As for 'The Equilibrium'?
'HooH' would likely prefer that all the 'Aeons' present just fought to a draw.
His stance is to hope that all things in the world, including 'Aeons', can maintain a balance.
If one side is too strong, He helps the weak; if one side is too weak, He helps the strong. So even if 'HooH' came, He couldn't resolve the war situation.
The only one who could take a side cleanly and resolve the situation is that 'Elation' Aeon.
The whimsical 'Aha'! Aside from Him, the others could at most achieve a stalemate!
Only He, if He entered the arena now, could achieve a game-breaking outcome in the true sense! But the problem is—
Where the hell did that prick 'Aha' run off to?!
Is this fucker dead or something? With such huge amusement here, why isn't He coming!
This was the shared confusion of all the 'Emanators' present who knew they didn't have the ability to change the situation.
But just as this confusion arose, the aura of yet another 'Aeon' appeared—
It was not 'The Elation'.
The knowledgeable people present were all stupefied upon seeing the newcomer.
No one believed that this 'Aeon' would appear here.
...No, it is actually quite normal for Him to appear here; rather, it should be said that no one thought He would make a move.
Even if they hypothesized, they only hypothesized those with high possibilities...
They hadn't even thought that this 'Aeon' would act, let alone that He would stand on their side.
But reality is just that magical.
That glittering, crystalline body of white and blue was reflected in everyone's astonished eyes at this very moment.
All gazes at the scene were seized; no one could look away from Him.
—'The Remembrance' Aeon, Fuli!
This 'heavy hitter' they hadn't even considered had suddenly entered the arena just like that!
It was seen that after 'Fuli' abruptly joined the battlefield, He took over the great enemy 'Oroboros' in place of 'Lan'. With a wave of His great sleeve, He brought this 'Voracity' Aeon directly into the Memory Zone!
The implication of doing this was very clear.
Let 'Lan' go back to continue the confrontation with 'Nanook', while 'Oroboros' would be handed over to Him.
'Lan' held His bow, unmoving.
He looked at the position where 'Fuli' had just been, pausing for a moment for this 'Remembrance' Aeon.
It seemed He had noticed something amiss.
But after a moment, 'Lan' withdrew His gaze.
Raising His front hooves high like a steed turning, He rushed back into the Subspace in the blink of an eye, like a meteor.
After 'Lan' returned, 'Qlipoth' immediately raised His hammer, resealing the breach in the Subspace that 'Oroboros' had smashed open with a single strike!
This not only prevented the aftershocks of their confrontation from directly destroying the outside world but also prevented the scene of the struggle from leaking out and distracting His own people.
Voidrangers and the Swarm are heartless monsters; they don't care how their 'Aeons' are doing, only blindly repeating their underlying logic.
But humans do care. It is believed that whether it is the Xianzhou Alliance or the Interastral Peace Corporation, upon seeing their own 'Aeon' being injured, probably not a single one could remain calm.
This flaw would be fatal in battle, and a massive blow to morale.
As the gap slowly closed, the scene of the Subspace gradually disappeared from everyone's eyes.
'The Destruction', 'The Hunt', 'The Preservation', 'The Propagation'—the struggle between these four continued within, and who would emerge victorious remained an unknown variable.
As for 'Fuli'?
Although it's unknown whether this one is the real deal or a fake, let's just wish Him good luck.
Aside from wishing Him good luck, there isn't much else that can be done. The status of 'Remembrance', whether viewed from a shallow or deeply objective perspective, is far above 'The Voracity'. Logically speaking, it should be a guaranteed win.
But 'Lan' never does meaningless things; that brief lingering gaze must have had a deep meaning. This suddenly appearing 'Remembrance' Aeon... there is a high probability that some problem exists.
Time rewinds to shortly after 'Oroboros' re-emerged.
Astral Express.
Everyone on the train had left, rushing to the battlefield named the Swarm Disaster.
But three people did not go with them, staying behind like Pom-Pom.
"I hope everyone is okay..."
Demiurge gazed out from the train window, pursing her lips, hoping from the bottom of her heart.
"Yeah." Cyrene was equally worried.
But before she could worry for long, some subtle noises coming from not far away attracted her attention.
She turned her head to look at the source of the sound.
March 7th, who had been sitting all along, suddenly rose from the sofa and was now walking toward her.
"Is something the matter, March?"
Cyrene turned around, her expression solemn, formally facing March 7th who had walked in front of her.
"Or should I call you Miss... March 7th?"
