Just as she was about to reach Cocolia, Seele appeared behind Bronya, her hands gripping Bronya's wrists tightly to stop her from advancing.
As the Imaginary energy within Cocolia spiraled out of control, she seemed to see countless faces twisted in agony.
Their gazes held hatred, resentment…
"The Stellaron promised a new world, yet it… seeks to devour everything!"
Cocolia pressed down on the energy trying to escape her body, gathering it in her palm before slamming it into her chest.
A terrifying energy eruption blasted Bronya and Seele back, forming an invisible barrier.
Bronya rushed forward, only to crash into the barrier, her voice breaking with sobs.
"Mother, please stop!"
Cocolia, for the last time, softened her expression as she looked at her daughter.
For the final time, she revealed the gentle smile etched into Bronya's soul.
Yet, she said nothing.
All a traitor could do in her final moment was reject that false future to atone for her sins.
The rest…
Bronya, you will surely do well…
Farewell, my daughter.
"Mother, no—!"
The barrier vanished, the light faded.
Only the Stellaron remained, hovering amid the ruins, silently recounting everything.
Bronya sank to her knees, trembling as she stared at the fading light, her arms falling limply.
"Mother… you've awakened from that illusory dream, haven't you…"
Stelle watched the scene in silence.
Lifting her gaze to her companions, her expressionless face was suddenly replaced by one of panic.
Without sparing a word for Bronya, she rushed back to her companions' side as fast as she could.
The players had already lost it.
[Holy crap! Hoyo!]
[Two stabs at once, huh? Is Hoyo full of poets or something?]
[Two stabs, my foot! Does Cocolia count as a stab? That's just karma. How could she not die after all the lives she took?]
[Only Leon gets hurt in this world? Give him some healing already!]
The chat exploded, and Ah Xian wasn't faring much better.
She hadn't expected that even while savoring the protagonist's ultimate move animation against Cocolia, she'd be hit with a zero-frame knife.
Leon's powerless collapse instantly triggered unpleasant memories.
It was eerily similar to a certain big sister's fall in Honkai Impact 3rd.
"Hoyo, you're stabbing me, huh?!"
"This is the launch story, the LAUNCH!!!"
"If you're gonna pull a knife, at least wait a year or two! What game kills off a main cast member in the first mission of the launch?!"
"If Leon really goes out like this, I'm done with this game!"
[Goddamn, I wasn't gonna cry, but Ah Xian's got me infected.]
[Oof, that's a counterattack!]
[You'd have to be a god to not get hit by that counterattack.]
[But seriously, watching Ah Xian lose it is so satisfying, heh heh heh…]
[I'm wrecked too, but it's fine. Tonight, Bilibili's gonna be flooded with fan edits, and we're feasting!]
[You guys need to chill. Surely no one actually wants Leon to get knifed, right? Right?]
[Ungrateful kids, forgetting how good your old man's been to you?]
[Play around, mess around, but don't joke about knifing Leon. He ended up like this to save the Trailblazer and the team!]
[Pay attention: keep the memes in check!]
Ah Xian had no mood to read the chat. She wiped her eyes fiercely, glaring at the game screen through gritted teeth.
She refused to believe Leon would go out like this—his secrets hadn't even been revealed yet!
Stelle rushed over, her eyes filled with panic.
"What's wrong with Leon?!"
Dan Heng's expression was grave. "Preliminary assessment: he's likely overexerted himself, reaching his physical and mental limits."
March 7th, anxious and worried, asked, "Is it because he was holding the line at the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone?"
"Most likely, yes."
Dan Heng didn't elaborate.
He had a bolder guess, closer to the truth.
Perhaps…
Leon had quietly done something even greater, possibly… protecting his companions and this world from an Envoy.
Even Dan Heng couldn't gauge the depths of Leon's strength, suggesting his past identity was far from ordinary.
Perhaps he possessed power rivaling an Envoy.
He had just informed Himeko and Welt about the situation here, only to learn—
Neither of them knew anything about Leon's solo actions.
No one knew what Leon had been doing during the time he vanished from the Express's navigation system.
For now, they'd have to wait for him to wake up to learn the truth.
It might involve an Envoy, something he would have warned his companions to prepare for.
But Leon hadn't.
Knowing his personality, he wouldn't speak up to worry his juniors.
Sigh.
Dan Heng couldn't help but sigh, making Stelle and March 7th even more anxious and scared.
"This is the first time I've seen Leon lose consciousness on a Trailblazing journey…"
March 7th choked up slightly, clutching Leon's sleeve tightly.
In the past, he was usually carefree, with a faint smile reminiscent of the Masked Fools.
Footsteps approached.
It was Seele and Bronya.
Though Bronya's face still bore traces of sorrow, her gaze toward Leon was unmistakably filled with genuine concern.
"Mr. Leon, he…"
Dan Heng suppressed his extra emotions, offering the girls reassurance.
"He's not in mortal danger for now. He just needs rest for a while."
"Phew… that's good, that's good! Everyone's fine, happy ending~~"
March 7th let out a huge sigh of relief, patting her chest as the weight lifted from her heart.
Ah Xian's reaction mirrored March 7th's exactly.
No knife, thank goodness!
But she could never have imagined—
The knife wasn't absent.
It was waiting.
"This Trailblazing journey… was really tough, but we succeeded. By the way, what about the Stellaron…?"
"Leon or Uncle Yang usually handle it, but Leon's unconscious, and Uncle Yang's not here."
Dan Heng: "I've already notified Himeko and Mr. Welt. They're on their way."
March 7th: "Awesome! So, this world's crisis is basically resolved, right?"
Dan Heng shook his head slowly.
"The blizzard won't stop abruptly. After sealing the Stellaron, the cold tide will gradually recede, and the Rift's expansion will halt."
"Jarilo-VI now has a chance to regain life, but the process will take time."
He looked at Bronya.
"And that will depend on your efforts."
Bronya blinked her sore, tearless eyes and solemnly saluted the Trailblazing team.
"Thank you all so much for your contributions to Belobog."
"With Mr. Leon's serious condition, please return to Belobog immediately. I'll arrange the best medical resources for him at once."
Dan Heng declined politely. "We appreciate the gesture, but there's no need. Once Himeko and the others arrive, I'll escort Leon back to the Express to recover."
Hearing the firm resolve in Dan Heng's words, Bronya didn't press further.
With confirmation that Leon wasn't in mortal danger, Stelle's long-tense mind and expression relaxed slightly.
"What's your plan next, Bronya?"
Seeing Stelle's gaze, Bronya paused for a moment.
"There's still so much to do."
"The massive commotion here must have been noticed by the city's residents. Many questions need answers, many things need to be made public…"
Stelle seemed to pick up on something, her eyes narrowing instinctively.
"But it sounds like… you don't plan to reveal the truth?"