Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

The beast opened the gate of time—its single eye gleaming with interest—and within it, the gears of time began to turn.

"This time—what will you choose? Me?"

She smiled, haughtily as if she were still alive.

"I never imagined that, Froststar, we'd end up as enemies again?" Nianzhuo said, embracing the silver-haired Caster girl before him.

“Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Nianzhuo, my brothers and sisters must all hope that I can live, but... in the end, my life is worthless.” Froststar in his arms was pale, and Nianzhuo could clearly feel her life slipping away as he held her hand. Even so, this young girl from Castor was still holding on, telling the man who had given her hope what she had always wanted to say.

At this moment, the snow-covered landscape serves as a backdrop; this frigid battlefield is her stage, all by herself.

"I... I'm so sorry to my father, I actually died before him~ I wish he hadn't adopted me, so he wouldn't be saddened by my passing. I'm not reconciled, my life, like the setting sun in its final moments, doesn't belong to me at all, it was bought with the blood of all of them. Cough cough!" Frostnova's body temperature was rising, her Oripathy symptoms were disappearing, but this was not a good sign. Her vital signs were getting weaker and weaker, yet she was still speaking.

Like a little girl counting her precious candies, she recounted the few friends and beautiful moments in her life. "We had nowhere to go. The only place we knew was the snowfield of Ursus, but having committed unforgivable sins, do we really have the right to go back there?" She suddenly smiled, like a precious little flower blooming on the snowfield.

"Ah—of course there are. You people need to live to atone for your sins, to witness Rhodes Island, to witness the future of the Infected." Nian Zhuo hugged Frostnova's thin body tightly, his head bowed as if he were enduring something, so that others could not see his expression.

“Lungmen, not Ursus. We yearn to save our compatriots and the Infected, to find a place that is warm, has food, and shelter. But not Lungmen. The inhabitants here are also struggling to make a living. The only place we can return to is Ursus, our homeland.” Frostnova’s voice grew weaker, but the light in her eyes grew brighter.

"Snow...the still river...the swaying pine forest...the verdant moss...how beautiful this land is." Frostnova grasped Nianzhuo's hand. "Talulah's conspiracy is about to begin. Lungmen won't help...Ursus will stand idly by." Nianzhuo could feel Frostnova's grip tighten, but the light in her eyes grew dimmer.

"Quickly, stop Talulah! We can't let Reunion devour any more Infected... Please, Nianzhuo, you must stop Talulah's plot!" A resolute glint flashed in Frostnova's eyes.

“Kill her. The Reunion Movement doesn’t need Talulah now, not a single Talulah.” Then, her gaze softened. “Or…for my own selfish reasons, I beg you to save her, to help her…to stand with her fellow Infected. The…Talulah who truly walks on the muddy ground.”

"Miss Froststar... your... your father, he truly loves you, just as you clearly remember what your biological parents did for you." Nianzhuo could no longer hold back his tears, which fell drop by drop onto Froststar in his arms.

"Ah...I know~ But if he hadn't found me...how much better that would have been...that way...he wouldn't have suffered because of my departure." The girl in his arms seemed to recall her father's face, smiling slightly, like ice and snow melting.

"He has already suffered so much..." "But it is precisely because he has suffered so much that he cherishes you even more." In the end, Nianzhuo is just a homebody, lacking the magnanimity and indifference of a king.

He was just an ordinary "human being" who felt pain when someone he cared about passed away in front of him.

More and more tears fell from Nianzhuo's eyes, dripping onto Shuangxing's face. Shuangxing's eyes widened as if she sensed something.

"Your tears are warm..." She smiled happily, like a child who had received a new toy, but the moisture in her own eyes blurred her vision.

"Your body temperature... well, it's not so cold anymore," Nianzhuo said, laughing and crying at the same time. "You chubby, beautiful girl, I can only hug you at the very end... Didn't we agree that you'd join Rhodes Island if I beat you?" He hugged Frostnova tightly, as if trying to meld her into his own heart.

"Before I die—I can finally touch someone again...someone I love." Frostnova smiled even more broadly. The little flowers on the snowfield finally bloomed in full, even though they would be buried by the falling snow in the next moment.

"Thank you, Nianzhuo. Please tell the Doctor and Amiya. On this land, one person can do nothing." She seemed weary, the light in her eyes quickly fading, but suddenly she pulled Nianzhuo's head down and pressed her lips to his as he stared wide-eyed.