Cyrene, tilting her head slightly, emphasized the word 'Miss' heavily, staring directly into those crimson eyes looking down at her.
Godless and lightless; these were not March's beautiful, speaking eyes.
'March' was the nickname Cyrene used for her friend.
But now that she used the full name plus an honorific, the meaning was self-evident.
She did not feel that the person before her was that friend of hers.
"You required me to stay; is there something you want to discuss with me alone?"
Yes, the reason Cyrene remained on the train now was precisely because of March 7th.
After Leon left, the Golden Progeny unanimously agreed that they could not sit and wait for death. They hadn't sat and waited for death back in Amphoreus, and they shouldn't now either.
So, they took a vote.
Except for one abstention, everyone agreed.
The abstention was March 7th.
She said she was afraid the train would be empty when Leon returned, so she wanted to wait here for Leon to come back.
No one gossiped about March 7th; each of them respected the others' choices very much.
Indeed, this trip was a narrow escape from death.
They knew their own strength better than anyone; they were far from reaching the level where they could protect themselves in a war situation teeming with 'Emanators'.
March 7th was right; what if the train was empty when he returned?
However, they weren't afraid.
Their current lives were given by Leon. With the existence of 'Causality', if he could return, then relying on his destiny, it would be absolutely impossible for anything to happen to them.
If he couldn't return.
It was only right to live and die together.
Since they would die anyway, rather than sitting and waiting for death, it was better to go to the battlefield and exert some remaining heat.
But March 7th was different; this girl was different from them.
If she went, she could truly die there.
If March 7th died, they would never be able to forgive themselves when Leon returned.
This girl's relationship with Leon was the most special.
She was unlike anyone else, not the kind that could be explained clearly in a few words.
So when March 7th made the decision to stay behind, the Golden Progeny actually breathed a sigh of relief.
But just as they found the battlefield information from the train broadcast and were preparing to leave, March 7th, for some unknown reason, suddenly grabbed Cyrene's wrist.
Stopping her departing steps without cause.
Cyrene was confused and asked her what was wrong.
March wouldn't say.
But the look she gave her was full of unspeakable, complex words.
She sensed something was wrong, so she stayed behind as she wished.
But after making her stay, March 7th still said nothing.
She fell into silence and obediently sat back on the sofa.
Cyrene didn't know what on earth was wrong.
She didn't question her repeatedly, because she believed that the fate that came knocking could not be escaped.
And it was only now that March 7th made a new move.
"The one who let March keep me here should be you, right?"
Cyrene's attitude toward her was still fairly good. "That behavior didn't seem like something March would do at all."
"Or did I guess wrong?"
"...It was me." Evernight admitted it by default.
Although it was March 7th who asked if she could help everyone, which led her to do that.
"Then, how should I address this Miss March 7th?" Cyrene asked for the name to use.
"You can call me, Evernight."
Evernight replied truthfully.
"Evernight?"
Because the person before her was strongly related to March 7th, and March 7th was strongly related to Leon.
So when Cyrene heard it started with 'Chang' (Ever/Long), she couldn't help but associate it with his 'Chang' (Leon's Chinese surname).
Does she share his surname?
Is this name self-chosen? Or given by parents?
The latter would be fine, but if it's the former, isn't that a bit too intimate?
She hasn't even taken Leon's surname yet...
Though speaking of which, the Amphoreus calendar also had a month called Evernight.
Just as Cyrene was thinking this, she heard Evernight immediately stop her wild thoughts.
"I chose it myself, but it has nothing to do with him."
Noticing Cyrene's gaze, Evernight understood what she was thinking and immediately clarified. "Don't you remember the calendar of Amphoreus also has a name identical to this?"
"Clearly, that connection is greater."
Evernight was puzzled. "Why didn't you associate it with that first, but with him?"
Cyrene smiled without speaking, but the implication under this smile was clear—
She panicked.
The innocent have nothing to hide.
If there were no ghosts in her heart, if there really was no relationship at all, then why the need to be so anxious to deny it with one bite?
"First time meeting, I am Cyrene, Miss Evernight."
However, Cyrene didn't point it out; out of politeness, she also gave a self-introduction.
"You looked for me; what is it that you want to talk about?"
Cyrene put away her smile and began to enter the main topic with her.
"I didn't make any concealment."
Evernight let out a 'heh'; why ask what she already knew? "I think you should have sensed it too."
The girl before her was far more intelligent than her outward appearance suggested.
"The relationship between us."
So, when Evernight made no concealment of her aura, she thought this girl had already seen the problem and had an answer of her own.
"Hmm..."
