Chapter 96: I Want To Eat The Star Core!

Serval pondered for a moment, then someone's eyes lit up as realization struck. He clapped his right fist into the palm of his left hand.

"The Star Core is in Everwinter Ridge! Cocolia must have gone there to find it!"

With that revelation, Nanashi didn't even need to explain further.

"To save time, I'll just take you all there myself."

A powerful gust of wind surged around them.

"W-Wait… we're flying?!"

Clara gasped in alarm as her body suddenly lifted off the ground.

"Analysis complete. The movement is caused by controlled airflow. The risk level is negligible."

Svarog's attempt at reassurance fell on deaf ears. Clara's fear was instinctive—logic alone couldn't override it.

"Robots still have a long way to go when it comes to understanding human emotions."

Nanashi sighed as he watched the scene unfold. Without hesitation, he reached out and scooped up the petite girl into his arms.

"!"

A bright red light flickered in Svarog's eyes.

"Don't be scared. This is just one of my abilities. Flying is the fastest way to get there—we can skip all the winding paths this way."

"U-Um… Th-Thank you, Mr. Nanashi."

Still clinging to his clothes, Clara's grip tightened slightly, but the overwhelming panic from before had faded significantly.

"..."

Svarog's glowing red eyes dimmed gradually.

"Alright, let's go."

"Fly high!"

March 7th cheered excitedly as the group soared through the sky, heading toward the deepest part of Everwinter Ridge.

At the heart of Everwinter Ridge stood a massive, broken mechanical structure. It resembled a doorway—or perhaps a restraint—looming over the empty platform.

Inside that fractured frame rested a radiant energy source, encased in a prismatic metal cage.

The Star Core.

The very entity that had brought the Eternal Freeze and the Rift to Jarilo-VI.

A lone woman stood before it, clad in black stockings and long boots.

Cocolia.

The Supreme Guardian of Belobog.

Bronya's mother.

A fragmented voice echoed from the Star Core—

[Cocolia… stop… them…]

Cocolia's gaze remained fixed on the Star Core as she murmured, "You remember my promise?"

[Of course…]

"Mother!"

Descending from the air, Bronya sprinted toward Cocolia, her voice laced with urgency.

Cocolia turned, her expression tinged with sadness. "So… you've come after all, Bronya."

"Mother, stop this!"

Bronya's sharp gaze darted toward the Star Core—then to Cocolia's transformed right hand.

At that moment, she knew.

Everything the outsiders and the chat group had warned her about—

Her mother… had already chosen the Star Core's side.

The rest of the group gathered behind her, but no one spoke.

Even Serval, though she had a thousand questions to ask, held her tongue.

Now wasn't the time.

This was a moment between mother and daughter.

Nanashi, meanwhile, was entirely uninterested in emotional reunions.

His gaze had already locked onto the Star Core.

Through the howling snow and wind, he moved forward—slowly, deliberately.

And yet, despite his presence, everyone else seemed utterly unaware of him.

As Nanashi approached—

The Star Core flared violently.

The frigid energy it attempted to release vanished before it could even form.

It had no effect on him.

[Cocolia… stop… him… stop… him…]

The Star Core's erratic pulsations grew frantic.

It flooded Cocolia's mind with urgent commands.

But she barely reacted. Instead, she simply furrowed her brows and muttered absentmindedly, "I'm already stopping them."

[...]

For a moment, the Star Core fell silent.

Nanashi smirked. "Quit barking. No one can see me."

Casually, he hopped onto the Star Core's metallic frame—then sat down.

"Your energy is fascinating. It makes me hungry."

Despite its vast power, the Star Core posed no threat to him.

And strangely enough—

It actually looked appetizing.

[...]

The Star Core's light dimmed instantly.

"...Pretending to be dead?"

Nanashi tilted his head in amusement.

Could a Star Core really play dead?

"Well, if that's how you want to play it—"

A writhing mass of crimson energy began creeping toward the Star Core.

Gluttony.

A consuming force—one that sought to devour the very essence of the Star Core.

Progress was slow. Too slow.

Clearly, his Gluttony skill wasn't quite strong enough yet.

But that didn't mean he couldn't eat it.

Bit by bit, he could feel its energy being absorbed.

