As her energy gathered, a huge golden-black ice prism appeared from the clouds, streaking across the sky like a meteor and crashing towards the direction where Zhou Xiao and the others were.
"You're going to get hit... Get out of the way!"
The people in the lower level and the train crew all scrambled to get out of the way, but Zhou Xiao stood still, glancing back at Cocolia in mid-air.
Just now... he swung his knife twice...
One strike, imbued with nameless power, landed on the star core. So where did the other strike go?
...
Click—
Before the massive ice shard could even hit the ground, a cold glint flashed in mid-air, and an invisible blade of wind, slicing horizontally, instantly split the massive ice shard in two.
The sudden delayed attack left Cocolia with no time to react, and she was caught off guard by the horizontal slash.
"pain..."
"Extreme pain."
When the horizontal slash cut through Cocolia's body and passed right through her, a sharp pain brought her back from her frenzied state.
With most of her body torn apart, the icicles on her back, which resembled wings, lost their power and carried her down to the snowy ground of Yongdong Ridge.
Perhaps she already thought she was incredibly powerful and could control everything, but in front of Zhou Xiao, she was just so-so.
It's not that Zhou Xiao is particularly powerful.
But Cocolia... she's really bad.
The seemingly powerful star core energy injected into her body was merely an external force; she used it very inefficiently, as it wasn't her true power.
"Mother!"
Seeing Cocolia being slashed down by Zhou Xiao in mid-air and plummeting to the ground, Bronya immediately rushed out to check on Cocolia's condition.
The spot where Cocolia had fallen was now stained crimson.
...
Cocolia felt the unstable power of the star core within her body, which had become somewhat agitated.
On her deathbed, she looked toward the star core, toward the light of hope that would save Beloborg.
“We...promise you a new world where there is no suffering, no hunger, no death...what are you hesitating for? Look at your ravaged world! It won't last long.”
"No...we must have another way."
A flood of memories flashed through her mind, and she seemed to hear the conversations she had with the star core in the past.
"You've seen it... they're living well, they're free from suffering... As the High Protector of Beloberg, you understand that leading this world in this way will only lead to destruction..."
"I..."
"But this violates moral ethics."
"The morals and ethics of the old world will eventually be replaced by the new world, and you will lead them to establish a new order..."
“...”
"Great Guardian, the invasion of the Rift creatures at the front lines has worsened. The Silvermane Iron Guard's defenses are crumbling, and many warriors have fallen..."
"Look... how many of your people have been sacrificed because of your hesitation? The demise of Beloborg is inevitable; you must make a new choice..."
"I...I'll consider it."
"Is what you're saying true?"
Our promises... are never false.
“I… am the Great Guardian of Beloborg, Cocolia. I bear the responsibility and duty of all the people of Beloborg on my shoulders. The old world is beyond saving… The new world will restart everything.”
"This process may be difficult, and I may be misunderstood, misinterpreted, and opposed by many people, but I have to do it because we have no other choice."
"Even if I have to accept all the blame, I will try... because I am the Great Guardian of Belloborg, and as its leader, I must ensure that Belloborg continues in the New World..."
Cocolia thought of herself, of those sleepless nights she spent considering the Star Core proposal, and she was prepared to bear the infamy.
She...cannot fail.
She... had no choice but to succeed.
...
"Star Core...hear my call...grant me once again the power to burn my life."
Pale-faced Cocolia stared intently at the location of the star core. She was already at her last gasp, with little hope left, but she still stubbornly believed in the star core. Even if it meant burning away her entire life, she was determined to restart this world.
Saving Belloberg had become an obsession for her.
“The Star Core can’t hear your call…” Zhou Xiao slowly walked over, carrying Kafka’s dark red longsword.
He looked down at Cocolia, who was lying on the ground barely breathing, a scene exactly like when Cocolia had looked down at them from above.
"You...it's all your fault! If it weren't for your interference, the new world would have already arrived!" Cocolia felt she could no longer suppress the restless power of the star core within her.
Hearing that Cocolia remained unrepentant, Zhou Xiao shook his head:
"You might still be fantasizing about how awesome you are, possessing the power of the Star Core, being able to stand above everyone else, like a god, killing anyone you glare at, and then stepping over the corpses of your opponents to open up some... so-called new world."
"Reality is cruel, and unfortunately, I am reality."
Zhou Xiao's cold voice rang out from beneath the green ghost mask.
This line, "I am reality," completely touched Cocolia's heart, while also making March 7th feel incredibly cool.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, March 7th quietly took out her small camera and secretly took a picture of Zhou Xiao, who was holding a long knife and wearing a green ghost mask.
Um...
Perfect.
Another one.
...
"Is there any way to save Mother?" Bronya asked, looking at everyone.
save?
How can I save it after it's been chopped like this?
“It’s no use…” Zhou Xiao seemed to have seen through something, sheathed his longsword, and then silently stood a little further away.
His words seemed to be a prophecy, and immediately afterward, a powerful energy burst forth from Cocolia's body, spreading outward like a shockwave and enveloping Cocolia completely.
"Mother? Mother!" Bronya was stunned by the sudden turn of events, and then she tried to rush in, but Danheng and the others held her back tightly.
"The star core... devoured everything, including... me."
Before everyone's eyes, Cocolia's body emitted a stream of light as it was continuously dissolved and devoured by the power within her, eventually returning to nothingness and disappearing completely from everyone's sight.
silence...
Utter silence.
The blizzard gradually stopped, and everything seemed to return to normal, yet everything also seemed to have changed again.
Only Bronya could be heard sobbing softly in the quiet surroundings...
Her dearest mother... even in her last moments, showed no sign of turning back.
"Is this... your commitment to your chosen path?"
...
P.S.: I'm begging for everything, please, please, sob sob sob.
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