It's not cold at all; on the contrary, it feels warm and soft.

"I told you... I can bite. And I'm willing to join Rhodes Island." As if succumbing to exhaustion, she slowly closed her eyes. "From now on... I will be with you. With you all..."

She slid down, a smile playing on her lips, as proud as if she were still alive.

When Amiya and the Doctor returned, all they saw was an injured boy roaring and complaining about the injustice of fate.

The dividing line three days later ――――――――

In northern Ursus, at the border between the snowfield and the city, a man dressed in black walked across the snowfield, carrying a huge box on his back.

"It seems Frostnova's address is here... By the way, Frostnova, your rabbit is really heavy..." The man in black chuckled twice, then unfolded the box, revealing an ice coffin engraved with blue roses.

The man sat down on the ground, casually picked up another palm-sized block of ice, and began to carve.

From sunrise to noon, the man placed a group of small, crystal-blue Caste statues around the ice coffin.

"So, your brothers and sisters will live together on this homeland now. You should thank me, Froststar," the man said with a dry laugh, but it was accompanied by boundless rage.

"Watch closely... Frostnova, this corrupt Ursus Empire. I will change it, starting with providing fertile ground for the new regime to thrive." The man in black pulled out a black Driver, then produced different watches with his hands. His left hand displayed the silver Zi-O 2019. His right hand—

—It is clearly printed with EVOLTO BLACK HOLE (the shape of the EVOLTO black hole).

"Then, let the experiment begin." The man placed the driver on his waist and pressed the dial.

"Time-Space Driver —"

"ZIO──" "EVOLTO BLACE HOLE"

"ARE YOU READY"

"Henshin!" the man roared, as black cubes enveloped him.

The only one to reappear here is Evolto, who harbors an intense hatred for the decaying Ursus.

"Sacrifice for the greater good—" He raised his hand, and a gigantic black hole stretched from the snowfield to the capital, its immense suction force emanating from the hole.

The natural disaster, from which even light could not escape, revealed its divine power for the first time.

The towering roof of the Ursus Palace was sucked to pieces, and people fled in panic. Just then, the black hole suddenly disappeared.

"Evolto" slammed her hand on the ground, her eyes filled with terror (she had almost been controlled by the power), then she stood up and raised her hand to swing.

A massive black barrier enveloped the entire snowfield, but its spread halted at the edge of the city.

"Now you can finally get some sleep, Frostnova," the man whispered. "Once I have the second-tier Time King, I'll bring you back... You must wait for me." Gently stroking the ice coffin, the man instantly teleported out of the barrier and addressed the dark mass of people before him, who were stunned by his power: "Now you have enough power to change the Ursus Empire. Wait for the opportunity, overthrow the corrupt government, and establish a nation where the oppressed can finally hold their heads high, a nation where the people are the masters."

He patted the bald man on the shoulder, and the man's figure vanished into the snowfield once more.

Two days later, news of the strange barrier and natural disaster that had appeared in the Ursus Empire spread throughout the world. Faced with the barrier, scientists from various countries, and even scientists from Rhine Labs, could not understand its mechanism. No one could enter.

"It's like... the power of another world," one scientist remarked.

A year later, the Ursus Empire was overthrown, and the world's first proletarian state was established.

A once-in-a-lifetime miracle

“3,” “2,” “1—” A deep male voice echoed in each soldier’s earpiece.

"action!"

The violent explosion illuminated the soldiers' goggles.

Then, the soldiers rushed into the ruined houses, and amidst the thick smoke, fire and gunfire rang out continuously.

"Captain Walker! There are quite a few enemies here!" The first to rush in was a soldier named Walker, leading his squad.

It was still a dangerous mission, but Walker couldn't help but frown upon hearing this.

"Hey, how many enemies do you have over there? Can you hold out for a bit?" One hand was on the microphone, while the other hand was firing a Glock 18 three-round burst, knocking down an enemy who rushed out from behind the wall not far away.

"Thank goodness—" Then, a violent explosion filled the headset, along with the soldiers' cries of pain.

"Okay, things are getting worse now, Captain Walker!" The anxious voice of his vice-captain was still coming through the earpiece. "The enemy has small-scale weapons, and their stronghold is fortified. We can't break in!"

"Really? You don't have any large-caliber weapons over there?" "No! We're not equipped with any because this is an assault!" Then, an even louder explosion than before pierced through the headset, causing Walker's brows, hidden under his helmet, to furrow even more.