The Star Core flickered wildly—desperately—

Yet no one came to its aid.

"U-Um… M-Mr. Nanashi… w-who are you talking to?"

A soft voice suddenly reached his ears.

"…Oh."

Only then did he remember—

Clara was still in his arms.

She had been so quiet, and so light, that he had completely forgotten about her.

"It's nothing," he replied. "I was just talking to the Star Core. You just sit back and enjoy the show. Oh, and by the way—call me 'Big Brother Nanashi.'"

"O-Oh… B-Big Brother… Nanashi… Brother…"

Clara nodded obediently, her voice shy.

"Good girl."

Nanashi ruffled her soft hair in approval.

Then, his eyes drifted downward—

To Clara's bare feet.

His brows furrowed. "Are you cold?"

"W-Well… a little. But I can manage."

"That won't do. You shouldn't let your feet freeze."

Without hesitation, he placed one warm hand over her small feet.

"Wah! So warm!"

Clara tensed at first, but soon, a comfortable warmth spread through her toes.

"That's better." Nanashi smiled, satisfied.

"Clara..."

Svarog's head turned left, then right.

Where was Clara?

That human had disappeared too!

At that moment, the scene before them resembled the prelude to an epic battle, yet the live broadcast had started without anyone realizing it.

[A group member has started a live broadcast!]

[Nami has joined the live broadcast room!]

[Esdeath….]

[L….]

Lemuel: "Wow, where is this? Everything's white—just snow everywhere. It looks freezing."

Nanashi: "It's the source of the cold wave."

Nami: "Cold wave? Does that just mean... it's cold?"

Nanashi: "Yeah. This planet has been almost completely consumed by the ice storm."

Suzuki: "A frozen planet... that's terrifying."

Reinhard: "So this is what happens at the end of a cold wave… How many people must have died?"

Nanashi: "Let's just say there's only one fortress left on this planet—Belobog. And most of its people... didn't make it."

Aqua: "This goddess should descend and bring them hope!"

Nanashi: "Your divine power is half-baked in other worlds."

Aqua: "H-Hey, that's not my fault!"

Emilia: "Eh? Where is Mr. Nanashi?"

Nanashi: "I'm sitting on the Star Core."

Silver Wolf: "Huh? Do you have to be so casual? That's the Star Core we're talking about!"

Nanashi: "Haha, relax. This thing's a coward—it even plays dead. I'll handle the big boss. You guys take care of the small fries."

Silver Wolf: "...I feel like none of you respect the final boss!"

Nanashi: "How can you say that? Devouring a Star Core is exhausting."

March 7th: "Wait, wait—eating a Star Core? Is that even possible? Nanashi, I feel like you're even stronger than Dan Heng."

Silver Wolf: "Are you seriously debating whether or not someone can eat a Star Core? Also—focus! You're supposed to be fighting, not chatting!"

To her, this battle was just like a game.

And the Star Core? The ultimate boss fight.

What mattered most was the Nanashi Experience!

Emilia: "Sorry, I don't really understand what's going on… I guess I'll just stay quiet and—um."

Understandable.

She had no context for this confrontation between mother and daughter.

To her, none of this made sense.

"Bronya, as your mother, I hope you will stand by my side."

Cocolia extended her arms as if longing for an embrace, her voice filled with deep emotion.

"Don't resist, Bronya. Just accept the will of the people."

"Look at the world, at their silent suffering."

"The Star Core has promised me a world without pain—a world where people no longer struggle to survive like prisoners. A world we can protect forever."

Her expression carried both hope and despair—two sides of the same coin.

"For centuries, we have fought and struggled, believing that the light of humanity would guide us toward salvation."

"And the result? We failed. Completely."

Bronya clenched her fists, trying to argue back.

"No, Mother! We are still fighting to survive!"

Cocolia scoffed.

"Survive? Heh."

Her voice dripped with bitter amusement.

"Deceiving ourselves with empty ideals of preservation? Every time humanity faces an unstoppable force, our first instinct is to resist, to plug our ears rather than listen to what it has to say."

She had long since lost faith in Preservation.

"That stubbornness—that cowardice—is an unshakable part of human nature."

