As Daziel emerged from Clipper Fort, his gaze immediately met March's slightly resentful stare.
She turned her head away, glancing at Bronya's bare thighs, then shot another fierce glare at Daziel, the jealousy practically overflowing from her face.
"Ding!"
[Target Character March's Corruption Value increased by 3%.]
[Current Character Corruption Value: 98%]
[Trigger Keyword: Tsundere]
[Please continue your efforts, Master. The target character's Corruption Value is about to reach 100%. At that point, you will obtain your first personal possession.]
Daziel's lips twitched slightly, and his expression became a little awkward.
After so many days, March's Corruption Value was almost full.
Watching March's Corruption Value rise step by step, even though Daziel had tried very hard to restrain himself, he still couldn't stop the upward trend. Daziel felt a wave of powerlessness wash over him...
Oh well, what's done is done.
Anyway, he wouldn't hurt March. Even if the Corruption Value reached 100%, what would happen? He just needed to maintain his original intention.
So far, after raising the Corruption Value of so many female characters, not a single one of them held a grudge against him.
On the contrary, he had established a special relationship with them, even stronger than before. This proved that the path he was walking was not wrong—
Even in the Reverse World, he could maintain absolutely pure justice!
March crossed her arms, her rosy cheeks slightly puffed out, staring directly at Daziel. "Hey, why did you take so long to come out? I've been waiting for you outside for ages!"
He touched his chin with interest, pretending to be puzzled as he retorted, "What, did you want me to be quick?"
March clearly hadn't expected Daziel to suddenly throw out such a sentence. Her cheeks, which were already slightly flushed from waiting, instantly turned as red as a ripe apple, almost as if they were about to drip blood.
Her mind went blank, and for a moment, she became somewhat incoherent.
"I... I didn't! Then... then you should take your time next time! I... I won't rush you!"
After saying this, March couldn't bear to meet Daziel's smiling gaze any longer, and she hurriedly lowered her head, her slender fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Daziel patted March's pink hair and took her hand.
Stroking her fair and delicate hand, Daziel couldn't help but feel that his little girlfriend was just too adorable!
He couldn't resist at all! Tonight, he would go find her and max out her Corruption Value! Ehehehe...
...
The group set off, returning to the Echoing Corridor.
Deep within the Victory Garden, the air was still filled with a biting chill. Cocolia's figure stood alone in the center of the corridor, just as before.
Bronya's steps noticeably slowed down. Her body trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on the figure ahead.
"Mother..."
Bronya's voice was very soft, with a hint of almost imperceptible tremor. This was a scene she had been thinking about day and night recently, and now she finally saw it.
Cocolia slowly turned around, her originally hollow eyes now mechanically shifting towards Bronya.
"Bronya... you've come."
Cocolia's voice was still cold, devoid of any warmth, as if it were just a pre-programmed response.
This time, it wasn't just the chaotic sounds that only Daziel could hear. Instead, it was a familiar human voice that everyone present could clearly hear.
Clearly, this Aether Spirit had obtained all of Bronya's memories about her.
"You... still disappoint me so much."
Cocolia continued, her tone carrying the familiar criticism and rejection, just like countless times in Bronya's memories.
"Deep down, you still carry an indelible foolishness and cowardice. Can Belobog's future really be entrusted to you?"
Those words pierced Bronya's heart like icicles.
Pela and Serval stood behind Bronya. They exchanged a look, both feeling the solidified atmosphere in the air.
Daziel stood at the forefront. He could clearly see the complex emotions in Bronya's eyes: pain, longing, and a hint of inseparable love.
Even in the face of such cold accusations, there was still no resentment in Bronya's eyes, only deep sorrow.
"No matter what you said, no matter what you've done..."
Bronya's voice, though trembling, carried a sense of determination. "In my heart, you will always be my mother! In all these days you've been gone, I've never hated you!"
These words seemed to touch something.
Cocolia's originally mechanical gaze seemed to flicker with a barely perceptible light.
She stiffly raised her hand, pointing at Bronya, her voice still stern, but it seemed to have lost some of its coldness, replaced by a hint of confusion.
"You... why... why would you say that?"
Just then, the surrounding Aetheric code began to flow faster, like countless tiny currents surging into Cocolia's body.
Those data lights gradually became complete, forming a complex pattern that flickered around Cocolia.
