"But no matter what, I cannot accept my homeland turning against Harmony in the name of Harmony!"
Robin's expression was earnest, her voice resolute.
"Now, little bird, you speak so firmly, yet you don't even know who's pulling the strings," Herta said, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips, like a villain hatching a wicked plan.
"Call me 'Big Sister Herta,' and I'll give you a clue. Deal?"
A flicker of amusement danced in Herta's eyes, as if hearing Robin call her "Big Sister Herta" would bring her joy for ages to come.
"Stop teasing and just tell her," Lumina elbowed Herta, urging her to stop playing around.
Then, leaning close to Herta's ear, where no one else could hear, Lumina whispered, her breath warm against her ear, "If you don't tell her, I'll just steal your thunder."
"Go ahead and talk, it's none of my business," Herta replied, unfazed by the warm breath tickling her ear. She reached out and pressed her palm against Lumina's cheek, savoring the textures—hair, skin, nose, lips—beneath her fingertips. Her heart fluttered involuntarily.
Despite her formidable mental fortitude, Herta betrayed no flicker of emotion on her face. She pressed her palm harder, intensifying the tactile sensation.
After suppressing the unrealistic and unspeakable thoughts swirling in her mind, Herta shoved Lumina's head aside.
"Haa..." Retracting her hand, she didn't bother wiping it clean, instead concealing it behind her back. She took a deep breath and declared, "If we temporarily set aside external factors, the problem must lie within Harmony itself."
"According to your earlier statements, anything capable of influencing Penacony's Harmony's will must be an entity at least at the Emanator level."
"This narrows our focus considerably."
"Madam Herta, what do you mean?" Himeko asked, her expression instantly turning grave after a moment's reflection, as if she had grasped something crucial.
As for the others, apart from the still bewildered March 7th, the aloof Stelle, and the smiling Lumina, their faces darkened with apprehension, indicating they too understood what Madam Herta was implying.
"Xipe of Harmony devoured Ena of Order. Over the long eons, the light of Order may yet flicker anew."
Observing their expressions, Herta chuckled softly, choosing to withhold a full conclusion and instead offer a cryptic hint.
However, for anyone of average intelligence or above, this riddle was practically a direct statement...
Everyone understood except the silly March 7th: the force influencing Penacony's Harmony Path was likely remnants of Order's Ena...
"Hmph... I understand now." After a moment of silence, Robin turned her gaze to a certain man and declared:
"Whoever made the decision to betray us, I won't let them run rampant!"
"Mr. Micah, do you remember our deal? It's time for me to give you my answer..."
"I'm willing to withdraw. I won't perform on the Charmony Festival's stage!"
-
"After just seeing the Version PV, I wasn't entirely sure, but now it's almost certain, right?"
"This final boss, the remaining remnants of the Order who appeared in Penacony—it has to be Sunday, without a doubt."
In the real world, in the live stream chat, Little Bear recalled Sunday's earlier question to Lumina, then thought back to the divine figure Sunday shown in the Version PV. Hearing Madam Herta's words now, he was nearly 100% certain.
[Sunday wakes up to find his beloved sister has turned against him, throwing a fit and crying. Waaah, poor thing!]
[Go get 'em, Sunday! I'm rooting for you! Can't wait for you and Duke Inferno to get together and play mahjong! (heart)]
[If I were Sunday, I'd flip sides immediately! Screw your Order Aeon! Home is where my sister is!]
[Hiss... these words sound so familiar. What's happening? Am I growing a brain? (pain)]
[Just asking, if you were Sunday, and you absolutely had to complete this task, no turning back, what would you do?]
[I'll say it again: just marry Lumina. Then Acheron, Herta, Robin, and March 7th will follow her like ducklings.]
[Do you think there's a chance they'll suspect you've given Sister Lumina some kind of mind-altering drug? Then they'll start yelling about friendship, bonds, love—every cliché imaginable—buff themselves up, and charge in to give you a thorough beating?]
[Doesn't that statement sound a bit... presumptuous? Something's off about it.]
"Ha ha ha! I think Sunday's only chance of winning now is to ban Lumina, Herta, and Acheron," Little Bear said, chuckling as he watched the comments scroll by in the Comment Section.
"Oh, and Jing Yuan too! Ban them all, and let just the five of us from the Astral Express Crew fight Sunday. He might actually have a chance then."
Although it's called "Aeon Day," Sunday definitely isn't on the level of an Aeon. Otherwise, how would the final Boss, the Aeon of Destruction, maintain any dignity?
If the second Boss right after the tutorial village is an Aeon, where does that leave my face, the Aeon of Destruction?
So, the idea of Sunday being an actual Aeon is practically impossible.
At most, it's a emanator. With Lumina's ability to instantly kill Destruction's Emanator, combined with Acheron's OP powers as the Emanator of Nihility, it shouldn't be too difficult, right?
[Hey, Streamer, your comment just reminded me—what if Herta and Acheron end up going on vacation with Lumina?]
[Then we'll just have to scream... "help me, General Jing Yuan!!!"]
[Don't forget, we still have March 7th and Robin here. With Lumina's reputation as a lesbian ringleader, she'd never let them slip through her fingers!]
[? Since when did Lumina become a lesbian ringleader? I didn't know that!]
[? To the person asking that question: Seriously, is that not common knowledge by now?]
"Hold it, hold it! Don't generalize the actions of a few individuals to the entire group!" Little Bear quickly interjected upon seeing the last comment.
You can think Lumina is a lesbian ringleader, but you can't force that belief on others.
Lumina hadn't crossed any boundaries in the game, nor had she explicitly shown any lesbian behavior. Her actions toward the Player had remained within the bounds of normal friendship and close female companionship.
So, you're free to 'ship' Lumina with other beautiful girls, but you absolutely can't shove that 'ship' down other people's throats.
If this kind of thing were allowed to continue unchecked, it would inevitably lead to another full-blown war among the various shipping fandoms... That's why Little Bear immediately stepped in to shut it down.
Lumina and the other beautiful girls are just ordinary friends, ordinary close female companions! I said it! ! !