Cyrene pondered the words she could use to state it, then spoke the two most accurate words following her intuition.
"'Sisters', should I use this word?"
There were no ripples in Evernight's tone. "Indeed, people often address us as such."
"My, this is truly a surprise."
Cyrene hummed, "I really didn't expect that one could gain a sister out of thin air."
Judging by her tone, she didn't seem to reject having gained a sister out of nowhere.
"Do you really think we are?"
Seeing her accept the term 'sisters' directly, Evernight actually laughed.
Sisters?
Yes, they were truly 'good sisters' in the truest sense, good sisters who absolutely could not tolerate another person between them, endlessly fighting until death.
If we are sisters, then let's have a Xuanwu Gate deathmatch!
"I don't know about the others, but at least the two of us are, aren't we?"
Cyrene held her hands behind her back, her attitude toward Evernight completely different from the beginning.
At this moment, she had completely treated her as a friend.
"You know what we are, right?"
Seeing her like this, Evernight asked with some uncertainty.
"Wu..."
Cyrene tapped her chin lightly with her index finger. "'Immaculatus', I remember it should be this title, right?"
"Since you know, then I think you also understand what these words imply."
Evernight gave an affirmative 'En'.
"Possessing the qualification to become the 'Remembrance' Aeon?"
Cyrene knew; how could she not know? She was someone who had experienced it personally.
"Yes, but you overlooked a prefix."
Evernight corrected her, and also placed the darkness comparable to the Toyokawa family in front of her.
"That is, only one candidate can ascend to godhood at the end of time. And there is more than one 'Immaculatus'; what do you think this implies?"
Cyrene was no white lotus; she also understood a bit of social character reading and dark psychology.
"It implies that everyone is a competitor to one another, a hostile relationship as incompatible as fire and water. One 'Immaculatus' will absolutely not let another 'Immaculatus' live."
"After all, the grand prize at the finish line is very attractive. If I hadn't already obtained something more precious than that, I might have had some ideas too~"
Shattering the old shackles of the past, only today do I know that I am me.
Ascending to become an 'Aeon' in one stroke upon realizing the Dao—who dares to say this isn't the ultimate ideal that all Pathstriders pursue?
It's just that Leon was more important to Cyrene than anything else.
Moreover, she wasn't the type of person who liked snatching and fighting; the position of 'Fuli' actually held no specific attraction for her.
"Meaning you voluntarily forfeited?"
Evernight spoke word by word. "But do you think they will let you go just because you forfeited?"
"They won't."
Cyrene blinked. "This is the position of an 'Aeon'; how could it be easily let go?"
Before Evernight could speak, she heard Cyrene continue.
"I don't fight or snatch, but that doesn't mean I have to let people slaughter me."
Cyrene hummed, looking proud.
"If people don't offend me, I won't offend them."
"If they still come for me despite me not fighting, then my partner's arrow isn't dull either."
As his lover, Cyrene knew his strength deeply.
What 'Immaculatus'? They didn't even know where they were when Iron Tomb was soloing them like speed bumps.
'Peerless in the current age' was never a joke.
The only ones Leon regarded were 'Aeons'. For him, who was already a 'Hunt' reservist, the petty squabbles of 'Immaculatus' couldn't even make it onto the stage.
Excessive humility would instead be smearing her lover's name; she should be tough when it was time to be tough.
Evernight fell silent.
She thought of the words he said to her before he left.
'If I return this time, having successfully resolved everything, you should be able to rest assured, right?'
She had to admit, she was an insecure person.
This insecurity wasn't for herself, but for March 7th.
She was unwilling to appear simply because she feared her actions would guide matters that could have been avoided toward an irreversible result.
She had no doubts about Leon's words.
Even... she believed them firmly.
She knew it; he had the potential to protect March 7th well.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen to entrust her to him back then.
But not doing as he said was simply because she feared making him face what he shouldn't face too early.
Even if he was peerless in the current age, it was still not enough.
Because what March 7th involved... was an 'Aeon'.
And this time, what Leon was going to face happened to be precisely an 'Aeon'.
If he really could return, if he truly possessed the ability to resolve an 'Aeon' this time—
Then, could she be a little more willful?
Thoughts surged in Evernight's heart.
"No bullying Peachy!"
An angry voice interrupted her thoughts.
Demiurge stood protectively in front of Cyrene in a 'big' character shape (大). She glared at Evernight, seeming to hate that tone of hers and the words she spoke.
So alike, just like March 7th.
Evernight looked at the Demiurge before her and couldn't help but think of her March 7th.
