Evan's expression turned strange.
Then it turned unnatural.
And finally—
it turned downright ridiculous.
About a minute earlier, Evan had just finished claiming his newly acquired chest and was still basking in the afterglow of good fortune—
when something intrusive began to seep into him.
He sensed it clearly.
No—calling it energy wasn't quite right.
It was consciousness.
A will.
A will that originated from Cocolia herself—or more precisely,
from the Stellaron bound to her.
The will of the Stellaron.
Ten minutes earlier, Evan and Seele had followed Bronya into Qlipoth Fort.
Almost immediately, the Stellaron noticed Evan.
To it, this human looked… perfect.
A far better vessel than Cocolia.
Stronger body. Greater potential.
If it could make this man submit—
make him swear loyalty to Cocolia—
then the future plan would become far easier to execute.
So it acted.
Just as it had done to every previous Supreme Guardian.
Invading the mind of a human from the Underworld was no different.
Strong will?
Unshakable determination?
Please.
Even Cocolia Rand—
the Supreme Guardian of Belobog,
the ruler who stood at the very top of this world—
had been slowly eroded and corrupted under its influence.
In the end, she had fallen anyway.
So what of a mere Underworlder?
If it promised him more power… more hope… more future—
wouldn't he surrender just as easily?
After all, had Cocolia not done the same?
She had graduated from Belobog's most prestigious military academy.
She had been groomed as the next Supreme Guardian.
She had received the finest education this city could offer.
And yet, upon inheriting the truth passed down through generations of Guardians, she learned something devastating—
Belobog was running out of time.
The geomarrow mines were nearly depleted.
Once they were exhausted, the planet would reach its inevitable fate:
Extinction.
Seven hundred years of sacrifice.
Seven hundred years of struggle.
All of it would become meaningless.
The Guardians.
The Architects.
The city itself.
A cosmic joke.
And at that moment—
the Stellaron extended its hand.
It promised her a new future.
A world where everyone could live happily.
On one side:
a dying Belobog, slowly suffocating.
On the other:
a brand-new world.
As the Supreme Guardian, what choice could she make?
Of course she chose the future.
Even if she herself could not witness it—
she would ensure her daughter did.
And so, under the Stellaron's whispering corruption,
Cocolia betrayed her original ideals.
She had once believed in Qlipoth, too.
If even someone like her could be broken—
then what resistance could a mere Underworld human offer?
He looked strong, sure.
But he wasn't even a particularly powerful Pathstrider.
There was no reason to hesitate.
With Cocolia enforcing the lockdown
and betraying her own people,
the Stellaron made its decision.
It would brainwash this man.
It would make him the next host.
After all—
once everything was over,
Cocolia was destined to die.
A weak Pathstrider was far inferior to a strong body.
And so—
the moment Cocolia stepped close to Evan,
the Stellaron's will surged forward,
diving straight into the depths of his consciousness.
"Huh? What's going on?"
"This wasn't written into my script…"
"That's odd. When I first met him, he didn't even have Erudition's power."
"…But doesn't that just make it more fun?"
Sampo glanced sideways at Sparkle, his expression helpless.
He truly didn't dare provoke this colleague of his.
If he had known things would spiral like this,
he never would have let her get involved.
Now?
He had no idea how this mess would end.
Inside Evan's sea of consciousness,
something strange appeared.
He stared at the intruding figure, his expression turning increasingly peculiar.
For reasons he couldn't explain,
the moment it entered, he already knew what it was.
It wore Cocolia's appearance—
yet radiated a thoroughly repulsive presence.
The will of the Stellaron.
Evan didn't attack.
Instead, he quietly retreated deeper into his consciousness,
watching the intruder with curious interest.
"…Interesting."
"The will of a Stellaron versus the thoughts of three hundred thousand people."
"Let's see which one breaks first."
Evan smiled faintly, eyes full of amusement.
True, the Herrscher of Reason's authority didn't specialize in mental domains the way certain others did.
But—
inside this consciousness lived three hundred thousand minds.
Even Evan himself rarely ventured here.
Too noisy.
Too many voices.
Joyce barely spoke.
Nothing worth chatting about.
And so—
the instant the Stellaron's will fully stepped into his sea of consciousness—
Three hundred thousand distinct thoughts erupted at once.
Like a tidal wave.
Like a storm.
They surged forward,
completely engulfing that delicate incarnation of the Stellaron's will.
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