Looking down at Bronya from above, she declared:

"Abandon it. Let go of the chains that bind you. The Star Core will lead humanity to evolution!"

Seele, her temper flaring, had finally had enough.

"Enough with the brainwashing, you witch."

Cocolia's once-gentle expression vanished.

In its place was only cold indifference.

"Hmph. I had hoped this blizzard would be enough to bury you all."

"Not a chance!"

March 7th readied her bow. The others tightened their grips on their weapons.

But Cocolia ignored them.

Her attention was focused solely on Bronya.

"Bronya, I want to witness your choice."

"I will tell you everything."

"The truth about my pact with the Star Core, the wish I made to Him—there will be no more secrets between us."

Her voice, cold yet unwavering, carried the weight of her entire truth.

"Many years ago, I first heard the voice of the Star Core whispering in my ears. But like all the Guardians before me, I shut my eyes and ears to it."

"Back then, I was just like you are now—desperately clinging to the so-called protection of the city builders. My belief was unwavering."

"Until an unforeseen variable shattered everything."

"Another path appeared before me—one that meant overthrowing the old order and embracing the birth of a new world."

"But compared to that fleeting, illusory promise, the reality before me feels so much more distant."

"I've thought long and hard... How do I convey all of this to you?"

"The promised tomorrow will come, but if you refuse to stand by my side and witness that new world with me—"

"If they refuse, they will suffer. A pain that cannot be erased."

As she spoke, her gaze swept over Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng, then shifted to Silver Wolf and Emilia.

"And you—outsiders—I must thank you as well. Because of the pressure you brought, I was finally able to confront my final weakness."

At last, her eyes returned to Bronya—gentle, affectionate.

"From childhood to now, I have never forced you to follow my will. No matter what, the choice has always been yours. It was true then, and it remains true now... my daughter."

Bronya listened in silence, taking in her mother's long-buried truth.

She understood her mother's love... yet she also knew what she had to do.

She opened her sorrow-laden eyes, but instead of hesitation, there was only resolve.

With unwavering certainty, she made her choice.

"Lady Cocolia."

This time, she did not call her "Mother." She stood before the Supreme Guardian, addressing her with formality.

"Thank you for raising me. Thank you for giving me the right to choose."

And in that moment, Bronya decided.

"But I'm sorry—I cannot stand by your side this time."

"You said the deepest part of human nature is foolishness and cowardice. Perhaps you're right. Desperation can bring out the darkest side of people."

"But you overlooked those who fight—those who struggle to survive despite it all."

Bronya clasped her hands before her chest, her voice steady as she spoke of what she had seen and heard in the lower districts.

"I saw their light—in the paint that brightens forgotten corners, in the places you've long ignored."

"Our ancestors built this city with their own hands. They fought against the unyielding snow and wind to preserve civilization."

"Even if this world is destined to collapse, the road to its end must be paved by human hands—"

"Not surrendered to an unfeeling force."

With conviction, Bronya raised her hand and pointed directly at the Star Core.

"Rather than entrusting our fate to this corrupt existence."

"Brother Nanashi... is Sister Bronya talking about us?"

Clara shrank back into Nanashi's arms, her voice trembling.

Nanashi chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"Of course not. She means the one beneath us."

[!!!]

Even after consuming a tenth of the Star Core, it continued to pulse wildly.

"We are the Guardians chosen by the people. Our duty is to protect the world humanity has built—to safeguard their future."

"We are neither gods nor judges."

"Yet you seek to trample upon humanity, to play both executioner and enigma."

"I won't allow it!"

Nanashi, watching from the sidelines, silently applauded Bronya.

It was true—Cocolia had glimpsed a bleak and hopeless future. She had succumbed to the whispers of the Star Core.

But in doing so, she had forgotten something vital.

She had been chosen by the people of Belobog.

And the moment she lost sight of that—she ceased to be their Supreme Guardian.

Bronya's voice was not loud, yet every word struck like a bolt of clarity.

The people behind her saw a glimmer of hope.

Only Cocolia lowered her gaze, murmuring in a hushed voice.

"So this is your choice... I see... Bronya."

"What a shame—you will never witness the world's rebirth. You should have chosen your mother..."

Boom!

As Cocolia's whisper faded, the ground beneath them trembled violently.