Zhongli: "An Emanator of Nihility…"
Zhongli: " 'An Emanator who should not exist'… so this is what that meant…"
Himeko: "What exactly has Miss Acheron endured?"
Himeko: "To have walked such a vast distance along the Path of Nihility?"
Acheron: "It is a long story…"
Acheron: "A past sealed away in dust…"
Acheron: "If the opportunity arises in the future… I will recount it to you all, slowly."
Venti: "The Aeon of Nihility… That Aeon could be considered the strongest in the universe, no?"
Venti: "After all, the meaning He encompasses is simply~ far too broad."
Raiden Ei: "All things eventually move towards nothingness… nothing exists eternally…"
Raiden Ei: "If that is the case, the Aeon of Nihility should represent the terminus of the universe…"
Raiden Ei: "And if so, what is the meaning of our existence?"
Nahida: "A very profound question…"
Nahida: "But is the end of the universe truly Nihility?"
Nahida: "Or rather, must it only be Nihility?"
Lumine: "I feel that… existence itself is the meaning."
Lumine: "Even if all things in the universe eventually march towards Nihility, everything we do before that moment has meaning!"
Lumine: "At least for us, that is the truth!"
Paimon: "Mhm, mhm! Lumine is right!"
Paimon: "Who cares about Nihility or whatever? As long as we feel that what we're doing is meaningful, that's enough!"
Acheron: "I am pleased that, even after learning of Nihility, you can still affirm the value of the self."
Acheron: "Indeed. Even if the shadow of Nihility shrouds everyone."
Acheron: "But, just as I said, there will always be those who return from the shadow!"
Acheron: "Even if they are… very, very few. So few as to be nearly nonexistent!"
Acheron: "But existence is existence. That is something even Nihility cannot deny!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Miss Acheron's words… seem a little strange."
Furina de Fontaine: "As someone who has walked so far on the Path of Nihility, shouldn't you acknowledge Nihility?"
Furina de Fontaine: "But the way I hear it, it sounds like you are… resisting it?"
Acheron: "Because stepping into Nihility… was never my wish."
Acheron: "I originally sought to walk towards the light… but I never knew that it was merely a pitch-black sun capable of devouring everything."
Acheron: "I drowned within Nihility, yet I exerted my utmost effort to retain the final shred of color."
Acheron: "This allowed me to continue to exist, preventing a complete return to nothingness."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "In fact, Miss Acheron's behavior is not strange."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "In the universe, there are no small number of people who step onto the Path of Nihility by accident."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "And most of these individuals do not subscribe to the philosophy of Nihility."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "Therefore, they strive to prove the meaning of existence to Nihility."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "But the result is…"
Madam Herta: "No one can deny Nihility, because THEY is always there."
Madam Herta: "Anyway, if you want to live a stable life as an ordinary person, I advise you not to harbor too many thoughts of exploring Nihility."
Madam Herta: "Otherwise, if you get tainted by it, don't even think about coming back out."
Hotaru: "Nihility… truly is a terrifying thing."
Black Swan: "Is it not?…"
Black Swan: "And this precisely highlights the strength of Miss Acheron's will."
Black Swan: "To possess a conviction that can withstand the erosion of Nihility… I truly wish to see Miss Acheron's memories of the past…"
....
『 Acheron snaps back from a fleeting recollection.
She gazes toward the horizon.
[ Hahahaha… ]
In the sky, a grotesque manifestation of Aventurine laughs maniacally, beginning to rain chips down upon the earth like a deluge!
Rumble!
These chips fall like artillery shells, bombarding the high-rises of the city into dust and thunderous noise!
Welt and Himeko watch this scene, hurriedly shielding Stelle and March 7th behind them.
But at the very front, Acheron, now moves!
She takes a step forward.
In an instant, all things begin to lose their color, leaving only black and white!
Even her own colors begin to fade.
Yet, a streak of the most vivid crimson remains!
[ I wish to mourn the departed, weeping like rain, to swell the crossing stream... ]
A tear of blood flows from Acheron's eye.
Her crimson right hand begins to grip the hilt of her blade.
[ …As the tide arrives, leading you back home. ]
In the next moment, Acheron finally draws her blade!
A crimson slash of Nihility pierces through space, stagnates time, and carries with it an unrivaled power, slashing towards Aventurine in the sky!
And after this blade passes, acheron stands tall, sheathing her weapon.
The power of Nihility dissipates.
