"Why didn't you come talk me out of it sooner? It's too late now."
Lucian raised the cup in his hand and took a measured sip, his movements unhurried and composed as though the situation before him carried no urgency at all, before tilting his head slightly and letting his gaze linger as he leisurely admired Kafka's elegant side profile, as though she were a carefully arranged exhibit placed on display for viewing.
"...Yes, the matter of Jarilo-VI is indeed already too late, which is precisely why I came to ask for your help, so that we can remedy it together... Can you stop staring at my body for a moment?"
Kafka clearly noticed that Lucian was treating her like a display piece to be observed at his leisure, causing the sense of shame within her to intensify further as she clenched her teeth and forced her voice to remain steady.
Fortunately, there were no outsiders in the room, because if anyone else had seen her in such an embarrassing posture, she would have preferred death over facing them afterward.
"Alright, I won't look—go on."
Lucian gave a faint smile, straightened his posture, and, as promised, gazed directly at her face, his tone casual.
Kafka took a quiet breath to steady herself before continuing.
"Right now, the fate trajectory of Jarilo-VI has completely deviated from Elio's script."
"What should have been a frozen apocalypse has turned into large-scale interstellar development."
"More importantly, because the Stellaron crisis has disappeared without a trace, Stelle has lost the opportunity to comprehend the will of Preservation in a desperate situation and step onto the Path of Preservation."
Kafka paused briefly before deliberately emphasizing her next words.
"No matter what, this is critical. In the future Elio foresaw, Stelle must obtain the power of several Paths. Otherwise, the end will inevitably arrive."
As she spoke, she watched him closely, expecting that he would finally grasp the gravity of the situation.
Lucian, however, merely set his teacup down slowly, the soft 'tap' of porcelain against the table echoing distinctly through the quiet room as he lifted his eyes to look at Kafka, who was still bound in a posture that resembled an artistic arrangement, while his expression remained clear and almost innocently calm.
"Oh? Is that so? Yeah, that does sound like a pretty serious problem."
"What serious problem?"
Kafka frowned slightly.
"Looks like I've already cleared out all the obstacles in Stelle's path, so Preservation, Destruction, Harmony, Remembrance... she probably won't even get a chance to experience any of them."
Lucian answered in an unhurried tone.
"???"
Kafka's mind stalled for a moment before she forced the words out.
"Don't tell me... you've already interfered with the later parts of the script as well?"
A strange numbness spread through her as she asked that question.
Initially, she had believed that only Jarilo-VI and Herta Space Station had been affected, but now he was casually stating that everything that came afterward had also been disrupted.
Honestly, the speed at which he had acted was almost absurd.
Nemesis.
Lucian was undoubtedly Elio's natural nemesis.
"Ah, if you're talking about the events of the Xianzhou Luofu, Penacony, and Amphoreus, then yeah, that'd be correct."
Lucian's expression remained unchanged, utterly free of concern, as though such actions carried no weight at all.
It was only natural. In his view, there was still ample time, and by the time the divine war and the final end arrived, he would already possess sufficient abilities to deal with everything.
Handling the four Aeons that would bring about the destruction of the universe would be nothing more than a trivial task to him, and even Sunday's Dreamcluck Chicken meme had already been arranged as part of his countermeasures against the Harmony.
Kafka looked at him for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh, her tone gentle yet edged with resignation.
"You... honestly, I don't even know what to say about you anymore. For now, we need to think about how to fix this, and we must also inform Elio of the situation, so... Mr. Lucian, you've had your look—can you let me go now?"
It was evident that she had forcibly suppressed her embarrassment. Her expression was now composed to the point of seeming almost unnatural.
Lucian tilted his head slightly.
"Answer me first—am I a man?"
"Mm, yes, you're a man."
Kafka replied immediately without hesitation, her tone even.
"If you ever question whether I'm a man again..." Lucian paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I'll make sure you become a real woman by finding out firsthand what a real man is."
"Heh, pervert."
Kafka let out a light laugh, though there was a faint edge to it.
"I'm only a pervert when dealing with bad women," Lucian responded calmly. "When you become a good woman, you'll realize I'm actually a gentleman."
"Alright then, Mr. Gentleman—we'll see."
Kafka's eyes narrowed slightly as she replied.
In the next moment, with a casual wave of Lucian's hand, all the vines filling the room vanished instantly, as though they had never existed. Kafka finally regained her freedom, no longer forced to maintain that humiliating posture.