Cocolia's gaze began to change.
In her originally hollow pupils, a trace of human brilliance gradually gathered, a light of confusion, bewilderment, but also a hint of clarity.
She slowly lowered her head, looking at her hands, then raised her head again, looking back at Bronya, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "Bronya..."
This time, her voice was no longer a cold, mechanical sound, but carried a tremor, a hint of Cocolia's own emotions.
However, this clarity did not last long.
The next moment, Cocolia's gaze sharpened again, filled with a dangerous light.
She suddenly raised the ice spear in her hand, the tip pointing directly at Bronya, and a strong chill instantly erupted.
"..."
Cocolia's voice turned cold again, but this time, it carried a hint of battle intent.
"The battle is about to begin! A wild Cocolia jumped out from the bushes!"
Daziel let out a low shout, throwing the coin in his hand and immediately entering battle mode.
"Topaz, Serval, I choose you two!"
"Hmph hmph!"
The Trotter, with its round, plump rear, appeared before everyone, letting out a spirited snort.
"Buzz buzz!"
Serval's Automaton Spider - Silvermane Guard also deployed the turbines on its back, the chainsword buzzing as it aimed at Cocolia.
"Miss Bronya, please step aside! Leave the rest to me. She's just a piece of data, not the real Cocolia. Don't get too sentimental," Daziel reminded.
Although this simulated Aether Spirit was unlikely to harm Bronya, he was afraid that Bronya might do something irrational in her emotional state.
"!"
Bronya snapped out of her brief sorrow and immediately made way.
Cocolia's Aether Spirit didn't give them more time to prepare.
She swung the ice spear in her hand fiercely, and an icy cold light, like lightning, shot towards the Automaton Spider.
"Piercing Blood-Freezing Chill!"
Daziel immediately recognized the skill. It was Cocolia's single-target ice spike attack, incredibly powerful.
Topaz reacted quickly, her nimble Trotter body suddenly shifting to the side, narrowly avoiding the direct impact of the ice spike.
The ice spike grazed the Automaton Spider's armor, creating a harsh sound of ice friction and leaving a deep ice mark on its surface.
"Hmph hmph!"
Topaz's snort sounded, seeming to carry a hint of lingering fear.
Although the one before them wasn't the fully powered Cocolia from before her death, Topaz couldn't use her true strength either. She could only fight in her Trotter form, and as an Aether Spirit, her power was greatly weakened.
"Attack together! Don't give her a chance to breathe!" Daziel immediately commanded.
Serval's Automaton Spider launched the first attack, the chainsword flashing with a dazzling light as it rapidly pierced towards Cocolia.
Cocolia swung her ice spear, creating an ice wall in front of her, blocking all the energy beams.
Ripples spread across the surface of the ice wall as the energy beams collided with it, unleashing violent energy fluctuations, but they couldn't break through the ice wall's defense.
"Omen of a Long Winter!"
Cocolia activated her skill again, raising her ice spear high and pointing it at the sky.
The surrounding air instantly became colder, and countless icy energy particles condensed in the air, gathering into giant ice lances.
Each of these ice lances exuded a chilling coldness, their tips incredibly sharp, as if they could pierce through anything.
"Careful, that's Cocolia's summoned ice lance!" Pela exclaimed.
Daziel certainly recognized this move. Realizing the danger, he shouted loudly, "Disperse! Dodge the ice lances!"
Topaz and Serval scattered in different directions, trying to avoid the falling ice lances.
However, there were simply too many ice lances, almost covering the entire Echoing Corridor.
Countless ice lances fell like a torrential rain, carrying sharp whistling sounds as they slammed heavily into the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ice lances landed, erupting in violent explosions. The ground was instantly covered in frost, and countless ice shards flew in all directions.
Topaz managed to dodge thanks to her agile body, only suffering some minor scratches. Her HP was still relatively healthy.
But Serval, on the other hand, was in much worse shape, her health bar almost empty.
Although she had dodged most of the ice lances with her nimble movements, she was still hit in the arm by one. The Automaton Spider's weapon system suffered severe damage, and its speed was significantly reduced.
"Serval, you did well. Come back and rest."
Helplessly, Daziel could only recall Serval back into the Aether Coin.