From the sky above, a gentle rain begins to fall… 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Holy crap!"
Stelle: "That was Acheron's slash?"
Stelle: "She hacked a gap right through the Dreamscape!!"
Stelle: "And it looks like she was holding back, right?!"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "I believe we should be rigorous."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "That cannot be called holding back; she practically released an entire ocean!"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "With that level of Nihility's power, if she wished, she could have cleaved this entire sweet dream world into nothingness with a single stroke."
Kazuha: "The might of that blade… is unreachable…"
Raiden Ei: "A power that commands desire…"
Raiden Ei: "It is a pity that this power belongs to Nihility…"
Lumine: "It's too terrifying. One slash could erase a world."
Lumine: "Is this an Emanator?"
Paimon: "Paimon thinks that with this level of power, even if the Heavenly Principles showed up, they wouldn't be able to take a hit like that, right?"
Zhongli: "In terms of universal rationality, if the Heavenly Principles exhausted all their trump cards, perhaps they could barely withstand one strike."
Zhongli: "Of course, that is assuming Miss Acheron did not use her full strength!"
Zhongli: "Otherwise, even the Heavenly Principles would have absolutely no possibility of receiving this blade!"
Zhongli: "After all, this is the power of Nihility…"
Venti: "Oh my, that slash was truly terrifying. Just watching the video, I felt like my scalp was going to explode!"
Venti: "If I were grazed by the shockwave of that attack, I fear I'd be turned directly to ash!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Ahhh! Miss Acheron is so cool!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Did you see that?"
Furina de Fontaine: "When Miss Acheron drew her blade, even her appearance changed!"
Furina de Fontaine: "The monochrome palette, accented with that heart-stopping crimson!"
Furina de Fontaine: "And paired with those two lines before she drew the sword…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Oh no, I'm already hopelessly captivated by Miss Acheron's heroic bearing!!"
Acheron: "…"
Acheron: "Miss Furina, indulging too deeply in thoughts of me is not a good thing."
Acheron: "It will draw you closer to the direction of Nihility…"
Neuvillette: "Draw closer to Nihility?!"
Neuvillette: "Lady Furina, since it is such a dangerous matter, I suggest you remain sober!"
Neuvillette: "Otherwise, if you were to be tainted by the power of Nihility, it would be troublesome indeed!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Cough, cough… It's fine."
Furina de Fontaine: "I don't feel 'Nihility' at all right now, do I?"
Furina de Fontaine: "I just felt that Miss Acheron looked very cool when she drew her blade just now, so I got a little excited…"
Yae Miko: "Indeed, very handsome. Even I am a little moved."
Yae Miko: "Say, Ei, when will you learn to be like that?"
Raiden Ei: "Apologies, that is something I cannot learn."
Paimon: "Then Miko would be crying and making a scene at the Grand Narukami Shrine… woo woo woo, so pitiful~"
Yae Miko: "???"
Raiden Ei: "Really? I do not think she would do such a thing…"
Yae Miko: "My, Ei understands me best. Of course I wouldn't do such a thing."
Yae Miko: "Because only Ei would do something like that~"
Raiden Ei: "....."
March 7th: "Speaking of which, where is Aventurine?"
March 7th: "Was he directly slashed into nothingness?"
Stelle: "WAAAH… AVENTURINE!!!"
Stelle: "My good friend, my bestie, my brother!!"
Stelle: "YOU DIDN'T EVEN LEAVE BEHIND ANY ASH!!!"
Stelle: "You died so miserably…!"
Stelle: "Thinking that no one will inherit your fortune makes me even sadder!! (Crying.jpg)."
Silver Wolf: "So if you inherited his assets, you wouldn't be sad anymore?"
Stelle: "Ahem, you can't put it that way."
Stelle: "I'd still have to be symbolically sad for a bit!"
Aventurine: "Heh, friend, then I really have to thank you!"
Li Sushang: "Aventurine wasn't actually slashed to death, was he?"
Li Sushang: "Possessing the power of Preservation, yet he couldn't even withstand a single strike."
Guinaifen: "That slash was so strong it leaves one at a loss for words. Not being able to withstand it is the normal outcome, right?"
Boothill: "What the holy fudge… you woman, you're freakishly strong."
Boothill: "The power of Nihility is truly not to be underestimated."
Boothill: "You muddle-fudger, you're probably way harder to deal with than that Lord Ravager we Galaxy Rangers kicked the bucket for!"
