Once recharged, B8017913 headed straight for the front lines. Sanchez went with it; her combat uptime was second only to B8017913’s. She showed no signs of fatigue—skills learned through daily slaughter and crisis were the best stimulants for her. Avery planted her staff on the ground and cast a large-area top-tier buff. Despite the casualties of the last four months, those who survived had grown immensely. Every player sent to the field had been boosted to level 25, and skill, gear, and supply convoys arrived in waves. If only they could win this war. Avery was about to fly back to the battle to relieve the deputy commander when a voice called after her. "Do you think she’ll really come back?" Avery paused and turned to the player who had asked. Behind him stood others waiting for the same answer. Some of them knew about Rita’s past life; most did not. Still, many sharp players understood intuitively: Rita was the kind of person who preferred to act alone. She did not have overflowing compassion, did not believe being strong meant she must save everyone. She had no hunger for power and did not enjoy adulation. Those traits had once been Eclipse Vanguard’s definition of an "asset" in her—but now they’d become a liability. Because it meant Rita asked for nothing from Blue Star. She was strong, yes, and her actions benefited everyone. But would she really come back? Did Blue Star weigh heavily in her heart? "If she knows Blue Star is in danger, she will come," Avery said slowly and with absolute certainty. The answer sounded perfect and casual, the sort of comforting lie that calmed morale. Avery knew it wasn’t enough; she needed something more persuasive. So she raised her voice and addressed everyone waiting across the field, speaking each word deliberately: "She has no sense of safety. She trusts no one. She needs a shelter where she can feel truly secure. Blue Star is that place. There is no one here stronger than she is, and no one here would ever hurt her. When she goes to the battlefield, her pets can remain here in peace. "Even here, she builds layer upon layer of protection for her home. If she had to wander elsewhere or live among Lania Kaia, she’d never sleep. This content belongs to ⓝovelFire.net "That is why Blue Star is the place Rita will return to save. Enough?" Faces relaxed. It was enough—more persuasive than any "she loves Blue Star" speech. The idea that she simply lacked security was warm and human. Spirits lifted. Players hurried to relieve others on the front. That was all they needed—an answer they could take to heart, then go fight for a cause that might never see them come back. The front line stretched for miles. Seven massive dungeon screens spawned enemy waves without pause; special players stood guard at the portals to redirect anything over level 40 to their positions. Nivalis felt as though her lifetime’s worth of exertion had been spent in the weeks since Rita left. The dragon scales that once gleamed were now scarred and battered. She didn’t doubt Rita would try to return if she knew Blue Star had fallen. The real problem was how information travels inside the Divine Game. Some worries could not be shown to the public—if the first line collapsed, panic would sweep Blue Star players away. Those fears were shared only with B8017913. [Nivalis]: What if she comes back and finds we both died? Will she find new pets? Will she stay with those new pets for a while? [B8017913]: ... Are you crazy? [Nivalis]: Think about it. If she shouts she wants a new pet, dragons and machines will flock to her. But who stood with her in her hardest times? Who kept her company? [B8017913]: Then she has to watch over us for a while. [Nivalis]: Right? We died for Blue Star! [B8017913]: At least three years. [Nivalis]: Seven years is not too much. [B8017913]: Okay, seven years then. Some things could only be said to those who understood. [B8017913]: Wait, you can resurrect, right? [Nivalis]: But if I’m reborn, will I still be me? Will I remember? I’ll forget everything we shared. Then what’s the difference from death? For the first time she hated the dragonkind’s special rebirth, designed to preserve the clan at the cost of personal memory. If she could simply die once without losing memory, it would be mercy. The sun dipped. Over Warzone One a crimson vortex opened, almost blotting out half the sky. Alien forces withdrew, making way for their leaders’ descent. Blue Star players fell silent. A bulky hoof stepped from the vortex, and a huge silhouette filled the sky above Zone One. The minotaur lord Shanrane had arrived. Nivalis remembered his ranking on the Divine Game ladder—tens of thousands, a relentless abyssal powerhouse at rank 14. He was the sort that only played once every sixty days to keep his privilege. Listed among the lower-tier lordships of the Twelve Sacred Races, he nevertheless could slaughter Blue Star single-handedly. B8017913 received the intel first. [B8017913]: You could go back to Dragon Isle. She wouldn’t blame you. Even staying there wouldn’t change much. In her heart, you’re no less important than Blue Star. But— [Nivalis]: But... I’m her dragon. If I flee, it’s as if she fled. Then every great will laugh at her, and Blue Star players will die hating her. I’ll be a flaw, a joke, a disgrace! [Nivalis]: I know. I know she wouldn’t blame me. She always understands others’ choices. But you didn’t see how she looked at me when we first met. Her eyes sparkled. I couldn’t keep her pace. I was slow... Shanrane towered, wielding an axe nearly three meters long, looking down at the ants below. His gaze landed on Nivalis, whose scales were pitted and scarred. "Are you BS-Rita’s dragon?" he asked. "Yes. I am BS-Rita’s dragon!" She shouted it with pride. Shanrane offered a way out. "You may return to Dragon Isle." The dragon clans had kept neutrality; Snow Pile and Holy Cup honored that tradition. He would give them courtesy. "I told you," Nivalis said, even louder, "I am her dragon!" A rank-14 abyssal could kill her in an instant, but she ran at Shanrane anyway. He had given her the chance; if the dragons would not accept it, he would show no mercy. Axes and the dying sun fell in the same motion. Her statement, calm and resolute as a final vow, rose up with her. "I am willing to die for her, to fall defending Blue Star!"