What Cyrene said just now actually wasn't unreasonable.
Among the 'Immaculatus', perhaps only the two of them could truly be called sisters.
It's just that the identities of the two were reversed.
She, as the accompaniment, corresponded to Cyrene who was the main body; while March 7th, as the main body, corresponded to Demiurge who was the accompaniment.
The front and back were inverted.
"It's fine, she didn't bully me. I was just discussing matters with her normally."
Cyrene held Demiurge's hand, shaking her head at her.
"If Elder Sister Evernight has something to say, you might as well speak directly to your younger sister."
She smiled at Demiurge, stepped past her, and stood in front of Evernight once again.
"After all, as he said, we are a community of shared destiny."
Cyrene accepted the identity of 'younger sister' openly and generously, which actually left Evernight not knowing how to respond for a moment.
"It's related to 'Remembrance', right?"
Cyrene looked at her, pointing it out directly.
This was an obvious matter.
The three people remaining here had a common point, which was that they were all related to the Path of 'Remembrance'.
"Your intuition is quite sharp."
Cyrene merely smiled at this. "Staying with him for a long time, one gets influenced more or less."
"An accident has occurred in the war situation."
Evernight went straight to the point.
"I don't know the reason, but the aura of 'Oroboros' indeed reappeared in the world just now."
"'Oroboros'...?"
As an Amphoreus native, apart from a few individual ones related to herself, Cyrene's understanding of 'Aeons' was far from the level where she could immediately recall who was who upon hearing a name.
"'The Voracity' Aeon."
Before Cyrene could get the answer herself, Evernight directly pointed out who 'Oroboros' was.
"'Aeon'?" Cyrene's pupils constricted violently.
"That is an existence he has no way to deal with either; 'Aeons' can only be opposed by 'Aeons'."
Evernight's words held deeper meaning.
"If no other 'Aeon' rushes to the scene, and if he hasn't finished everything in time to arrive, then the ending awaiting everyone—"
Evernight paused.
"Is only a dead end."
The carriage fell into a deathly silence.
"...What should we do?"
The fabric over her heart was subconsciously gripped into wrinkles by Cyrene's worried emotions.
Her expression was resolute; as long as Evernight said it, she would do it no matter what.
Since Evernight brought it up, she must have a method to change the situation.
"Have you forgotten?"
Her voice was very light, but it landed heavily on Cyrene's heart.
"How to break the game, I already told you just now."
Evernight looked at her. "Who are we?"
"...'Immaculatus'."
At the moment it was pointed out, Cyrene completely understood what Evernight meant.
"Yes, we will become the 'Aeon'."
Under the astonished gaze of her 'younger sister' who had attained enlightenment, Evernight pierced through the window paper of their tacit understanding.
"'Fuli' is the only method we can strive for; only His power can break the current situation."
"Only an 'Aeon' can oppose an 'Aeon'."
"Besides this, there is no second controllable 'Aeon' that can participate."
Cyrene had no objections, she didn't oppose it, she was just confused.
"...But how do we do this?"
This plan had no problems in theory, but the 'Immaculatus' weren't just the two of them.
They had quite a few 'sisters'.
Only one person could ascend to godhood at the end of time.
Evernight clearly knew this too.
Precisely because of this, Cyrene was confused as to why she would propose this plan that was an empty shell and unrealistic.
"Even if we are fellow princes, there are highs and lows between us, distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate births."
Evernight spoke calmly, clearly having come prepared.
Since she proposed this plan, she naturally had a way to turn it from empty talk into implementation.
"My weight within the 'Immaculatus' is very high."
Evernight spoke of herself, not March.
She would shoulder everything; March 7th only needed to be March 7th.
"If we classify by weight, then I am the highest grade. If we use his habit to make a chart, out of 100% weight, I occupy 50%."
If the inheritance rights of 'Remembrance' were one stone.
Then March 7th monopolized eight pecks, and the other 'Immaculatus' shared two pecks!
"Sister is so amazing." Cyrene clapped her hands gently.
"Your weight isn't low either."
Evernight paid no heed and continued speaking.
Cyrene's weight was indeed not low.
As someone who had already proven the position of 'Fuli' back in Amphoreus, and almost proved it eternally to make 'Remembrance' the fourth Terminus.
The gold content was self-evident.
"Your weight added to mine is enough to ignore the other 'Immaculatus' and forcibly snatch that position for a try."
At this moment, Evernight formally issued an invitation to her.
Princes fighting for the throne didn't just look at birth, but also at the people they could find to assist them.