"Mr. Gentleman, now we should properly discuss how to let Stelle step onto the Path of Preservation."
Kafka rubbed her wrist as she walked over and sat down beside Lucian on the sofa without the slightest hesitation.
Her demeanor had already returned to its usual elegance and composure, as though the earlier embarrassment had never happened, carrying herself with the natural poise and grace of a noble young lady.
"If we're only talking about the power of Paths, then it isn't particularly difficult..." Lucian stroked his chin thoughtfully and nodded. "I can just grant Stelle my blessing."
"An Aeon's blessing would work, and an Emanator's blessing would work as well—but you're an Emanator of Abundance, so how exactly do you intend to grant her a blessing of Preservation?"
Kafka poured herself a glass of water as though she were entirely at home, her tone calm and unhurried.
Perhaps the earlier confrontation had broken down the distance between them, because she inexplicably found herself unusually relaxed around Lucian.
Now, there was strangely no particular sense of vigilance or caution, which even she herself found somewhat surprising, considering that he had humiliated her not long ago.
'Weird... why do I feel so at ease around him?'
As Kafka pondered the reason behind the unexpected feeling she currently felt, Lucian answered simply.
"It's very simple, honestly—I'll just become an Emanator of Preservation."
He said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Honestly, entrusting such a crucial matter to another Emanator was something he would never even consider. Only by holding that lifeline firmly in his own hands could he truly feel at ease.
Kafka was briefly stunned before letting out a soft laugh.
"Fufu, you're already an Emanator of Abundance, and you still want to become an Emanator of Preservation? Do you really think that's possible?"
In all her years, she had never seen anyone become an Emanator of two Aeons.
After all, only those acknowledged by an Aeon and granted authority over a Path could become Emanators, and no Aeon would willingly choose someone whose allegiance was divided.
"Why wouldn't it be possible?" Lucian replied casually. "Lately, I've been thinking that since I've got nothing better to do, I might as well try becoming an Emanator of all Paths."
"Becoming an Emanator of all Paths?" Kafka raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "You really dare to imagine something like that? Why don't you start by becoming an Emanator of two Paths first?"
To her, such a claim bordered on pure absurdity.
Becoming an Emanator of all Paths would mean every Aeon in existence would be competing to make him their representative, which was fundamentally impossible, especially when many Paths were inherently opposed to one another.
"Mr. Gentleman, I suggest you start with the Elation. Only the Aeon of Elation wouldn't mind something like that, and besides, you do seem rather... well-suited to it."
Hearing her words, Lucian smiled faintly.
"Very perceptive—you already figured it out."
"Figured it out? What do you—"
Before Kafka could finish her words, Lucian suddenly released the power of both Abundance and Elation.
Vast and mysterious energies surged outward from his body simultaneously, intertwining and resonating with one another as they spread throughout the surrounding space.
In the next second, two distinct spheres of energy appeared in his hands—one green and one red—clearly embodying the powers of Abundance and Elation.
Kafka froze completely, the words she had intended to say instantly catching in her throat.
It had only been a casual remark, yet he had actually proven it to be true—this man was genuinely an Emanator of two Paths!
No wonder his strength was so absurd.
For a brief moment, a thought crossed Kafka's mind.
If someone like him could be brought into the Stellaron Hunters, it would undoubtedly make things far more interesting, though whether Elio could tolerate such an enormous variable was another matter entirely.
"...You really do keep surprising me, Mr. Gentleman."
Even though her eyes betrayed her astonishment, Kafka's expression remained forcibly calm and steady as ever.
If she had known from the beginning that Lucian was an Emanator of two Paths, she would have brought him directly to meet Elio instead of coming here herself, only to be toyed with and nearly lose her dignity in the process.
"Everyone who knows me says that."
Lucian replied lightly, shrugging nonchalantly.
Kafka fell silent, unsure whether to interpret that as confidence or sheer narcissism.
"Alright, listen. As long as I'm here, this universe won't be destroyed."
Lucian spoke with complete certainty, utterly unconcerned with how grandiose his claim sounded.
Kafka chose not to respond, mainly because she had already learned that questioning him might only result in yet another shocking revelation.
Instead, she stood up, walked over to the window, and contacted Elio, calmly explaining the entire situation.
Soon...
[What did you say?! The Xianzhou Luofu, Penacony, and Amphoreus have all been affected by him?!]
[Kafka, from now on, we must keep track of Lucian's movements at all times.]
[Either we bring him over to our side... or we join his...]
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