Today, the IPC headquarters was anything but peaceful.
Because Pier Point had once again welcomed its true master.
Looking at the IPC starships before her, Kallen felt no disturbance in her heart whatsoever.
According to the IPC's propaganda, these countless starships were supposed to possess combat power capable of rivaling an Emanator.
But to be honest, Kallen only felt those people were bragging.
Perhaps the power of technology truly was absurd, but to the current max-level Kallen, dealing with these drones was really no different from setting off firecrackers.
Snap!
With a simple snap of her fingers, Kallen rarely cosplayed the Herrscher of the Void next door.
The movement carried a casual elegance. She lifted her right hand, lightly rubbed her thumb and middle finger together, and produced a crisp snapping sound.
In an instant, all the IPC starships before her turned into dust.
Kallen withdrew her gaze and looked toward the IPC headquarters.
Pier Point.
This colossal structure standing at the center of the galaxy was currently bathed in chaotic starlight.
And in Kallen's perception, aside from the starships slowly advancing toward her, there were actually a great many other ships inside the IPC headquarters right now.
Only, those ships were not coming toward Kallen.
Quite the opposite.
Those ships were fleeing outward.
One, two, three…
No. There were far more than three.
Kallen focused and saw that the ships surging out from every port of Pier Point were as numerous as bees pouring from a disturbed hive, spreading madly in every direction in wave after wave.
Large transport ships, medium business vessels, and even the small shuttles that were usually only worthy of patrolling around headquarters were all now desperately fleeing in the direction away from Kallen.
Kallen: "..."
No, brothers.
She had already fought her way to the IPC headquarters, and these people were all evacuating?
Where was the IPC's combat strength? Where was the IPC's backbone? Where were those high-ranking IPC officials who spent all day throwing their weight around the galaxy, sanctioning this and blockading that at the drop of a hat?
How come the moment she arrived, everyone ran?
The corner of Kallen's mouth twitched slightly.
To be honest, although she had long since lost any feelings toward the IPC, she was still technically one of the company's higher-ups right now.
Seeing the IPC in such a pathetic, stray-dog state inevitably made her feel somewhat subtle.
The current IPC headquarters was known as one of the safest places in the galaxy.
According to the boasts of the IPC's engineers, Pier Point's defensive system was supposedly enough to withstand the full-powered bombardment of an Emanator.
And now?
The Emanator had arrived, and the people had run.
Before the defensive system could even play its role, its masters had already slipped away first.
Kallen suddenly felt like laughing.
But soon, she remembered something.
Just now, when her figure first appeared at the edge of Pier Point, she had sensed the aura of an Emanator for an instant.
Kallen raised her brows slightly.
She quickly locked onto the owner of that aura.
Taravan.
The IPC's Emanator of Preservation.
However, just as Kallen was about to pay closer attention to that aura, she discovered that the other party's presence was already rapidly moving away from Pier Point.
In other words—
Taravan had also run.
All right.
For a moment, Kallen could not quite decide whether she should find it speechless or reasonable.
But on second thought, the other party choosing to flee was indeed a fairly normal thing.
After all, Kallen's name was no joke now.
The Witch of Nihility.
Behind that title was not merely the combat power of an Emanator, but a threat that made the entire galaxy tremble in fear.
The Nihility Plague.
That was one of the methods Kallen had displayed during her slaughter of the Xianzhou Alliance.
The plague derived from the power of Nihility, once spread, was enough to erode an entire star region into nothingness.
And the reason those IPC higher-ups ran so quickly was probably at least half because they feared that.
After all, if one of them was careless and got infected, never mind one IPC—the whole galaxy might end up doomed together.
So from a rational standpoint, evacuation was indeed the correct decision.
At least it was better than standing there and waiting to die.
As for Taravan…
Kallen's gaze flickered slightly, and some intelligence regarding this person surfaced in her mind.
Taravan.
An Emanator of Preservation.
But unlike other walkers of Preservation, this Emanator perhaps did not believe in Preservation.
This was an extremely rare thing in the entire galaxy.
Because generally speaking, those who walked a Path mostly held some degree of faith in or recognition toward the Aeon corresponding to their Path.
Even if they were not fanatical worshipers, they would at least acknowledge the Path's philosophy to some extent.
But Taravan happened to be an exception.
