---o---
Emotions were churning in the depths of her heart.
Bronya felt an extremely strange sensation… as if her own thoughts were no longer under her control, her emotions no longer dictated by her own will.
Countless feelings surged from the bottom of her heart, roiling in her mind.
Sorrow, joy, anger, confusion… a kaleidoscope of emotions assaulted Bronya in waves. Phantylia, having possessed her, was merely toying with Bronya's thoughts as she pleased, causing her emotions to churn ceaselessly, all of it landing on Phantylia's tongue, becoming a meal she could devour at her leisure.
A Heliobus instinctively seeks to consume the emotions of intelligent beings, and it uses this method as the cruelest way to destroy an intelligent lifeform.
An intelligent being whose emotions have been completely devoured will, under the Heliobus's exploitation, spontaneously combust, turning into a pile of cold ash. Bronya would be no exception.
Phantylia had no intention of holding back. As an Emanator of [The Destruction], now that she was thoroughly free from her bonds, her inherent vileness and malice were no longer concealed. An endless malevolence pressed down on Bronya, about to crush her.
---o---
Under normal circumstances, a Heliobus would provoke the emotions and desires within its host, causing the host to lose themselves in their own ever-growing desires, thus erupting with countless extreme emotions for the Heliobus to feast upon. Ultimately, they would lose everything and turn into cold ash.
Bronya had thought about what she should do when faced with such a possession. The memories of the previous simulation had left her with a firm faith in [Salvation]. Perhaps by just recalling the light she had once seen, she could steady her will and remain unaffected by the Heliobus's provocations.
But Phantylia was different. As a Heliobus on par with the likes of Suihuang, Phantylia could stir a host's emotions with a mere thought. No amount of suppression could hold it back. A firm belief and a memory were far from enough to bridge the power gap between her and Phantylia.
However… this did not mean Bronya was without a way to resist.
Long before, while on the starskiff, after reading all the archival documents concerning Heliobi issued to the soldiers, Bronya had already formulated a plan for how to resist should she be possessed by such a creature.
Since a Heliobus ultimately relied on provoking the host's inner desires to influence their emotions, what would happen if there was only a single, unwavering goal in her heart?
Bronya didn't care about her life or death in this simulation. Because it was just a simulation, life and death were meaningless.
She just had to complete the mission Ron had entrusted to her.
As long as her will was strong enough to overcome Phantylia's obstruction, as long as she could carry the Lantern of [Salvation] forward on the Path of [The Destruction] and spread the ideas of [Salvation] upon it, that would be enough.
So… all that was needed was determination.
---o---
Bronya took a deep breath. The taunts and malice from Phantylia in her ears were finally exhaled with a single, cleansing breath.
She opened her eyes, her pupils burning with divine light. Her field of vision had narrowed to only the lantern in her hand and the long road beneath her feet.
The boundless, surging emotions in her mind were forgotten, bit by bit. Her thoughts grew clear, pointing towards a single goal under her resolute will—
Just carry the lantern and walk to the end.
She would think of nothing else. Just carry the lantern and walk to the end.
As Bronya's thoughts became one, Phantylia couldn't help but feel a flicker of astonishment.
"What a taste… Such a resolute will, such a spicy emotion…"
For the Heliobi, emotions all had their own flavors. As a great Heliobus comparable to Suihuang, Phantylia had tasted countless emotions, but she was still surprised by what she was feeling from Bronya.
"Why did she suddenly become like this… Should I stop playing and just finish her off?"
As one of the Lord Ravagers most adept at sowing discord and playing with insidious plots, Phantylia was no fool.
Most of the time, she liked to keep the development of events firmly in her grasp, to avoid any possible failure.
She had originally planned to toy with Bronya for a while, to turn her into ash using her usual cruel methods. But now, she was ready to stop playing around and just ignite Bronya, turning her into a pile of dust.
But just as this thought rose in Phantylia's mind, a corner of the azure flame burning in Bronya's pupils suddenly flashed with a brilliant speck of golden light.
If one looked closely, one might see that the speck of golden light was actually a tiny, blazing golden flame.
This tiny golden flame ignited, forming a minuscule sigil. Phantylia paused for a moment, stopping the thought that could have led to a different future. A hint of amusement once again rose in her heart.
"I'm already on the Path of [The Destruction] anyway… what's there to be afraid of?"
"In Lord Nanook's own domain, what trouble could a little thing like this possibly stir up?"
"Even if she really tries to cause trouble, her life is in my hands. I can burn her to ash with a single thought…"
A subtle idea arose in Phantylia's mind, making her watch with great interest, waiting to see what Bronya intended to do.
But even so, she did not lessen her obstruction of Bronya in the slightest. Bronya still felt as if she were bound in a mire, unable to take a step forward on the Path of [The Destruction] no matter how hard she struggled.