"Damn it, this Cocolia Aether Spirit is way too overpowered! Even though she's gone, why is her Aether Spirit still tormenting us?" March's voice carried a hint of anxiety as she couldn't help but complain.
Daziel looked at the situation on the battlefield, his brow furrowed.
The Cocolia Aether Spirit's strength had indeed increased significantly compared to the Guardian's Shadow. Both her attack power and defense were far superior to before.
Moreover, her skills were used more frequently, barely giving them a chance to breathe.
"This can't go on. I have to find a way to break the deadlock!" Daziel thought to himself.
He looked at the plug-in inserted into Topaz's body, and suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind.
"Topaz, listen to me, use Rocket Headbutt!" Daziel shouted at Topaz.
"Hmph... !?"
Topaz hesitated upon hearing this. Rocket Headbutt was a skill obtained through an Aether expansion chip. It was incredibly powerful but required a one-turn charge.
Most importantly, using this skill required Daziel to activate the purple mood setting.
Charging up while enduring such a strong impact during battle was not a pleasant experience.
"There's no other way now! Just bear with it, okay? We've done much bigger things that night, are you afraid of this?" Daziel suddenly shouted loudly.
Topaz was silent for a moment, but ultimately chose to obey Daziel.
"Hmph!" Topaz's voice became firm.
Her body began to glow with a dazzling golden light, like a burning golden sun.
"White Frost Imprisonment!"
Just then, Cocolia activated her skill again.
The ice spear in her hand suddenly pointed at the ground, and an extremely cold energy instantly erupted, engulfing the entire Echoing Corridor in a white blizzard.
The blizzard howled, like countless ice blades, frantically cutting through everything around.
The temperature plummeted to an extreme, as if the air itself was about to freeze.
Topaz struggled to maintain stability in the blizzard, lying on the ground, curled up and shivering, adopting a classic Trotter weak point lock pose—Daziel had pressed the purple mood remote control button, starting her charge.
A thick layer of frost had already formed on her body, making movement extremely difficult.
Daziel also felt a biting chill invade his body. He gritted his teeth, trying hard to resist the blizzard's assault.
"Now! Topaz!"
With the charge complete, Daziel seized the gap in the blizzard and shouted loudly.
The silver Trotter shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring, carrying an indomitable momentum, facing the blizzard, and charging towards Cocolia.
The golden light tore through the white blizzard, Topaz's figure streaking across the sky like a burning meteor.
"Use, Rocket Headbutt!"
"Hmph!"
Topaz let out an excited pig snort, her round body violently trembling—that was the purple mood setting turned up to the maximum.
But she couldn't be bothered with the sensation in her body right now. Instead, she arched her back, carrying the power to destroy everything, and slammed heavily into Cocolia.
Cocolia didn't seem to expect Topaz to suddenly launch such a decisive attack. She wanted to dodge, but it was too late.
Boom!!!
A deafening roar echoed throughout the Echoing Corridor's battle zone.
The silver Trotter's head squarely struck Cocolia's body.
The powerful impact erupted like a landslide, cracking the surrounding ground with countless fissures.
The white blizzard was instantly torn apart by the golden shockwave and dissipated into nothingness.
Cocolia let out a painful roar as her body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the wall of the corridor.
Cracks instantly spread across the wall, and countless pebbles fell down.
Cocolia's body slid limply to the ground, the ice spear in her hand flying out and landing far away.
The Trotter Automaton also vibrated violently due to the massive impact. The golden light on its surface rapidly faded, and it finally knelt powerlessly on the ground, letting out a heavy metallic clang.
The battle ended, and the surrounding scene began to twist and change, returning to the way it was before the battle began—
After all, this was just a game. The grand and earth-shattering display just now was actually just a scene simulated by Aetheric code.
After the battle, everything returned to normal.
If Aether Spirits really had this kind of destructive power, the company would have unified the universe long ago...
"Topaz! How's your body?" Daziel stepped forward and asked.
Although Topaz's HP hadn't bottomed out according to the panel, as her master, he still needed to show concern.
After all, even though this was a game, his Aether Spirits were not.
"Feh, feh..."
Topaz's voice was a bit weak, and her legs were a little unsteady. This was the aftereffect of turning the purple mood setting to the maximum.
Hearing Topaz's reply, Daziel let out a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing.
He looked at Cocolia lying on the ground, noticing that the frost on her body was rapidly receding, and her originally sharp eyes had also dimmed.
