Chapter 192: What Do You Mean You Turned 'Why Do Birds Fly' Into an Ultimate?
Topaz pulled her thoughts back from the heated discussions online and refocused on progressing through the game's story.
[Wrapped in biting wind]
[Wrapped in biting wind]
[Hearts will never bleed]
[Hearts will never bleed]
[Frozen and banished]
[Frozen, banished...]
Just then, the BGM titled "Wildfire" suddenly erupted from her speakers. The rousing, powerful melody perfectly complemented the new Path of Preservation forms that Stelle and Caelus had just unlocked, making Topaz feel a surge of invigorated excitement.
'This music...'she mused, a faint smile gracing her lips.'It felt a bit abrupt when I heard it on-site, but now, paired with the game's visuals, it truly gets the blood pumping.'
She recalled Leon's somewhat nonsensical actions during that battle, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled into a beautiful arc. She couldn't help but wonder if the game had imported that particular scene exactly as it had happened. What would the players think if they discovered that this soul-stirring battle anthem was actually… "played live"?
As it turned out, her question was answered in the very next second. The game faithfully recreated the scene from that day.
"Leon! You're popping up now and even playing music?!" In the game, March 7th's exasperated shout echoed through the blizzard.
Topaz couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud. She could perfectly imagine the players' reactions when they saw this unfold.
Sure enough, as the plot progressed, related discussions on the forums exploded.
"Hahaha! I really didn't expect this BGM to be played by Leon with a boombox!"
"Judging by the style, is that the one he repaired in Serval's Workshop?"
"The percussive maintenance method never fails! The comedic effect is perfect!"
"Wait, when did Leon swipe one of those?"
"LMAO, does a guy like Leon even need to 'swipe' it? Couldn't he just hammer a pile of scrap metal and make one from scratch?"
"Leon silently gives a thumbs-up and shows you a row of pearly white teeth.jpeg"
"Hiss—I can see it! Why does he do such silly things with such a handsome face!"
"Is this… the style of the Masked Fools? Hamen!"
Topaz smiled knowingly at the comments, her good mood lifting even further as she continued to immerse herself in the story.
With Stelle and Caelus having switched to the Preservation Path, they could now be added to the team as playable characters. Topaz opened their character sheets to check their skills: their Basic ATK was standard, their Skill provided a Taunt and a personal Shield, and their Ultimate dealt damage while providing shields for the entire team.
She immediately added the two to her party, eager to personally experience the feel of their new abilities.
Once their Ultimate energy was full, Topaz clicked the button to release it.
On screen, Caelus gripped the hilt of a greatlance wreathed in phantom flames, slowly raising it. Scorching fire rose from the blade, contending with the extreme cold of Everwinter Peak. He tilted his head slightly, his voice low and calm as he spoke.
"Birds, why do they fly?"
The moment his voice fell, Stelle, standing beside him, followed in perfect sync. Her voice carried the same extraordinary indifference, as if the massive lance materializing in her hands was also stained with the phantom of an undying flame.
"Because, they must fly to the high sky."
They stepped forward in unison as the phantom flames erupted violently, threatening to ignite the entire frozen world.
"This Ultimate is actually pretty cool!" Topaz chuckled, impressed by the blatant but well-executed reference, and continued with the story.
Cocolia's HP bar was emptied, and she immediately entered her second phase.
"The only salvation..."
The prelude to Genesis began. Cocolia, too, started to charge her ultimate attack. At the position of her head, Imaginary energy surged, condensing into a dazzling orb of light.
"Is even the antagonist designed to be this cool?" Topaz nodded in appreciation. Of course, she understood that, strictly speaking, Cocolia wasn't truly a villain. After all, it was all part of the script.
"The power of the Stellaron is with me..." Cocolia's voice boomed. "You all… are nothing more than the death throes before the collapse of the old world!"
Just as her voice fell, the background music suddenly paused for a single, stunning second.
Then, it returned with a complete explosion of sound.
[We've made a choice, go fight against your fate!]
The moment the vocals kicked in, Topaz felt her scalp tingle as if struck by a bolt of lightning. Her pupils dilated rapidly as she watched the scene before her, utterly dumbfounded.
Cocolia stood tall in the air, holding the orb of light aloft. The heavens above had already formed roiling circles of golden storm clouds. The light condensed into cone-shaped creations, which twisted together to form a relic of the Stellaron that radiated an aura of pure destruction. Its shadow loomed over the sky, casting a pall over the battlefield below.
"I shall forge it with my own hands—a great new world!"
The instrumental accompaniment had been hype enough. No one could have expected that there would be something even more mind-blowing to follow.
Strictly speaking, both the Astral Express crew, the protagonists of the moment, and Cocolia, their adversary, were presented as unbelievably cool. Many players who reached this point expressed that they were reaching a climax of excitement.
"Who exactly is the villain here?! Cocolia's all-or-nothing posture makes it look like she's the one trying to stop us from destroying the world, hahaha!"
"Strictly speaking, everyone is following the script; there are no absolute villains."
"Who says? Isn't the Stellaron a villain? The Antimatter Legion is, too."
"This music is a perfect match! My soul is trembling!"
"I'VE GONE COMPLETELY FERAL!!"
Exclamations and praise erupted across all the forums.
Topaz controlled her characters and finally, after an epic struggle, defeated Cocolia.
"What a pity. Currently, there are too few characters that trigger follow-up attacks, so my own mechanics can't be fully used," she sighed with a bit of regret, speaking as both a player and a character.
Then, she continued following the main quest.
The subsequent plot naturally moved toward its conclusion: the Stellaron was recovered by Leon, and Cocolia, freed from its influence, told the whole truth.
"Alright, the story is over," the in-game Leon said. He turned and walked slowly toward the cliff at the edge of Everwinter Peak.
Cocolia's gaze followed him, and together they looked out toward the frozen sky.
"I say, let the ice and snow recede, and let all things be restored..." Leon raised his hand and made a gentle swiping motion toward the frozen horizon.
A warm golden light flowed from his fingertips. It began as a gentle stream, then surged like a mighty river, and finally transformed into a pillar of light that connected heaven and earth, soaring straight into the clouds.
The thick, perpetual clouds were gently but firmly pushed aside.
The temperature began to rise at a clearly perceptible rate.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the glaciers began to slowly melt. The faint sound of cracking ice fell upon this land, which had been sealed for seven hundred years, like the first gentle rain of spring.
Light descended upon Belobog once more.
Players who saw this scene also had their eyes wide with shock.
"Wait, brother?"
"You're way too strong, aren't you?"
"Is it because you're the one who released the game, so you secretly buffed yourself?"
Seeing these discussions, Topaz smiled faintly. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would probably be just as doubtful as the players on the forums.
However, she had witnessed all of this personally.
Leon… indeed possessed the great power to make an entire planet recover in an instant.
Even the members of the Antimatter Legion, who had been frozen across the surface of Belobog along with the Eternal Freeze, hadn't simply dissipated due to the erosion of time.
As the ice and snow melted, they were casually wiped away by Leon's power.
Cocolia and the others might not have had the clarity to see it back then, but she, Topaz, did.
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