Qingque: "So, is Mr. Boothill getting cold feet?"
Boothill: "Cold feet?"
Boothill: "What a joke!"
Boothill: "I knew she was an Emanator of Nihility long ago!"
Boothill: "If I were truly afraid, I wouldn't have gone looking for her in the first fudging place!"
Welt Yang: "There is no need to question the courage of the Galaxy Rangers."
Welt Yang: "Even when facing an Aeon, they possess the resolve to view death as a return home."
Xingqiu: "As expected of the Galaxy Rangers, that determination is truly awe-inspiring!"
....
『 [ ... ]
[ Where is….. this place? ]
[ A massive black hole, and a sea.... ]
[ Did I….. succeed.... ]
Aventurine wakes with a start, only to find himself in a strange, unfamiliar space.
He is somewhat bewildered, and begins to walk toward the black hole.
And fragments of memory, begin to surface around him.
[ …..Welcome to this sad world, Kakavasha. ]
[ Your luck is our—and all Avgins'—most precious wealth.... ]
[ —Two days. Come out alive, and prove your worth is genuine. ]
[ Wealth, status, power….. ]
[ The IPC will give you everything you want—and don't want. ]
[ And we… will meet again under the next aurora of Kakava. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Aventurine appeared?"
Stelle: "What's the situation? Where is he right now?"
Stelle: "And these memories…"
Stelle: "Is his life flashing before his eyes?"
March 7th: "A cinematic flashback… Aventurine clearly looks like he's about to die!"
Furina de Fontaine: "No way…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Did Aventurine actually lose the gamble?"
Furina de Fontaine: "He calculated everything, but the one thing he didn't calculate was that Miss Acheron is an Emanator of Nihility."
Furina de Fontaine: "So he's been directly swallowed by that slash of Nihility?"
Zhongli: "Hmm… A gloomy sea, and that… profound, boundless black hole."
Zhongli: "The space Mr. Aventurine is currently in must be related to Nihility."
Zhongli: "If he continues to walk forward, there really will be no possibility of survival."
Venti: "But if he doesn't walk forward… he has no way to leave this space either!"
Yanfei: "It's over, it's over. This is clearly a case of one wrong move losing the whole game!"
Lumine: "Is this how Aventurine's curtain falls?"
Lumine: "It feels somewhat… unresolved."
Raiden Ei: "Must a gambler who has never lost only fall to Nihility?"
Aventurine: "Nihility… perhaps this counts as a final resting place."
Acheron: "No, this is not your resting place."
Acheron: "You will eventually return to the waking world."
Black Swan: "Ha, so you held back after all…"
....
『 [ It is regrettable. This is not the place you anticipated. ]
[ ….. ]
Acheron's figure, appears before Aventurine.
[ Nihility….. is it? ]
Aventurine, at this moment, finally realizes Acheron's true identity.
Not Destruction, as he had previously guessed, nor Finality.
But the unbelievable… Nihility!
[ Perhaps in your eyes, I am an Emanator hiding my identity, but.... ]
[ The sleeping and shapeless never glance at anyone. THEY have no face, no form, and even less of a will to speak... The Nihility envelops everyone equally. ]
[ It is just that some walk further in His shadow, and are tainted by more nothingness… that is all. ]
Acheron explains a few sentences to Aventurine.
[ That is all... ]
[ Friend, you really leave me unsure of how to respond. ]
Aventurine is silenced by Acheron's indifferent words.
[ So….. is this my end? The land of the dead? ]
Aventurine asks back.
[ This is all but a fleeting dream, one of the thousands of manifestations of IX….. ]
[ Under the witness of Nihility, we stay here briefly, before going our separate ways. ]
Acheron answers.
[ It seems my death is already ordained. ]
Aventurine shakes his head.
[ Even if you wish for it to be so… I cannot give you that promise. ]
[ Since your goal has been achieved, I think you can be more honest. ]
Acheron says with an enigmatic tone.
[ What do you mean? ]
Aventurine is somewhat puzzled.
[ Your performance in the theme park was wonderful. Bluffing….. a simple yet practical technique that deceived almost everyone. ]
[ No one would have thought that you would go to such great lengths, even betting your own life, just to reconfirm a fact that seemed to have long been denied... ]
[ True death does not exist in Penacony's Dreamscape. ]
Acheron reveals Aventurine's true thoughts.
[ ….Do I have any reason to do that? ]
Aventurine remains noncommittal. 』
『 ....』