Cocolia slowly raised her head, looking at Bronya, her eyes filled with complex emotions: pain, confusion, and a hint of self-reproach.
Even though it was just data fabricated by Aetheric code, it had such rich expressions, enough to demonstrate the company's advanced technology.
"Bronya..."
Cocolia's voice became weak and hoarse, as if she had used up all her strength.
Bronya couldn't hold back any longer. She quickly walked to Cocolia's side, knelt down, and gently took Cocolia's cold hand.
Even though she knew it was just a piece of data.
"Mother..."
Bronya's voice choked with sobs, her eyes filled with tears.
Cocolia looked at Bronya, a faint smile appearing on her face, the gentle smile that Bronya had only seen in her childhood, belonging to her mother.
Although Bronya knew very well that the Cocolia before her was just a piece of cold data.
But this was created from her memories, the projection of the mother figure she yearned for most in her heart, and it also contained complex and soft emotional threads that even she herself hadn't noticed.
Otherwise, the Cocolia corrupted by the Stellaron would never show such an expression to Bronya.
Perhaps in developed planets, for those who were already familiar with using Aetheric code data to create virtual characters to satisfy their inner comfort, this was nothing new.
But Bronya, who had always been in a closed and backward planet, had never seen such things before.
The soul built from silicon and electricity was richer in human warmth than the original Cocolia, who was a gathering of flesh and blood.
It wasn't shameful to show genuine feelings for a bunch of code—
After all, humans are just a collection of cells.
"Bronya... I'm sorry... Hurry, hurry and leave, I... I can't control myself anymore, let... let Daziel come! To subdue me as an Aether Spirit, you must defeat my next form."
Cocolia's voice grew softer and softer, fainter and fainter.
"Mother, what do you mean by that?"
Bronya looked at Cocolia with a hint of confusion. She couldn't understand the meaning of Cocolia's words.
Cocolia didn't answer. Her body began to tremble slightly, and the dim light in her eyes reignited with an icy blue glow, growing stronger and colder.
"Bronya..."
Cocolia's voice was intermittent, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth, carrying endless pain.
"Mother!"
A strong sense of unease surged in Bronya's heart. She tightly held Cocolia's hand, but felt it gradually becoming colder, stiffer, and losing its warmth.
Specks of golden light, like stars, Emergence from her body, rapidly spreading throughout her entire being.
A blinding white light flashed, and Bronya subconsciously closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, the scene before her completely stunned her.
The Cocolia who had been lying on the ground had disappeared.
In her place was a huge and terrifying figure.
It was a behemoth tens of meters tall, with a slender figure yet exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Her body was a deep, pitch black, adorned with countless blue ice shards that shimmered with a cold light.
Giant prismatic ice crystals, like sharp blades, surrounded her body, slowly rotating and emitting a suffocating chill.
A head of long silver hair fluttered wildly in the air, like the Snow Queen descending to the mortal realm.
Although her face was unclear, the familiar aura, the overwhelming pressure that surpassed everything, instantly identified her to Daziel.
"This... this is... the Mother of Deception!"
Daziel's voice trembled, filled with disbelief.
How could he not recognize this BOSS? He had been beaten half to death by this thing during the Belobog storyline before.
He never would have thought that Cocolia's ultimate form could also be perfectly replicated by Aetheric code.
This company's underlying code was too incredible. An Aether Spirit could have two transformation phases.
Wilder's words, that all creatures he had seen could be replicated through Aether Coins, were not false advertising!
"Mother of Deception..."
Bronya murmured to herself, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.
She hadn't expected that Aetheric code could actually replicate Cocolia, who had been assimilated by the overflowing Interdimensional Energy of the Stellaron, with the Great Guardian transforming into the Singer form that controlled Imaginary Energy.
It seemed that the gap between Belobog and the company was even greater than imagined.
The Mother of Deception let out a sharp cry, the sound piercing into everyone's eardrums like an ice pick, causing splitting headaches.
Daziel's face was grim, and large beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.
He knew that the current situation was extremely critical.
Serval was almost unable to fight anymore, and Topaz's health bar had reached its limit.
And the Mother of Deception before them was so powerful, so terrifying.
What should he do?
How could he capture this Mother of Deception Aether Spirit?
____________
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