[ Aventurine forcibly suppressed his rage: "…You might as well speak more clearly." ]
[ "What I just performed on you was the [Harmony] holy baptism. You should have shown loyalty under His light, yet you acted willfully, spouted lies, and turned the baptism into a trial. I truly have no reason to release it for you." ]
[ Aventurine sneered: "This is the so-called [Harmony]? …Built upon imprisonment and coercion?" ]
[ Sunday said lightly: "You misunderstand, Mr. Aventurine. Punishment is prepared for those who blaspheme, but I saw your unyielding heart, and therefore wish to grant you the possibility of rebirth." ]
[ "In these seventeen system hours, you cannot leave the dreamscape, nor can you interact with any companions. You only have two paths. It depends on whether you can complete my test within the appointed time limit." ]
[ "If you succeed, you can integrate into the Harmony and exist with countless family members; if you fail, you will bear the wrath of the [Infinite Emanator] (the avatar of Harmony) and fall into an abyss of eternal damnation. That is why I specifically emphasized the word 'temporarily'." ]
[ A strange sensation seeped into Aventurine's mind again. He clutched his forehead in pain and gritted his teeth: "…Damn it, it sounds like my ending will be the same no matter what." ]
[ "I do need a servant to help me identify the 'evil' lurking within the Family from the outside. And I will purge from the inside out, apprehending the true culprit within seventeen system hours." ]
——
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.
"Is this really [Harmony]? Why does it feel… so eerie."
Fern swallowed hard, a drop of cold sweat sliding down her forehead and stopping at her tense jawline. It was hard for her to imagine that the Family, known in the cosmic banking world for helping others, harbored such a bizarre power.
Moreover, phrases like "integrate into the Harmony and exist with countless family members" gave her the feeling of erasing one's self and melting the consciousness.
"No need to feel it—it is very eerie." Frieren said calmly. "The ability Sunday used on Aventurine, while it looks similar to some mental magic, is fundamentally different. In my view… it's more like he forcibly imposed a certain rule onto the other party."
"Rule?" Stark asked in confusion: "Then do we have a way to avoid being affected by it?"
"If you mean avoiding being affected by Sunday himself, then my answer is 'yes.' Because with only his own power, he cannot apply it to us through the Celestial Screen. But if it were someone else, for example… an Emanator of [Harmony], then it would be hard to answer."
Fern's light purple eyes shifted uneasily. She thought for a long time before finally asking her teacher: "Then Lady Frieren, can we resist this kind of 'rule'-based ability with magic?"
...
"Of course not."
In the Magic Association on the other side, Serie directly denied Sense's question.
"But why?" Sense looked up at the elf on the throne.
"It's simple. The power Sunday is using is not something magic can explain, so naturally it cannot be defended by magic either."
Serie rested her chin on one hand and said indifferently: "Curses can be resisted with curse-return magic, and mental magic can be fully defended against if one has high mental resistance. But powers from Aeons and Paths can directly distort certain concepts—this is beyond what magic can achieve, an unsolvable problem."
"Although becoming a first-class mage means turning the 'impossible' into 'possible'… powers from beyond the heavens are not within that scope. Of course, if one day you step onto the corresponding [Path], perhaps you can try to provide a different solution."
——
[ "When the time comes, verify your findings with me. If our judgments align, or if you can bring me more…" Sunday raised his voice with delight, "then He will truly bestow mercy and honesty upon you." ]
[ "…You shameless hypocrite. You confiscated all my belongings and still want me to give you the truth? This isn't fair. In this amusement park of yours that reeks of money, nothing can be done without money." Aventurine said through gritted teeth with hatred. ]
[ "This should be your personal righteous act, without needing the Family's assistance. Your luggage bag is over there. It's light, right? I believe you can exchange this bag of lowly jewels for everything. This is what gamblers are best at, isn't it?" ]
[ As he spoke, Sunday glanced at the luggage bag beside his feet. ]
[ "Go on, Mr. Aventurine. You are 'free.' I will wait here for your good news." ]
[ Throughout the entire conversation, a dark crow had been standing high up, quietly observing everything happening in the room. ]
[ Aventurine picked up the luggage bag and walked to the door. Before leaving, he turned back to look at the man behind him: "So this meeting wasn't an interrogation, but it wasn't a negotiation either… It was nothing but a lynching, right?" ]
[ Sunday still smiled as he retorted: "How could that be? Mr. Aventurine, I truly just wanted to know what 'discoveries' a 'passerby' who 'happened' to appear at her murder scene could make… That's all." ]
[ "Oh right, before you leave, I have one more personal question." ]
[ Aventurine glared at him irritably: "What now?" ]
[ "You… really want to destroy this world with your own hands?" ]
——
Fate.
"Whether he wants to destroy the world or not, I'm not sure, but right now he probably really wants to destroy your… head, you winged kid."
Lancer crossed his arms and clicked his tongue in annoyance. He usually looked down on such underhanded methods, and now seeing them used by an even more sinister guy made him extremely displeased. He really wanted to rush in and beat him up.
"A bag of jewels… what can that do? He's not seriously planning to win all of Penacony with those things, right?"
Rin Tohsaka couldn't help but feel her scalp tingle. The difficulty of this task was probably higher than winning the Holy Grail War barehanded and alone! It was simply impossible! Seventeen system hours! At least give him four or five days, right?
"You never know." Archer crossed his arms and said calmly: "Don't forget who he is. He still has the indelible Sigonia slave code on his neck. From slave to Company executive… feel free to guess how many people he has won against along the way."
"I know he's very capable… but no matter how capable he is, he's still just a human. Facing the unreasonable power of [Harmony], what use is having more money?"
Rin Tohsaka sighed softly: "Some people win their whole lives, only to lose everything in one defeat. Haven't we seen enough of that? What if luck doesn't stand by his side this time?"