As the phantom of the giant tree dissipated and "Equilibrium" vanished, Himeko and Welt of the Astral Express both breathed a collective sigh of relief.
It was naturally for the best that "Equilibrium" retreated without making a move.
As for Kiana, seeing HooH leave, she returned to March 7th and the others.
"Kiana, it was you, wasn't it?"
March 7th withdrew the scorching ruin ghost into her body and looked at Kiana with a relaxed smile.
Among these people, Kiana was the only one she could think of who could do such a thing in an instant.
After all, what Kiana was demonstrating now constantly shattered everyone's perception of her.
As for where Kiana's upper limit lay, they didn't know, nor could they blindly guess.
She couldn't possibly be more powerful than an Aeon, right?
So March 7th thought.
Just as Kiana was about to respond, cheers filled with joy suddenly erupted around them.
"We won!!!"
"The Rift trash has all disappeared! We finally won! Thank the Amber Lord for his protection!"
No, no, no, it wasn't Qlipoth this time; it was me protecting you guys, hey!
Kiana stared wide-eyed at the cheering Silvermane Guards, complaining loudly in her heart.
Meanwhile, Qlipoth, who was busy building the wall, tilted His head. Why did He feel like the power of faith was being transmitted to Him?
Hadn't He just glanced at the planet He had once bestowed His power upon for protection?
Wasn't it Akivili He was glancing at?
Could a fellow Aeon provide Him with so much power of faith?
Ridiculous... Qlipoth stopped thinking about it and continued to study how this hammer strike should land.
The cheers on the snowy plains outside the city drowned out everything. The Silvermane Guards took off their helmets, showing faces crying with joy.
Cocolia thrust her spear into the ground and looked at the cheering Silvermane Guards with a gratified smile.
The gamble paid off. Belobog—no, Jarilo-VI—had finally truly escaped the Eternal Freeze and the crisis of the Stellaron.
In the future, Jarilo-VI would gradually recover the prosperity of a thousand years ago and reconnect with the cosmos.
But Cocolia forgot that because Jarilo-VI had fought the Eternal Freeze back then, they had borrowed a lot of supplies and loans from the IPC.
Once this planet recovered, it would face a massive debt that needed to be settled.
"Cocolia, this time, we can return to how things were, right?"
"No, because of my sins, we can never go back to the past."
"..."
Cocolia's answer made Serval's expression darken, but in the next moment, she regained her smile.
"Serval, are you willing to accompany me to atone for my mistakes over the years? To be honest, I don't have much confidence doing it alone."
Cocolia reached out her hand to Serval, her eyes shimmering, a gentle smile playing on her lips.
Serval stared at Cocolia, then her lips also curled up. She took Cocolia's hand and said happily with narrowed eyes:
"Does that even need to be said, you dummy?"
Since Cocolia could return to her former self, she was willing to stand by her side once more.
Seeing that Serval bore no grudges and was still as kind and warm to her as in the past, Cocolia's nose tingled, and the corners of her eyes grew moist.
The disappearance of the Rift and the Eternal Freeze, the resolution of the crisis, and her best friend's forgiveness made the lifelong strong-willed Cocolia unable to hold back any longer, revealing her vulnerable side.
Serval held Cocolia, gently patting her back and soothing her tenderly.
Not far away, Bronya and a slightly panting Gepard saw this scene and stared at each other.
I'm not going to end up with another mother (or a brother-in-law), am I!
For some reason, such a ridiculous thought actually popped into their heads.
Clearly, both of them were girls; how could they have such an absurd idea?
But this scene really looks so shippable!
Seele glanced at Cocolia's side, then quietly looked at Bronya out of the corner of her eye.
Not knowing what she thought of, Seele's face turned a bit flushed.
But because of the environment, Bronya didn't find it strange when she saw it, thinking Seele was just cold.
"Seele, wearing so little, you must be very cold. Come closer to me."
Bronya hugged Seele and continued with a serious expression:
"You should wear more before the ice and snow melt. It's not like you don't know the climate here..."
"Tsk, I know, mind your own business..."
Seele turned her head away and responded in a small, somewhat impatient voice.
Seeing Seele's slightly red ear tips, Bronya thought Seele was really cold, so she hugged her even tighter.
Gepard looked at these two pairs and felt he was a bit redundant, so he sighed and mingled with a group of Silvermane Guards.
Only the joy of the Silvermane Guards' victory could give the still-single Gepard a sense of belonging.
From the top of the city gate, Sampo watched this comedic and dramatic ending, his lips curling into a cheerful arc.
"Equilibrium watching the show, the God of Merriment personally taking the field—is there anything more interesting than this, folks from Tavern?"
From the moment joyism appeared, Sampo felt it. That majestic energy of the Path of Elation made it hard for him to ignore.
In addition, the Divergent Creations had all turned into 'fun' creations, and even their methods of attack were full of Elation's style.
Especially joyism—the moment Sampo saw the other party stunned by their own ability, he and his brothers and sisters from Tavern burst out laughing.
"Since the theater has closed, old Sampo should leave too. It's just a pity that old Sampo didn't get to participate. Sigh~"
Sampo shrugged and sighed softly, then jumped down from the city gate and vanished.
He would take the news to Wildfire in the Lower District, letting the joy of victory spread to every corner of Belobog~
This was also a form of Elation, celebrating Elation in the form of joy.
On the other side, after Cocolia's true feelings were revealed in Serval's arms, she led the Silvermane Guards back to Belobog.
Since Kiana and the other three had also dealt with the Stellaron and had nothing else to do for now, they returned to the city together.
Then, Cocolia gathered everyone, and after commending the Silvermane Guards, she announced that she was stepping down in favor of Bronya.
After announcing this news, Cocolia originally wanted to make her mistakes public, but she was held back by Bronya, who was taking over.
She would do her best to make up for her mother's mistakes during her reign; she only wanted her mother to live the rest of her days in peace.
If her mother made these things public, how could Belobog still have a place for her? Out of selfishness, Bronya stopped Cocolia.
With no other choice, Cocolia agreed to Bronya's request not to disclose her guilt.
After that, Bronya's inaugural speech began. Although her words were still naive and somewhat idealistic, they allowed many in Belobog to see hope for the future.
Coupled with Bronya's usual prestige, her succession was very smooth, with no one opposing it.
At the end, Bronya invited Kiana and the other three onto the stage and bowed deeply to them.
Because of them, this planet had escaped suffering and welcomed a new life. She thanked them on behalf of the planet's remaining civilization.
Then Bronya turned to the crowd.
"Everyone, there is one thing I must apologize to you for. The one watching over us was not 'Preservation', but this... Miss Kiana."
"Bronya, I told you to just call me Kiana. Adding 'Miss' makes me feel quite awkward."
Kiana scratched her head and stood beside Bronya.
With this face and name, being called 'Miss' felt very distant.
"Alright, Kiana..."
Bronya nodded and smiled radiantly.
Although she didn't know why Kiana's gaze toward her was like looking at a best friend, since the other party saw her that way, she should respond in kind.
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