Phantylia just loved to watch mortals struggle helplessly in failure. Bronya's current appearance was exactly the kind of entertainment Phantylia enjoyed most.
---o---
But despite this, Bronya was not rendered completely powerless by Phantylia's obstruction.
A resolute goal was carved into her heart. Her eyes saw only the light of [Salvation] and the path beneath her feet. Phantylia's obstruction made it difficult for her to move, but not impossible.
She moved her feet, bit by bit, as if truly trudging through a heavy, viscous swamp, moving forward with extreme slowness.
She stepped with extreme slowness onto that incredibly thin branch of the Path. The flame in the Lantern of [Salvation] flickered, its brilliant golden light echoing the shimmering light of the Path branch, replenishing Bronya's burning strength, bit by bit.
The power of [Salvation] flowed into Bronya's body, making it easier and easier for her to move.
Forward, and forward again. The slender branch of the Path gradually widened, gradually grew brighter. Bronya walked upon it, transforming from someone trudging through a heavy swamp to someone running with a light pack, gradually striding towards the source of the Path.
Phantylia, who had been watching with great interest as Bronya struggled against her obstruction, gradually became stunned. She suddenly realized something was wrong. Bronya's performance had exceeded her expectations. It was as if she no longer cared about her obstruction, and had reached a point where she could run freely on the Path.
She was advancing too fast! What was she trying to do?!
If she kept going, it would be abnormal!
The boundary of an Emanator was not far ahead. Phantylia herself had only ever reached that point. How could Bronya possibly run there in such a short amount of time, and how could she not care?
"No… I can't wait any longer! No matter what she's planning, now is not the time to let her continue!"
At this moment, the golden speck of light at the edge of the azure flame in Bronya's pupils vanished, completely swallowed by the azure fire.
Reason gradually took over, and Phantylia unhesitatingly used her power, preparing to burn Bronya to ash.
But… it was too late.
---o---
The azure flame ignited on Bronya's body, starting at her fingertips and the ends of her hair, then gradually spreading over her body until it engulfed her entirely, burning her to cinders.
But Bronya did not stop. She strode forward, rushing ahead with extreme speed. The Lantern of [Salvation] in her hand swayed, yet it was never consumed by the azure flame. Instead, its golden light burned ever more fiercely, emitting a brighter light of hope—
In the next moment, Bronya had finally crossed that threshold.
The azure flame had no temperature, but its touch on Bronya's body was no weaker than real fire. She felt her entire being burning, her thoughts dulling, her vision blurring. Everything was being burned away in the flame Phantylia had ignited, gradually being stripped away.
But in the final moment before she was stripped of everything, she had successfully crossed the threshold, crossing the line that could turn a branch of a Path into a clear, extreme direction, a threshold sufficient to birth an Emanator, to influence an Aeon.
In her rapidly fading field of vision, she saw a handsome Aeon with dark skin and wild, coarse white hair break through the boundary from the endless void.
Boundless fire and magma erupted from the endless void at the moment of his appearance. A violent heat, like the rings around a planet, swirled around Nanook of [The Destruction], accentuating his form as the incarnation of all heat and ruin. The Crimson-Gold Tyrant had descended, bringing with him an endless contempt as he stepped before Bronya, blocking her path forward.
A deep wound was carved across his chest, a gash that nearly split his torso in two. Brilliant golden divine blood, thick as magma, flowed from it, dripping down his chest, exploding into violent fire and lava at his feet, scattering before Bronya.
But Bronya would have no chance to receive the divine might of [The Destruction]. Her last shred of consciousness dissipated into flying ash under Phantylia's flame, and she fell completely into the void.
Her body crumbled in that instant. Everything scattered like driven snow, turning into settled embers.
A mass of azure flame emerged from the ashes, bowing respectfully to Nanook, offering him the reverence and fear from the bottom of its heart.
But a single lantern fell upon the Path of [The Destruction].
The lid of the lantern fell open, and the brilliant golden flame spilled out, instantly merging with the fire and magma at Nanook's feet.
The iciness in his eyes wavered for a fraction of a second. A subtle trace of… humanity appeared on his face, which was usually as cold as a stone statue.
He suddenly vanished, along with the searing magma and fire at his feet, leaving only a stunned Phantylia, frozen upon the branch of the Path representing 'new life'—a branch that hadn't shrunk at all, but was instead beginning to expand.
---o---
And at the same time, on the other side—
On another path, the Aeon holding the scales had finally determined that there was no turning back.
Phantylia's equilibrium mission had failed, but His equilibrium mission had not yet failed.
He too strode upon a Path. The world began to fracture. The world within gradually opened a door, revealing a scene belonging to the mortal realm—
He took a step… and descended upon the world.