"That woman is about to make her move."
"How dare you! Which woman are you talking about?!"
"Acheron, of course."
Herta, long accustomed to Lumina's nonsensical remarks, simply answered whatever she said.
Ignoring Lumina, Herta sensed the Domain now frozen by Nihility. As she watched Acheron slowly grip the hilt of her blade, the world dissolving into a monochrome gray-white. With keen interest, Herta activated an Image Stone crafted by a genius.
Nihility neither gazes upon nor glances at anyone. The Cosmos universally accepts that Nihility cannot possess an Emanator, nor will it ever.
Yet here, before her very eyes, was the Cosmos's very denial made manifest...
How could Herta possibly—well, she wasn't particularly excited. Transforming zero into one—turning the impossible into reality—was something she had done countless times.
Therefore, regarding this Nihility Emanator who should never have existed yet now stood in Penacony, Herta felt only a flicker of curiosity.
This curiosity wasn't about Acheron's identity as an Emanator of Nihility, but rather about what Acheron had experienced to sustain her consciousness with Path power at the Emanator level.
"Hey, Little Herta," Lumina nudged Herta's arm, her gaze fixed on Aventurine floating in the sky as Acheron drew her blade, dyeing the world in shades of gray. "Judging by the current situation, Aventurine seems to be provoking Acheron to strike, hoping she'll end him with a single strike."
"And as the great Saintess of this World, how could I bear to watch someone who toils tirelessly for work meet a tragic end at the hands of a Nihility Self-Annihilator?"
Aventurine: ???
"Spit it out already! Can you stop beating around the bush?" Herta snapped, finally understanding what Lumina was getting at. Still, she scolded her: "Don't be so cryptic. Who's going to tolerate your roundabout way of speaking when you're not around me?"
Hmm... Come to think of it, wouldn't the entire Cosmos indulge her?
Never mind! Anyway, Herta's concern for Lumina was purely out of sisterly affection!
Though she had lost their battle, it didn't matter. Madam Herta's indomitable spirit would endure forever!
Besides, Lumina's recording of "Sister Herta" was still in her possession.
Herta remained steadfast: If Lumina was her younger sister for even a moment, she would forever be her younger sister!
"Are you thinking about something... unsavory?" Lumina asked, her eyes narrowing as she observed Herta's shifting expressions—one moment filled with ambition, the next with a satisfied smile. She sensed something was amiss.
Could this Herta still be fixated on who's the older sister and who's the younger?
What's there to obsess over? Isn't being either the older or younger sister basically the same thing?
I really can't understand why my little sister Herta always gets so hung up on such trivial things.
Look at me—I accepted the outcome right away without any fuss. Herta, why can't you learn to be more like me? Always bickering like a child... Is that really so interesting?
As Big Sister Lumina, I say so.
"No, I'm not thinking about anything unsavory at all. My thoughts are perfectly wholesome," Herta replied truthfully.
Though she couldn't explain why, Herta genuinely yearned to be Lumina's older sister, to make Lumina her beloved younger sister, Sister Lumina.
Herta didn't know where this feeling came from, nor did she care to find out.
All that mattered to her was striving to become Sister Lumina.
"Oh, what wonderful thing could it be? Would the gentle, beautiful, supremely intelligent, and captivating Madam Herta be willing to tell me?"
"Oh, no."
Herta flatly rejected Lumina's request.
"Alright, alright, whatever you want, whatever you want." Hearing this, Lumina closed her eyes, shook her head helplessly, and smiled warmly, like an elder sister indulging her younger sister, or a mother doting on her daughter—her expression overflowing with tenderness, indulgence, and maternal affection.
Herta: ...
Herta disliked this expression of Lumina's. Rather than being doted on by Lumina, Herta preferred Lumina to depend on her, so she could be the one showering Lumina with affection.
Tucking this thought away for now, Herta turned her gaze upward to Aventurine, who was suspended in mid-air, frozen in place by Acheron's aura of Nihility. She spoke calmly, "This... whoever-he-is's goal seems to be to verify the hypothesis that Death does not exist within Penacony's Sweet Dream."
"Verifying this hypothesis is quite simple: find someone powerful enough to destroy the entire Sweet Dream, have them act, and then have them 'kill' him."
"It's obvious. He sought out an Emanator—the Emanator of Nihility, Acheron..."
"If his gamble pays off, the Interastral Peace Corporation's fleet can enter the Asdana Star System."
"If his gamble fails, the Interastral Peace Corporation's fleet can still enter the Asdana Star System under the same pretext."
"From a gambler's perspective, his execution has been remarkably successful."
Herta crossed her arms, offering her assessment of Aventurine's actions.
When Herta entered the Asdana Star System, she immediately spotted the IPC's fleet stationed outside. Combining this with Aventurine's current "death wish," a genius like Herta instantly deduced the reasoning behind his actions.
Even Herta had to admit Aventurine's plan was well-executed.
But...
He had clearly overlooked one crucial factor.
"He forgot that there's someone else present... someone who has a peculiar fondness for meddling in others' affairs."
Herta's gaze shifted to Lumina beside her, and she couldn't help but feel a silent pang of pity for Aventurine.
With Lumina—the "White Meddling Moon"—here, Aventurine's plan was doomed to failure.
Just as Herta had predicted, as the red light was about to strike Aventurine, a faint green glow suddenly appeared, only to be immediately swallowed by the crimson surge, unnoticed by anyone...