looking for a decisive reason."
Raven's slight annoyance was gradually replaced by a smirk.
Cocolia's tyrannical lockdown of the Overworld and Underworld, her senseless orders sending the Silvermane Guards to their deaths in the Fragmentum—these actions were enough to shake the army's morale. But to incite the entire populace of Belobog, including the common folk of the Underworld, to rebellion, these reasons were still a bit lacking.
Not unless Bronya bluntly revealed the truth about the Eternal Freeze, the Fragmentum, and the Stellaron, as well as Cocolia's true objective. That would certainly shatter Cocolia's authority in the hearts of the people, but it came with a major drawback: the truth about the Stellaron and the Eternal Freeze would also deal a fundamental blow to the image of the Supreme Guardian as an institution.
After all, it was the first Supreme Guardian who had wished upon the Stellaron seven hundred years ago, bringing about the Eternal Freeze. Although it was a desperate measure to save their civilization at the time—a choice akin to drinking poison to quench thirst—who among the later generations would care about the context? If everyone could think rationally, would Belobog have fallen into its current state?
Who could guarantee that Bronya wouldn't become a second Cocolia after taking power?
Looking at the problem from different standpoints yields different answers. From the perspective of the Supreme Guardian, the truth about the Stellaron was a ticking time bomb detrimental to their rule. Unless absolutely necessary, Bronya didn't want to throw it out there.
And now, the Stellaron had conveniently delivered the dark power of the Tarakudo mask to Cocolia, creating the perfect scapegoat for Bronya! She could throw all the dirt into this pot and pin it squarely on Cocolia!
She could turn a bomb aimed at the "Supreme Guardian" into one aimed solely at "Cocolia."
"Seven hundred years ago, monsters of destruction, born of cosmic evil, descended from the sky and set our world ablaze. Our ancestors—the great city-builders—fought back against them. At that critical moment, the Eternal Freeze descended..."
Bronya recited the history that every resident of Belobog, from a hundred-year-old elder to an elementary school child, knew by heart.
"I believe none of you have forgotten this history! Our ancestors, who loved this land, fought a bloody war against the Antimatter Legion!"
No resident of Belobog would forget. In the vast, howling ice fields, on the white-capped peaks of the tall mountains, there were still countless frozen Voidrangers of the Antimatter Legion. Arctic explorers like Lynx, or historical researchers who had been outside the city—even if only once—had all seen those ferocious and terrifying ice sculptures.
"And now, the nefarious enemy from seven hundred years ago has returned!"
Bronya's voice echoed through Belobog, causing everyone's eyes to widen in shock.
"They have struck directly at the Supreme Guardian! The vile Antimatter Legion has corrupted the mind of Supreme Guardian Cocolia, to the point that she has betrayed the Preservation! She wants to destroy Belobog, to destroy everything the city-builders and its people have created!"
This blame, the Antimatter Legion could take it!
"Though I am Cocolia's daughter, I know the suffering of the people and where my duty lies!"
Bronya's clear and resolute voice, rising and falling with passion, seemed to possess a magical quality that stirred the emotions in people's hearts.
"I am here today! I will defeat the evil Cocolia! And restore clarity and justice to Belobog!"
"We follow your will!"
"We swear to follow Lady Bronya to the death!"
"Overthrow Cocolia! Long live Supreme Guardian Bronya!"
The Silvermane Guards behind Bronya roared with fervor.
"The Supreme Guardian is being controlled by the Antimatter Legion?"
"Lady Cocolia has betrayed us?"
"Is it true?"
Many ordinary citizens, including the palace guards who had originally sided with Cocolia, paused their standoff with Bronya's forces, their faces filled with doubt and uncertainty.
What began as a protest had suddenly erupted into a rebellion, followed by a rousing speech. The shocking news was almost too much for people to believe.
But soon, that disbelief turned to pale-faced horror.
From within Qlipoth Fort, countless monstrous, shadow-like soldiers began to pour out. While most of them were humanoid in shape, a few had terrifyingly warped forms. Some had hands like sharp, hard steel claws; some had bat-like wings sprouting from their backs; some monsters had multiple eyes and a row of insectoid teeth.
