HSR: Getting Chased! [23]

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Players were still discussing the significant changes in the plot, but it was the storyline triggered after the conversation with Bronya that truly left everyone in a somber mood.

Such brutal sacrifices, all just to hold a single defensive line—and yet they still had to constantly guard against another invasion by the Fragmentum monsters… These Silvermane Guards had it rough.

After the dialogue with Bronya ended, players had the option to talk to the Silvermane Guards. There were two NPCs they could converse with: one was the officer of the second squad. When speaking to him, he thanked you for saving the second squad. Behind his helmet, you couldn’t see his face, but you could sense his emotions were heavy.

The other character you could interact with was a wounded guard lying on the ground.

When you speak with him, you only get one line of dialogue:

“Snow falls on his armor, piling up into small mounds.”

After this conversation, the guard’s name changes to “The Last Member of the First Squad.”

【…】

【I have to say, this is starting to get to me.】

【Yeah… me too.】

【Sigh…】

Unexpectedly, the players didn’t follow up with their usual jokes. Instead, they collectively sighed.

…

Kakaya’s Livestream

Kakaya sat quietly, staring at the fallen Silvermane Guard on the ground. Without a word, he reached for the cigarette box beside him.

Click.

Luckily, he was using a virtual avatar, or the livestream moderators would’ve banned his channel for lighting up on-screen.

【What was that noise?】

【Kids, don’t worry about it.】

【Lighting up my own too…】

【I’m lighting one up for them too.】

Messages with various province names and area codes floated across the chat, and for a moment, Kakaya felt like he didn’t want to continue pushing the story.

He leaned back into his gaming chair, staring up at the ceiling. The cigarette in his hand had burned down significantly, but it seemed as though he had forgotten about it. He just let the smoke rise into the air.

It wasn’t until the heat reached his fingers that Kakaya snapped out of it. He put out the cigarette stub in the ashtray, a bitter smile forming on his lips.

“Sigh… why not just stick with the old storyline? Lighthearted, no worries. We could’ve had March 7th and ‘the General’ messing around, maybe we’d even get a few laughs. But now…”

He wiped the corners of his eyes, which had become slightly damp, feeling a bit helpless.

【Yeah… what’s the age rating on this game again?】

【It’s beautifully written, but next time, how about writing something less tear-jerking? My cigarettes can’t handle it.】

【Agreed (lights cigarette).】

【Man… thinking about the setup from earlier, these Silvermane Guards really are heroes.】

【Stop spoiling the story! Not everyone’s caught up yet! Mods, do your job!】

【Alright, alright, let me tell a joke to lighten the mood!】

“User ‘Strong Wind Mechanism’ has been muted.”

【Good job, mods!】

【Yeah, things are sad enough. One more joke and we’ll all be crying.】

“Sigh… Let’s keep going then.”

…

“This is… the Supreme Guardian’s palace? So beautiful!”

March 7th exclaimed, her mouth dropping open in awe as she gazed at the grand and imposing palace before them.

“This is the Qlipoth Fort, built by the first Supreme Guardian, Alyssa, to honor the great Preservation Aeon, Qlipoth. It has served as the seat of power and residence for every Supreme Guardian throughout history,” Bronya explained to the group.

“Once inside, we will meet the most powerful figure in Belobog, Supreme Guardian Cocolia Rand.”

At the mention of her foster mother, Bronya’s eyes darkened, but when she looked at the Trailblazers, hope reignited in her gray eyes.

“I once pleaded with the Supreme Guardian, asking her to stop sending the Silvermane Guards to die in vain, but she rejected me, saying it was for Belobog’s future.”

The memory of the Silvermane Guards who had died before her eyes brought a suffocating weight to Bronya’s chest.

It was her fault that so many brave soldiers had perished. She… had sent them to their deaths at the hands of Destruction.

“…”

Seeing Bronya biting her lip, her face full of grief, Cava signaled to Stelle with his eyes. Though confused, Stelle understood the message and walked over, gently patting Bronya on the shoulder.

“...Thank you. Let’s keep moving,” Bronya said, pulling herself together, her gaze resolute once more. She took a step forward toward the stone steps of Krepost Fort.

“?”

Stelle scratched her head, puzzled. Had she really done anything?

Cava gave Stelle a subtle thumbs up and followed closely behind Bronya, heading toward the white fortress.

“Who knew you were so good at comforting people,” March 7th said, her tone genuinely surprised as she looked at Stelle.

“Uh… not bad, I guess,” Stelle replied with a bit of helplessness, throwing Cava a look that said, Why didn’t you do it yourself? Why make me?

The guards stationed at Krepost Fort saluted Bronya as soon as they saw her approach. They didn’t even glance at the Trailblazers, further evidence of Bronya’s high standing.

As the Supreme Guardian’s adopted daughter and the commander of the Silvermane Guards, Bronya’s reputation in the upper city of Belobog was second only to the Supreme Guardian herself.

As the heavy doors opened, the palace of the Supreme Guardian lay before them.

A woman with golden hair sat behind a desk at the far end, her gaze calm as she looked at the group walking into the hall.

Her right arm, once white, was now streaked with a deep blue that seemed to have fused with her flesh, though she paid no attention to it.

“Bronya, weren’t you leading the Guards at the Frontline Road? Why have you defied orders and returned? And you brought guests,” Cocolia said as she stood from behind the desk, sunlight streaming through the windows and casting a powerful aura around her.

“Supreme Guardian, I’m here to ask you to revoke your orders. The Silvermane Guards are severely understaffed, and if this continues, all of Belobog will face an unavoidable disaster!” Bronya said sternly. After witnessing the bloodshed and battle firsthand, she was no longer the indecisive Bronya she once was.

“Your plan is driving Belobog to the brink of destruction. Please, take back your command!”

Cocolia remained silent, and Bronya stepped forward to plead with her again.

“Bronya… my daughter, do you understand what you’re doing? Defying military orders and returning to the city is already a crime. Confronting the Supreme Guardian in Krepost Fort is punishable by death! If you weren’t my daughter, you would’ve already been thrown beyond the city walls…” Cocolia’s expression was as cold as ice, and a faint wind seemed to sweep through the hall.