Chapter 48 Before the Fight

"Dear citizens of Belobog, please leave your personal belongings; take only what you need and head to an evacuation site quickly. According to the Belobog Disaster Property Protection Act, your property will be insured by the Supreme Guardian. Keep that in mind." 

On the street, the ground continued to shake like getting hit by an earthquake. The citizens of Belobog, no matter their age, gender, or wealth, worked together to evacuate.

"Somebody help me save my father! Please help!" 

A girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, was trying to lift a beam in front of the ruins. It was far too heavy for her. 

Under the beam, a slightly older man weakly said, "Dear, you go with your mom first! Leave me here!" 

"No! Dad!" She cried, heartbroken. Even though her nails were torn, the huge beam didn't budge, pressing hard on her father's leg. 

"Ah!" He wailed in pain. If they couldn't lift the beam soon, his leg would be beyond saving. 

"Hold on! We're coming!" 

Hearing the call, some Belobog city defense troops and strong men rushed to help without hesitation. 

"One, two, three, lift! One, two, three, go!" 

With everyone's help, the beam rose slightly, but just a bit.

"Dad has done both good and bad in his life. It's enough." The man couldn't bear to see his daughter in danger any longer. He could have escaped, but while evacuating the children, he had pushed a little boy to safety and ended up trapped here. 

The little boy had gone to find help as fast as he could, while the girl stayed to save her beloved father.

"Dad! You promised Mom you'd see her again! Don't break your promise, hang on!" Tears streamed down the girl's face as she squeezed her father's hand. 

"Try harder! Ahhh!" 

Everyone gritted their teeth, but human strength was no match for nature.

"Move aside!" A figure flashed past the girl, followed by a white light. In the next second, the heavy beam flew backward, and her father was saved!

"Yes, its Guardian Cocolia!" 

Everyone helped the injured man and saw who had saved him. 

"Don't worry about me! Do you know where the shelter is?" 

After confirming they knew, Cocolia looked around, ready to move to the next spot. 

"Guardian Cocolia..." A hand tugged at Cocolia's clothes. 

She looked down to see the girl whose father she had just saved, bowing deeply. 

"Ten years ago, you and Lord Orion saved my mother, and now you've saved my father. I don't know how to thank you enough. Thank you, Supreme Guardian!" 

"When did you...?" 

Distant memories came to mind. When Orion first arrived in the upper area, he saved a girl and her mother. Cocolia never thought she would see her again, all grown up. 

"Guardian Cocolia, we'll always remember what you and Lord Orion have done for us." The girl thanked her and quickly left but then looked back, waving and shouting: 

"Guardian Cocolia! Don't give up! Lord Orion must still be watching over you!" 

The heartwarming words touched Cocolia deeply. She memorized the girl's face and continued on her way. 

She had work to do. 

In the winter sunshine, the earrings symbolizing the Great Guardian sparkled, just like Cocolia's determined heart at that moment. 

"Uncle Yang, how much farther do we have to go?" 

On the train, March 7th and the others anxiously watched the wheels spin. Even though the speed was faster than most vehicles, in a disaster, it never feels fast enough. 

"In my perception, we still have about 30 miles to go," Welt said, eyes closed, using his ability to sense the distance. 

"What about Geppard? Where are your officers?" March 7th, asked the soldiers on the train. 

"Chief Geppard left when the disaster started." 

"What about his vehicle?" 

"He ran there, ma'am." 

"Huh?" March 7th was puzzled by the Silvermane Guard's reaction. 

"Uh..." The Silvermane Guard soldier hesitated, not sure how to explain. He pointed to the power armor he was wearing. 

"Simply put, Commander Geppard's power armor is a more advanced model than ours. If he's moving at a normal speed, he should have reached the front lines by now." 

Dan Heng, standing by the wall of the Astral Express, opened his eyes slightly, feeling moved. 

"So he didn't use his full strength back then?" 

When the train crew first arrived on the planet, Dan Heng and Stelle briefly fought against Geppard. At that time, Geppard didn't seem to be wearing the "power armor" the soldier mentioned. 

"It must be a secret weapon within the Silvermane Guard." 

Without thinking further, they knew they had to focus on the upcoming battle. According to Welt and Himeko's data, the only thing that could trigger something this massive on the planet is the "stellaron" everyone's been concerned about.

While people on the surface struggled, many things were happening underground in the city. Amid the flying dust, crowds like worker ants poured into a special passage. Despite the crowd, everything was orderly. 

"One at a time! If anyone tries to cut in line, I'll break their legs!" 

"Seele! We should be kinder to the people!" 

"Shut up, do you know the Underworld better than I do?"

A girl with long purple hair said as she stood on a half-crushed mine cart. The force of her foot slightly deformed the cart, intimidating all the troublemakers around.