Then, as if admitting defeat, Walker rang the headset again.

"Listen up, tell Ghost and Soap to hold on for me. I'll send 'her' to support you."

"Huh??" Sure enough, the vice-captain's exclamation came through the earpiece, "Captain Walker, you really went for it~" The teasing tone made Walker's relaxed brows furrow again.

"If you say another word, you'll be sleeping there forever." "Hey, hey, no, no, Captain! Quickly, get her to come and support us!" Then, the vice-captain cut off the communication.

Still somewhat hesitant, Walker switched the headset to a different channel.

"Hello? Exusiai, are you there?"

"..." Just as Walker was about to ask again, a familiar, energetic voice came from another part of the line, accompanied by a hissing sound of electricity.

"Apuru Pie! Captain~ Exusiai is in full form~" A cheerful female voice seemed to be chewing on something.

"Exusiai, didn't I tell you no snacks on the battlefield?" Walker raised an eyebrow, then the violent explosion reminded him of his purpose. "Alright, I'll deal with you when we get back. Did you bring your large-caliber assault weapon? The vice-captain is in trouble."

"Understood!" At that moment, on a rooftop several buildings away, a man in a black cloak lay prone on the ground, a wisp of wine-red hair flowing down from a gap in the cloak. Simultaneously, the sound of a bullet hitting the ground rang out beneath the black cloak.

"Well~ since Ghost and the others have held off the enemy, then I don't need to hide anymore~" Then, the black cloak was lifted up by the person hiding underneath.

Her long, wine-red hair, her black and white outfit, and her shorts that barely covered her upper thighs.

What's most eye-catching are the three pairs of light wings on the girl's back and the small halo above her head.

Her slender arms held a jet-black sniper rifle, a stark contrast to her youthful appearance.

The Hecate II... is an anti-materiel sniper rifle designed by PGM Precision.

"Well~ let me do the work of sending them to the afterlife~ Captain Walker?" He pulled back the bolt, and the long bullet gleamed with a terrifying cold light.

Orange eyes approached the sniper scope.

“Be careful, Exusiai! The other side might also be—” However, before Walker could finish speaking, a loud roar of a trigger being pulled came through his headset.

With its powerful kinetic energy, scorching white smoke billowed from the heat dissipation vents at the muzzle.

The spent cartridges fell to the ground, kicking up some dust.

Then, in the eyes of Ghost, Soap, and their vice-captain, the enemy who had been firing machine guns at their side suddenly burst into a spray of blood and fell down.

"Now it's time for us to make our appearance~" With the help of the grappling hooks on the house, Hecate in Exusiai's hand turned into specks of light.

With the rope tied around her waist, Exusiai shouted happily into her headset.

"Whoa~ Everyone~ Penguin Logistics... oh wait, Exusiai! Join the battle!" What appeared in the girl's hand was a Vector submachine gun.

"Hey! What are you doing, Exusiai!" Walker naturally saw Exusiai approaching rapidly with the rope attached to her, and couldn't hide his anxiety as he shouted, "Stop! What you're doing is dangerous!"

"Damn it!" Walker could only watch as she approached the house. He quickly switched to the vice-captain's channel. "Hey! Did you see Exusiai?! Stop that crazy, stupid Exusiai right now!"

"Don't worry, Captain Walker." From behind the tattered bunker, the group slowly stood up. The vice-captain looked at the building in front of him and smiled cruelly. "We're really feeling quite stifled."

Then, using a speed even faster than Exusiai, it rushed into the building.

She broke through the window and burst into the room.

"Apuru-pai!" Seeing the terrified enemy, Exusiai pulled the trigger on Viktor's gun.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—gunshots rang out.

This marked the complete capture of the enemy's last stronghold.

After the war, everyone gathered in the open space outside the house.

"Thank you, Exusiai." The familiar address was the first thing the vice-captain, Ghost, and Soap did upon seeing Exusiai, and they rushed over to thank her. "If it weren't for you helping us take out the enemy's firepower, Ghost and Soap would have been in danger."

"Well, we're all friends after all, so helping each other out is only right..." Before she could finish speaking, a tall figure blocked Exusiai's view. "Uh—Walker, Captain?"

"Hiss—!" Even the vice-captain and the other team members quickly laughed and ran to the side after seeing this scene.

Exusiai could sense the worried gaze hidden beneath the helmet.