And coincidentally, their backer was the peerless one of the current age.
The high weight of the two, plus Leon's fate that was hard to the limit and his great Causality.
Hmph, if you and I sisters rise together, how can there be any enemy who can fight us?
"I don't understand it very well, but if I can help, then I am very willing to help Elder Sister Evernight with this favor."
Cyrene reached out her hand to her, accepting the invitation. This 'Sister' was called with sincerity.
"Everything is entrusted to you, Sister."
She actually didn't understand these things very well.
But if it could help everyone, no matter what it was.
As long as it was something she could do, she would do it.
"Rest assured, my good sister."
Evernight held her hand back, still with no expression on her face.
"I am a timid person; I never do radical things without assurance."
"What about me?"
Demiurge, who was excluded, puffed her cheeks slightly, angry, and issued a soul-searching question.
Just as her words left her mouth, she saw Evernight extend her other empty hand toward her.
"You are originally one body."
Demiurge froze for a moment, then held the hand back.
"Although I don't really understand, anyway, next we are going to help everyone, right?"
Evernight gave an 'En', not denying it.
"Then let's go, to help everyone, help our partners, just like he helped us!"
Evernight did not speak, simply pulling the 'Mind Consciousness' (Vijñāna) of the two into a space.
Immediately after, the will of the three sank deeply.
By the time they came back to their senses, the scene had already changed.
No, describing it as a change wasn't accurate.
It should be said that the souls of the three had suddenly detached from their bodies originally in the train carriage, and under Evernight's operation, jumped to this blank land where no end could be seen at a glance.
But the bodies were actually still in the train carriage, so the word 'change' shouldn't be used.
"This is...?" Cyrene was a bit dazed.
"'Sudarsana', the most direct lineage, and also the most core piece of 'Remembrance'."
Evernight beside her answered this question.
"Only the candidates for the 'Lord of the Immaculatus' can come to this space."
Cyrene was just about to say something when she was startled by the current appearance of the person beside her.
"...Is this some privacy protection mechanism?"
It was seen that Evernight was completely covered in blue and white ice crystals from head to toe. Neither her figure nor her appearance could be discerned in the slightest, leaving only a human outline.
"Yes, in order to prevent seeing each other's faces, generally identities are actively concealed after coming to this space."
Evernight gave an 'En', indicating her guess was correct.
"Prevent people?"
Cyrene didn't turn the corner for a moment. "Prevent who? Aren't there only the three of us here?"
She thought coming here was required to implement Evernight's plan.
In fact, it was true, it was just that Cyrene hadn't reacted to the direction of the plan's implementation for the time being.
"This is truly rare."
A voice that had undergone special blurring processing, making it impossible to distinguish man, woman, old, or young, rang out.
"I originally thought that the holder of the highest authority possessing a one-vote summoning right was just nonsense made up. I didn't expect it to actually be true. Today is truly a groundbreaking eye-opener."
An ice crystal figure spoke while walking toward the three.
At the moment the fourth ice crystal figure appeared, Cyrene knew who exactly was being prevented.
The answer had been on the bright side all along.
Only the candidates for the 'Lord of the Immaculatus' could come to this most core 'Sudarsana'.
Candidates for 'Fuli'—weren't they 'Immaculatus' just like them?
Cyrene realized Evernight's plan.
She wanted to summon all the 'Immaculatus', openly and brightly compete with them high and low, and obtain the qualification to become 'Fuli' from this group of people through formal means!
"This is the first time you've shown your face, 'Sister'."
Another ice crystal figure walked over.
"What, our good sister, you summoned everyone here today; are you preparing to put a period on this 'Remembrance' struggle today?"
The sixth 'Immaculatus' arrived at the scene.
"If I recall correctly, a 'God War' seems to have been set off not long ago."
The seventh. After her, many more people appeared in this space one after another.
"I know this too."
"The target seems to be the revived 'Propagation'. You don't say, looking at it this way, the re-enacted Swarm Disaster is indeed an excellent time for 'Ascension'."
"This sister of ours really knows how to pick."
Another two 'Immaculatus' spoke up.
"Ha, of course, the premise is that Sister can truly triumph over us sisters present here."
The attitudes of every 'Immaculatus' varied; there were good ones, and there were also bad ones.
____
👻🔥+40 ch: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Group chat of the Dead
✅ Read up to 40 chapters in advance (all stories)!
✅ Access exclusive posts and updates first!
Let's achieve our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 extra chapter for everybody
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters on ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnut-chan