This kind of twisted existence was unique in the entire galaxy.
Kallen had been somewhat curious about that before.
However, now that this Emanator of Preservation who did not believe in Preservation had also chosen to run, Kallen found herself somewhat unable to understand what the man was thinking.
Was he simply cherishing his life?
Or did he believe his own strength was insufficient to confront Kallen head-on?
Was he planning to leave this matter to the Amber Lord?
Mm… if it was the last possibility, that was not impossible.
After all, ever since she came here, she had never hidden her purpose.
That was right. She had come for the Amber Lord!
The corners of Kallen's lips curved slightly.
"Fine."
Since nobody from the IPC was willing to come out and duel her, she was too lazy to chase down those fleeing small fry.
However—
Just as Kallen was about to continue forward, another wave of starships flanked her from the side.
This time, the number of starships was even greater than before. They were densely arranged in the void, almost completely sealing off Kallen's path forward.
It seemed that although most of the IPC's higher-ups had run, the people left behind had still received some kind of order to delay her.
Kallen glanced across the starships.
Their metal hulls gleamed coldly under the starlight, and all their cannons had already been aimed in her direction.
Energy began gathering inside those gun barrels, producing a piercing, high-frequency hum.
If it were anyone else facing this formation, perhaps they truly would have felt some apprehension.
But Kallen merely glanced at them.
Then she raised her right hand.
Gray-black power of Nihility surged from her palm, spreading outward like countless invisible tendrils.
Hiss—
Accompanied by a series of fine sounds like shattering glass, those starships silently dissolved in the void.
Just like that, as though they had never existed, they vanished completely from this star region.
And Kallen did not even turn her head back.
Her gaze had already passed through the freshly cleared void and landed on the deepest part of Pier Point.
There was a subspace there.
A hidden space personally opened by Qlipoth to carry out his construction work.
The inside of the subspace was completely different from the Pier Point outside.
Here, there was only an endless expanse of amber-colored, lousy flooring.
Mm… this was more or less the same as when she came last time.
Thinking this, Kallen slowly advanced toward the center of the subspace.
Then, at the center of that subspace, she discovered an enormous figure.
Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation.
At this moment, he stood there quietly, dyeing the entire subspace in a deep, warm color.
Seeing this, Kallen stopped.
She stood roughly a hundred meters away from Qlipoth and raised her head to gaze up at this Aeon.
To be honest, although this was not Kallen's first time seeing Qlipoth, every time she stood before him, an indescribable emotion would well up inside her heart.
It was a very complicated feeling.
After all, according to this persona's setting, she had been born from Qlipoth's shell.
In a certain sense, Qlipoth could be considered her father, even her creator.
Kallen looked at Qlipoth's face, countless feelings surging through her heart.
But she quickly suppressed those emotions.
Because she noticed something.
Qlipoth was not working.
That was very abnormal.
Under normal circumstances, Qlipoth's only activity inside this subspace was construction work.
Day after day, year after year, endlessly building up the wall of Preservation for the entire galaxy.
Who knew whether this was the Amber Lord's obsession, or his instinct as the Aeon of Preservation?
But now, Qlipoth held no tools in his hands.
He simply stood there.
Facing the direction from which Kallen had arrived.
Kallen's pupils contracted slightly.
Could he have been waiting for her?
When this thought flashed through her mind, Kallen felt a trace of genuine shock.
Qlipoth knew she would come?
Damn, there was spying here too?
Kallen's fingers tightened slightly, then loosened again.
Forget it. Thinking about this was meaningless. She had not come here to reminisce in the first place.
Kallen took a few more steps forward.
Then, Qlipoth spoke.
It is still not too late. Stop now.
A naked warning, accompanied by a faint trace of killing intent.
Hearing this, Kallen said nothing.
She simply stood there and looked up at Qlipoth.
It seemed Qlipoth did indeed know what she intended to do. He knew that she planned to use the wall of Preservation, which was entwined with the causality of the entire galaxy, to spread Nihility.
Silence spread between them for several seconds.
Then, Kallen gave a soft laugh.
As a villain, now that things had already reached this point, leaving would truly be far too embarrassing.
Kallen spoke calmly.
"If I truly intended to turn back, I would not be standing here."
Qlipoth did not immediately respond.
He merely lowered those massive eyes and quietly gazed at the tiny figure beneath him.
