Whoever invades my territory of Beloberg will be defeated by me!

[The Antimatter Legion has awakened once more, igniting a planet-wide war.]

[You know that the hatred between the empire and the legion is endless. The Antimatter Legion will destroy the dawn of the empire, and as emperor, you cannot allow this to happen.]

[However, you are pondering how best to respond to the war ignited by the Antimatter Legion—]

[1. Advance into the snow.

The march of the Antimatter Legion is bound to continually devastate the planet. For the future of the people to see blue skies and not live on a ravaged planet, you must eliminate the Antimatter Legion while they are just beginning to regroup.]

[2. Defend the walls.

The construction of Belobog's Iron Wall was precisely to defend against this inevitable war. The empire is not yet ready to face such a powerful enemy head-on. If you want to survive, you must proceed cautiously.]

[3. Seek advice.

Your knowledge of military matters is too limited... The strength the empire possesses is not clear enough to you. You decide not to command the empire's army based on your shallow understanding. Instead, you choose to seek advice from the empire's general, the Shadow of Belobog, Ron.]

Looking at the options on the screen, Seele chose the third option without hesitation. Although she believed that defending the walls was the best choice, as she had witnessed the terror of the Antimatter Legion in her previous simulation, she trusted Ron to come up with a better plan.

The choice screen faded, and new text appeared:

[The news of the Antimatter Legion's attack left you at a loss, unable to make a reasonable decision.]

[You decide to seek Ron's advice.]

The text faded, and a new scene began to play:

"Ron... The Antimatter Legion is attacking. What should the empire do?" Seele's face was cold, but it wasn't because she had any issue with Ron; she was simply accustomed to this expression.

The power of the Hunt coursed through her, and with the cold-blooded will of a revolutionary in her heart, her path resonated with the fate she was on, bringing about great changes in her. She handled all matters calmly, viewing the world with the coldest of eyes, quantifying everything and making decisions based on numbers.

After a year or two, Seele's heart had become cold as iron. For the grand goal of saving the world, she was willing to gamble everything.

"We can't be reckless... but we also can't just defend." Ron was already used to Seele's cold demeanor. He thought for a moment, then said solemnly, "The threat of the Antimatter Legion is not small... Although the Stellaron presents a multifaceted problem, its threat level is not as high as the Antimatter Legion."

"After all... the Antimatter Legion brings only destruction."

Ron sighed and hesitated for a moment before saying, "While defending the walls can buy us a lot of time, Belobog is a very small area compared to the entire planet. If the Antimatter Legion bypasses us, their destructive urge will be unstoppable, and they will eventually annihilate everything outside Belobog."

"When that happens, we won't be able to survive either."

"So... we need to defend Belobog while taking out their leader."

Ron's eyes showed a complex emotion as he spoke. He wanted to see Belobog's dawn, to witness a future where Belobog was no longer shrouded in calamity. But now...

He took a deep breath, his eyes becoming determined:

"I have studied the texts of the Builders—the legion invading Yalilo-VI is only a vanguard. Most of the void soldiers lack intelligence and possess only pure destructive urges. While they are formidable, they are merely akin to the challenging Fragmentum creatures."

"Only the vanguard's leader, the Calamity Vanguard, possesses enough intelligence and poses the greatest threat..."

"Back then, it was obstructed by the company's support and sealed in ice by the Stellaron."

"And now... I will infiltrate the Fragmentum to carry out a decapitation mission."

He forced a smile, using a joking tone: "Those who invade Belobog's territory will be destroyed... I heard the Golden Opera has a play about me. My favorite line is that one."

"Don't worry, Seele... I will bring back victory, I promise."

Seele saw the sadness in Ron's eyes. She believed Ron could carry out his decapitation mission, but... she didn't believe he would come back alive.

The Calamity Vanguard was enough to destroy planets, and while Ron might have a way to fight it, it would undoubtedly come at a great cost. Otherwise, he wouldn't choose to go alone, knowing that this mission's outcome would not be perfect.

So... should she stop Ron?

Conflicted thoughts stirred within Seele's chest, but her cold will cooled them. Everything could be a gamble for salvation, everything. As the last butterfly before the apocalypse, she would dance the most brilliant dance, even if it meant giving up everything.

Ron's teachings still echoed in her heart... she wouldn't hesitate.

"Do what you must."

She looked up calmly, gazing deeply at Ron as if it was the last time.

"I will support you with all my might."

The screen faded, and in reality, Seele was stunned by what she saw—she didn't want Ron to die!

She believed there had to be a better choice. Seriously... why was the simulation her so cold-blooded?

Ron had helped her so much, and given her bold nature, she couldn't possibly let him go to his death.

The simulated her was just too much!

Seele felt a wave of anger at her cold simulation self, wanting to pause the game and avoid seeing Ron die. But the Life Simulation Game had no pause button.

New text appeared on the screen:

[With your full support, the empire's army began patrolling around the Iron Wall.]

[Countless war machines spewing antiparticles emerged from the snowfield, following their intrinsic urge for destruction, surging towards Belobog's Iron Wall like a tide.]

[Ron's proposal to build the wall was a perfect decision. Although the Antimatter Legion's assault was unprecedentedly fierce, with the support of the walls, the empire's army maintained the situation.]

[Antimatter cores exploded daily on the front lines, sweeping the battlefield with powerful energy waves, but they couldn't shake the empire's guards.]

[The frontline was stable... until the real war machines emerged from the snowfield's end.]

...

[You saw the vanguard of the Antimatter Legion. Each Calamity Vanguard had the power to destroy planets, and you knew how strong they were.]

[In the vast sea of stars, countless fireworks had been ignited and exploded by the Calamity Vanguards you faced... Yalilo-VI was no different from other stars.]

[The Path still rejects you, and the trait "Crossroads" glows brightly.]

[Facing the source of calamity in the drifting snow, you are about to make the most significant decision of your life—]

[1. The threat of destruction is difficult to resolve. To deal with it completely, you must stay calm and proceed gradually.

You know your strength is not enough to deal with the Calamity Vanguard. Perhaps, you should abandon Seele, elevate Bronya, align more with the principles of Preservation, and draw power from the Path to fight back.]

[2. Those who invade Belobog's territory must be destroyed!

You have completely put aside life and death—for the sake of protection and defense, for the dawn of this world, you will pay any price.]

Ron scoffed at the screen's choices:

"Abandon Seele? Not a chance!"

He chose the second option without hesitation—

"Calamity Vanguard? Bring it on!"