Beside her, another girl, with long gray hair, stood with her head held high. The two girls, with their contrasting hair colors, maintained order at the scene. 

Though their tone also showed a contrast, with one yelling for people to get going while the other calmly directed people to get on their way, under their protection, the evacuation went smoothly.

The girl with the purple hair is Seele, the captain of the Silvermane Guard security team in the Underworld. Though she doesn't love the position, under her leadership, most of the young miners in the Underworld call her "Big Sister." 

Seele also has another role. She's the chief of the defense department of "Wildfire," a well-known organization in the Underworld. Wildfire emerged when the overworld and underworld classes began to mix.

At first, many criticized and slandered the organization, but after the Supreme Guardian Cocolia supported it, its development became more accepted.

In the days that followed, Oleg acted as a link between the upper and lower snow districts. Without earning the trust of the people in the Underworld, Cocolia sent her heir, Bronya Rand, to study and communicate with the lower district.

As for Seele and Bronya, they became known as young heroes in both the Overworld and Underworld. However, they still had plenty of awkward moments when they first met.

Whether it was due to their differing views or natural rivalry, their differences—stemming from their education, identity, and ideals—quickly escalated from words to needing to prove themselves with weapons.

Bronya remembered what one of her "masters" once taught her: Always speak confidently before a battle. Even if you might lose, never show weakness.

A bit clumsy, she held her head high and said to the girl in front of her, "By the will of the architect, I will thrust a spear into your nostrils."

Instead of getting angry, this made Seele sneer. "Do you even know how to insult someone? I'm just playing around here. Do you want me to teach you some bad words?"

"$#@% &*%! @#$%&"

Bronya's eyes immediately turned red, realizing that the older girl was teasing her. But then she remembered another lesson from her master: "If you can't convince someone, I'll teach you a universal trick."

Thinking of her master's words, Bronya, now blushing, suddenly relaxed and put on a worried expression. "Ah, yes, yes, everything you said is right."

"Uh, did you take the wrong medicine?"

Seele was momentarily stunned by Bronya's sudden change in attitude. She couldn't understand why the girl in front of her was acting so indifferent now. No matter how much Seele tried to provoke her, Bronya kept replying with the same annoying phrase: "Ah, yes, yes, everything you said is right."

"Ahhhhh!"

Swords clashed, and as the saying goes, you don't truly know someone until you fight them. After an intense "physical exchange," the two became inseparable friends.

By the way, Bronya won that fight.

In the Underworld, under the command of Natasha, Seele, and Bronya, the people evacuated in an orderly fashion. Some even claimed to have seen a tall robot with red eyes and a little girl with white hair in a red dress among the crowd. Both of them played a big part in the evacuation.

Outside the city at that time, a silent figure lay on the ground. Surrounding him were tangible lightning, storms, fire, and ice, as if they were honoring their supreme king.

"The number of bugs seems to be more than expected," he said.

Within the shadow, a flash of lightning revealed the monster's open eyes. Just by opening them, the surrounding space cracked.

"Looks like I need to send a greeting first."

Although he called it a greeting, when the giant shadow raised its head, its body blocked out the sky, and energy gathered in its mouth.

The air grew thick, and all the molecules and atoms seemed to be squeezed dry under this suction, revealing the most primitive form of matter. Under extreme pressure, the atoms were forced away, exposing plasma-like ball lightning.

Finally, this immense energy was released, launching in the direction of that city!

"Lady Cocolia!"

In one of the most secret rooms of the city architects, a messenger quickly handed a report to Cocolia, meant specifically for the battlefield. Even with her years of experience, Cocolia's calm expression showed surprise as she read it.

"There's been a massive unknown energy attack outside the city. Its power is like hundreds of bombs from thousands of years ago. But, for some unknown reason, the energy attack was deflected upward by about 15 degrees, so there weren't many casualties."

"Lady Cocolia, you should seek shelter immediately," the intelligence officer urged her.

"No!" Cocolia firmly refused. She handed the report back to the officer and walked deeper into the room.

"Are you really going to..." The officer looked shocked as Cocolia headed down the corridor.

At the end of the hallway was a secret factory, holding the most advanced technology of the Silvermane Guard from the city defense war. Under the platform, a steel giant, over 300 feet tall, stood silently, waiting for its owner.

Thousands of years ago, this machine helped secure territory for Jarilo-VI. Now, it will defend the city once again. Its name is the "Engine of Creation."

Cocolia gently touched the machine and removed her earrings, placing them outside the open hatch. The earrings glowed, and the machine's door opened. Cocolia stepped inside this special model, modified by Serval and Orion Astra.

"In the name of the Amber King, the 18th Supreme Guardian, Cocolia Rand," she declared, "I will fight!"