【In an instant, the ice lance in Cocolia's hands danced like the wind, striking like a Flurry as it carved lethal arcs through the air. Wherever the ice lance passed, only a bone-chilling cold remained.】

【Stelle still remembered what she looked like when they first met at Qlipoth Fort, but now her elegant demeanor had completely vanished. The biting cold seemed to condense her killing intent into tangible freezing vapor, shrouding everyone around her.】

"So strong..." Beneath his long hair, Jian Ze's eyes widened.

So this blonde lady was this powerful.

Not only did she possess an exaggerated close-quarters combat strength rare even among warriors, but she could also cast "freezing" magic anytime, anywhere...

Her spearmanship was quite refined, though slightly inferior to Dan Heng's. But in a freezing environment like Belobog, that was not much of a drawback; her freezing magic provided her with great buffs.

"Jian Ze, can you still claim that 'you can kill her' now?" Serie sat upon the throne belonging exclusively to the great mage, resting her chin on her hand with a slight smile. But seeing Jian Ze's pensive expression, the smile on her face soon faded—quickly replaced by a much more serious expression.

"You were just considering how to kill her, weren't you?" Serie asked curiously. "I'd like to hear your answer."

"Including myself... and then gathering three or more Grade 1 Mages, I believe we could still kill her," Jian Ze replied expressionlessly.

"Mhm, a reasonable answer," Serie said expressionlessly. His words did not bring her much surprise, but nor were they unexpected.

Jian Ze was a rare mage who possessed formidable close-combat ability; using that to deal with Cocolia's close-range lance technique might work—and paired with two other Grade 1 Mages to counter and suppress her ice-attribute magic, it was indeed a sound approach.

"Then do you think Frieren could defeat Cocolia?" Serie asked again.

"That..." Jian Ze looked down at the pond in the garden not far away, visually estimating the distance, and said, "If they are only about three meters apart, Lady Frieren might be subdued by Cocolia before she can even cast a spell. But if she can maintain a safe distance of over ten meters... I believe Lady Frieren would have the upper hand."

"Oh, right, Lady Serie, Seele and the others have already settled the score with Cocolia," Jian Ze reminded.

【In the light screen, with everyone working together, Cocolia was ultimately defeated. Cleaved in two by Seele, she rapidly dissolved into a cloud of black shadows.】

【"...She dissipated," March 7th said, looking up at the final staircase leading to the northern snow plains before them.】

【No matter where the stairs led, this was the terminus of their journey.】

【Now, the fates of the Upper District, the Underworld, and Bronya were all placed in the hands of the four of them. Seele had thought she would feel afraid or nervous, but she didn't... Right now, she only felt that it was all surreal.】

【Perhaps it was because Stelle and the others were here; Seele felt that no difficulty before them was insurmountable.】

【The group walked up the final staircase and pushed open the gate. Beyond lay the snowy plains north of Belobog—Everwinter Hill.】

【The deeper they went, the more March 7th shivered from the cold: "...S-So cold! Just a little bit of the power of the Trailblaze isn't enough to withstand this low temperature anymore..."】

【Dan Heng remained as calm as ever: "This means we are approaching the Stellaron, approaching the center of the Eternal Freeze."】

【Along the way, frozen sculptures of the Antimatter Legion could be seen everywhere, like insects trapped in amber. The Antimatter Legion probably never imagined that they would one day be swallowed up by the Eternal Freeze.】

【"Still, are the guys inside these blocks of ice still alive?" March 7th leaned close to a block of ice and examined it carefully.】

【Suddenly, Stelle approached from behind her, scrawled three crooked characters in the snow atop it, and gave a cheeky smirk: "Let's name this guy July 3rd."】

【March 7th immediately wiped away the handwriting in the snow and shot Stelle a speechless glare: "I can't believe you're in the mood to joke around at a time like this..."】

【"Hey, look, is that... a relic left behind by The Architects?"】

【Seele's voice interrupted their banter at the right moment. The group looked in the direction Seele's finger was pointing, only to see a jaw-dropping, colossal mechanical hand resting quietly above Everwinter Hill not far away. The machine was so conspicuous, like a behemoth sprouting abruptly out of the endless snow and ice.】

"This machine..."

"Reminds me of that gigantic Ruin Guard beside Devantaka Mountain," Tighnari remarked with emotion. "What truly astonishing power."

"Over the past few centuries, that Ruin Guard has been studied by quite a few scholars from the Akademiya," Faruzan said, shaking her head. "But it must be acknowledged that even today, much of its structure cannot be fully understood or replicated."

"However, in one aspect, we are quite similar to the people of Belobog: both of our cultures suffer from a degree of historical discontinuity."

"Just as we are unable to replicate Khaenri'ah's mechanical achievements today, the people of Belobog can no longer replicate the mechanical guards left behind seven hundred years ago—like that machine called Svarog, for instance. How regrettable."

"As a scholar, it's indeed regrettable, but as an ordinary citizen of Sumeru, I don't think it's such a bad thing," Tighnari chuckled.

The cataclysm of Khaenri'ah five hundred years ago was recorded in various nations. Today, the impression that fallen ancient nation leaves on people is much like that mountain-sized Ruin Guard at Devantaka Mountain, inspiring both envy and longing.

Why the Seven Archons went to Khaenri'ah remains an enigma to this day, but Tighnari always felt that it was likely inextricably linked to Khaenri'ah's unfathomable technology.

Even if Khaenri'ah's technology were recreated, what if it drew in...

Taking a deep breath, Tighnari suddenly felt a wave of relief. Fortunately, the Akademiya's research into Khaenri'ah's technology had only scratched the surface.

【As the group traversed a narrow mountain path, March 7th suddenly spoke up, as if sensing something: "What if Cocolia uses Bronya to threaten us..."】

【"We must save her! The Underworld... no, this world depends on her," Seele said resolutely without hesitation.】

【Feeling Seele's resolve, the three of them also prepared themselves mentally. Ahead lay the final platform, and their final destination.】

【Looking from a distance, Seele could already spot Bronya and Cocolia. Not far from them stood a massive mechanical apparatus, topped by a diamond-shaped limiter, inside which something seemed to emit a yellow glow.】

【Bronya clutched her head in agony, as if constantly resisting something: "...No, stop..."】

【Cocolia's chilling voice rang beside her ears, sounding like soothing words, yet also like a temptation: "Do not resist... Bronya—accept our shared will!"】