After a long while, amber light surged faintly across his body.
That was an aura belonging to an Aeon.
Heavy, vast, oppressive.
The entire subspace began to tremble slightly under that aura.
If you truly wish to plunge this galaxy into the end of Nihility…
Then this time, I will no longer hold back.
The instant his words fell, the temperature of the subspace suddenly dropped.
Cracks began appearing across the amber-colored ground, spreading outward from beneath Qlipoth's feet, as though the space itself was trembling because of his will.
This was Qlipoth's stance.
And naturally, Kallen also felt that pressure.
Her hem fluttered slightly under that invisible force, and her hair was blown backward.
But her expression did not change at all.
Regarding what happened last time, Qlipoth had indeed held back.
If he had truly wanted to kill Kallen, then with the power of an Aeon, even if Kallen simultaneously walked the two Paths of Preservation and Nihility, she could not possibly have walked out alive.
Kallen knew this very well.
That was why, from the very beginning, she had never planned to face Qlipoth alone.
"I didn't come alone this time."
Qlipoth's gaze moved slightly the instant he heard those words.
"Since you're already here, why keep hiding?"
"Come out, Aha."
The subspace went quiet for an instant.
One instant later—
A burst of unrestrained laughter exploded from the void.
That laughter came without warning, like an audience member who had been hiding in the shadows watching the show for ages and finally could not hold back anymore.
Immediately afterward, a crack appeared in the air.
The crack was not large, but the aura surging out from within made the entire subspace tremble.
It was the aura of an Aeon.
Unlike Qlipoth's steady heaviness, this aura was frivolous and restless, carrying an indescribable sense of mockery.
Aha, the Aeon of Elation.
His form was not particularly fixed. Sometimes male, sometimes female, sometimes some indescribable thing.
But at this moment, he had chosen a relatively normal humanoid form.
A person with a smile on his face and mischief written all over his eyes.
After walking out from the crack, Aha first glanced at Kallen, then at Qlipoth, and the smile on his face became even brighter.
"No, seriously, how did you discover me?" Aha looked at Kallen, his tone carrying genuine curiosity.
"My disguise was perfect. Other than other Aeons, no one in the entire galaxy should have been able to sense my existence."
Kallen merely glanced at Aha.
"Because I know your personality."
"Mm?"
Kallen continued, "As the Aeon who walks the Path of Elation, how could you possibly miss a good show like today's?"
"..."
Aha froze for a moment.
Then he burst into laughter again.
"Hahahahahaha!"
This time, he laughed even more wildly than before.
"Good, good, good! You got me!"
"That's right! I really did come to watch the show! A spectacle of this level might not appear even once in tens of thousands of years across the entire galaxy. How could I possibly miss it?"
The laughter echoed inside the subspace for quite a while before gradually subsiding.
Then, Aha restrained his smile, and the way he looked at Kallen became a little more serious.
"But that said, little Kallen. You should also understand that the one standing in front of you is Qlipoth. The reason he didn't kill you last time was because of guilt."
"After all, in a certain sense, you can be considered his daughter. What father would personally kill his own daughter?"
At this point, Aha's tone suddenly shifted.
"But this time is different."
"If you truly make a move, Qlipoth really will make up his mind."
"When that time comes, it won't be anything like last time."
Aha's gaze swept back and forth between Kallen and Qlipoth.
"Are you sure you can withstand that?"
Kallen did not hesitate.
"Isn't that where you come in?"
Aha's movements stopped.
He blinked, and the smile on his face vanished for an instant.
"Come in?"
Aha repeated the phrase, his tone becoming subtle.
"What makes you think I'll help you?"
"I like watching excitement, but I don't like seeing the galaxy fall into Nihility."
"I am the Aeon of Elation. If the galaxy disappears, who am I supposed to play with?"
Aha's tone sounded like he was joking, but his eyes were not smiling.
Those were serious eyes.
Kallen looked at those eyes and fell silent for an instant.
Then, she spoke.
"Because I came here for the sake of your dear friend, for the sake of Akivili's daughter."
In that instant, the air inside the subspace froze.
Aha's expression stiffened.
On that face, which always carried a smile, all traces of laughter vanished completely.
Kallen continued speaking.
"Akivili is gone, but they left behind their only descendant."