The Tarakudo mask could theoretically summon all types of soldiers from the Shadowkhan. The fact that only the basic type had been summoned before was likely because the wearer was merely a Fragmentum monster. Now, the summoner was Cocolia.
"It's true!"
"Cocolia... wait, that madwoman Cocolia has really betrayed Belobog!"
"That treacherous dog, that beast!"
Although they looked somewhat different from the monsters frozen in the snow, there was no doubt that those shadows were monsters! Their ferocious nature, attacking any human on sight, proved Bronya's words.
"We have already stepped into the blizzard! For the sake of protection and defense, we will crush them!"
Bronya's resolute voice rang out as she faced Qlipoth Fort and the charging army of shadows, raising her bayoneted rifle.
"Charge!"
"Kill the traitor Cocolia!"
The smoke of gunpowder filled the air, and the roars of battle shook the heavens.
It had no skill effect, but Bronya's speech ignited the hearts of everyone. The Silvermane Guards drew their weapons and charged, forming a silver tide to block the Shadowkhan army.
Fortunately, Qlipoth Fort was located in the center of the Administrative District, which in turn was in the heart of the city. The Shadowkhan spread out from the center in all directions. Bronya's operation was already designed to encircle the Administrative District, so the shadow soldiers didn't reach the ordinary citizens immediately, instead finding themselves contained within the Silvermane Guards' encirclement.
The basic Shadowkhan were about as strong as a Silvermane Guard, but the nine specialized types were much stronger. However, perhaps because the mask itself wasn't on Cocolia's face, she summoned very few of the specialized types.
"Guns in hand, follow me! Slay the tyrant, prove your conviction to the Preservation!"
Bronya charged at the very front, and not even the specialized Shadowkhan could halt her advance. Depending on their type, some of these specialized soldiers could even surpass a Destruction Voidranger in certain aspects, but most had relatively low defenses—a characteristic of the Shadowkhan.
Qlipoth Fort, the heart of Belobog, was now a sight too terrible to behold. The once majestic and grand castle was scarred and battered. Thick smoke continued to pour from its windows, and the flickering glow of raging fires could be seen within.
With the accompanying Silvermane Guards held up by the shadows, Bronya led only a small contingent and charged towards the Supreme Guardian's wing of the fort.
Bronya placed her hand on the door and pushed it open with ease.
The temperature inside the room was frigid, an extreme cold that seemed to have frozen the very air.
In the main hall, the floor and walls were almost entirely coated in ice crystals.
Where the Supreme Guardian's desk should be, there now stood an ice-forged throne, and a figure was seated upon it.
"Mother," Bronya said, her tone the same as always.
"Bronya, why?"
Cocolia slowly raised her head. In her deep violet eyes, beneath the layers of chaos and madness, there was a profound and uncomprehending confusion.
"Why have you betrayed me?!"
The dark consciousness within the Tarakudo mask was being used by the Stellaron to influence Cocolia, but this influence was limited. The Stellaron wanted to destroy the world, not to let darkness and the Shadowkhan conquer it. Cocolia's fractured mind was, for the moment, relatively lucid, and thus she couldn't understand why Bronya would do this.
"My reason?" Bronya stared at Cocolia with righteous conviction.
"Have you not heard the cries of the children in the Underworld?!"
"Have you not felt Belobog being torn apart?!"
"Have you not noticed the schemers celebrating their success?!"
Just as Cocolia's attention was captured by Bronya's words, a dark shadow dove down from outside like a raven spreading its wings. The rapidly moving figure raised a scarlet claw, aiming for the back of Cocolia's neck.
Clang!
The claw pierced through a defensive shadow that emerged from Cocolia's own, but it was stopped by an ice crystal that radiated a biting chill.
Feeling the terrifying cold and seeing that she was being watched by those violet eyes, Raven dodged a volley of sharp ice spikes that shot up, kicking at Cocolia's dark boots in a reverse golden-hook posture, only to be blocked again by thick ice.
Using the recoil to leap backward, a blue arc of light flashed across her vision. With a silver, feather-like dagger, she sliced the ice blade in two. A subtle change appeared on her usually composed expression.
Damn it, is this the same Cocolia who was practically defenseless?
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