"And that descendant chose death for the sake of Trailblaze."
Kallen paused.
"I do not know everything about your relationship with Akivili, but I know one thing."
"You will help me for the sake of their orphaned daughter, won't you?"
"..."
Aha did not speak.
The subspace fell into dead silence.
Even Qlipoth was silent.
That silence lasted for a very long time, so long that Kallen began to wonder whether Aha planned to simply leave.
But in the end, Aha moved.
He took a deep breath.
Then, slowly, extremely slowly, he nodded once.
"Fine."
Only one word.
But the weight of that word was heavier than a thousand sentences.
Afterward, Aha turned around and looked at Qlipoth.
"Old concrete worker."
Aha called the Amber Lord by his nickname.
"I've decided to help your daughter."
Qlipoth did not respond.
Aha did not rush him either. He simply continued, "You know too, don't you? How that child Bianca died."
"To prevent Trailblaze from heading toward Finality, one little girl threw her life away."
"And everything your daughter is doing now is merely to bring that child back."
Aha's tone became casual.
"So, Qlipoth, why don't you feel guilty one more time?"
"Just pretend you didn't see anything. Isn't that fine?"
Hearing this, Kallen stood there, looking at Aha somewhat speechlessly.
Was this guy here to be funny?
She was about to spread Nihility across the whole galaxy. As the Aeon of Preservation, no matter how guilty Qlipoth felt toward her, there was no way he would agree now.
However, unexpectedly, Qlipoth's body trembled faintly amid the amber light.
His enormous eyes slowly closed.
Then, they slowly opened again.
…Go.
Two words.
When they came from Qlipoth's mouth, the entire subspace went silent.
Kallen's pupils abruptly widened.
He… agreed?
He really agreed?
She had already prepared for the worst-case scenario. She had not even left herself a path of retreat.
But Qlipoth…
Kallen looked at those massive eyes that had closed once more and suddenly found herself unable to speak.
Fine. This old concrete worker really was a man of feeling too.
But now was not the time to sigh over it.
"Thank you."
Kallen only said those two words.
Then she turned around.
After witnessing all of this from the side, Aha's expression became especially colorful.
"I didn't expect you to actually agree, Qlipoth."
"Looks like deep down, you really do have something in that fatherly heart of yours."
Qlipoth did not respond.
He merely closed his eyes again, as though preparing to return to that endless daily routine of construction.
Aha shook his head and said nothing more.
He turned around, strode up to Kallen, bent down, and leaned a little closer.
"So, my dear Miss Kallen."
Aha's eyes lit up, and the light belonging to Elation burned to its extreme at this moment.
"What do you plan to do next?"
Kallen looked at Aha and was silent for an instant.
Then, the corners of her lips slowly curled upward.
"I'm going to play a game with the entire galaxy."
"Play a game?"
The rarely serious Aha seemed to not have expected such an answer.
Looking at the stubborn girl in front of him, although he knew she probably would not answer his question, Aha decided to ask anyway.
"Little Kallen, I'm very curious. If you truly want to revive Aki's daughter, why not seek out the Hunt or Finality?"
"Compared to the abstract operation you are attempting now, wouldn't seeking help from those two Paths be more useful?"
After saying this, without waiting for Kallen to answer, Aha immediately asked his next question.
"And also, little Kallen, even if your current strength is indeed very great, so great that beneath the Aeons you are unmatched…"
"What you are trying to do now is something even an Aeon has no confidence in accomplishing. Why do you think you can succeed?"
After listening to Aha's two questions, Kallen did not show any impatience.
As for Aha's first question, the answer was actually very simple.
She did not need to go find the Hunt or Finality at all. Leaving aside whether seeking out these so-called causality-related Paths would be useful or not, even if it were useful, quietly withdrawing like that would not suit a villain's ending at all.
Of course, Kallen could not possibly tell Aha that.
However, regarding Aha's second question, Kallen felt she could make an exception and answer him.
After all, no matter what, the other party had helped her.
Kallen turned her head.
"Because…"
"Love! Is! Infinite!"
Join here to read ahead.
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TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
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Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
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Transmigrated as Sukuna 105
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The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
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Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 75
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 86
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 70
Honkai: The Fire Devil 70
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/30
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 60
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 74
At age 8, she co-starred with 45
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An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 30
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