Chapter 84: Aha Has Style, But Where Exactly Is It?
After painstakingly crafting eighteen distinct Aeon figurines out of clay and whatever spare materials he could scavenge around the Express—and using crude paper tablets for those whose true appearances remained a mystery to the wider universe—Rekka stepped back to admire his handiwork. Thus began his grand, utterly absurd plan.
"Hey, I'll pay my respects to Xipe first," Rekka muttered to himself.
Balancing his phone in one hand, he scrolled through a sketchy online tutorial on proper Harmony worship decorum. He mirrored the overly complex hand gestures, bowed with exaggerated reverence, and firmly planted a small, smoking incense burner right in front of the miniature deities.
"Next is Yaoshi."
In any case, Rekka was not the least bit worried about being permanently bound to whoever he worshipped. His unique condition gave him ample opportunity to research how to study the Aeons through the most charlatan methods imaginable. If things went wrong, he would just study them properly another day when he switched to the Path of Erudition.
Rekka inserted three sticks of incense into the burner, carefully arranging the lopsided figurines as if they were sacred divine statues in a grand temple.
"Xipe, Aeon of Harmony, please bless me with a happy mood today," Rekka chanted, pressing his palms together. "Bless Uncle Yang so he doesn't hit me with his cane. Bless Sister Himeko so she doesn't treat me to food with weird glowing stuff in it. Bless Stelle so she doesn't mess with my things. And while you are at it, bless me so I don't get too much of a rejection reaction when I log into your accounts..."
"What are you doing here?"
Rekka turned around. March 7th and Stelle stood framed in the doorway, both staring at him with matching expressions of deep bewilderment.
"Worshipping gods," Rekka answered as if this were the most natural morning routine in the universe. He pointed proudly at the row of wet figurines lining his desk.
"...You made the Aeons into figurines?" March asked, her voice dripping with disbelief.
"Correct."
"Aren't you afraid of actually summoning an Aeon here?"
"What's there to fear?" Rekka shrugged, entirely unbothered. "Didn't I just log into an Aeon's alt account a couple of days ago?"
"...You, well, that's true."
Stelle stepped forward, her golden eyes locked onto the shiny, colorful toys. She reached out a hand, her raccoon-like instincts taking over.
"Don't touch them recklessly," Rekka warned, quickly blocking her hand. "I just finished setting them up, and the paint isn't even dry yet."
"Stingy," Stelle grumbled, pulling her hand back, though her gaze remained fixed on the makeshift altar. "So, what is the point of worshipping them?"
"I don't know." Rekka straightened the incense burner, adjusting a slightly crooked Yaoshi. "But trying doesn't cost anything."
March 7th leaned against the doorframe, watching the entire scene play out with a deeply complicated expression.
"What do you take the Aeons for? Turtles in a wishing well?"
"Turtles aren't nearly as effective as Aeons," Rekka corrected smoothly.
"...Hiss, speaking of which, are you on the Path of Elation today?" March asked, eyeing him up and down.
"How did you know?"
"The other me told me," March replied casually. "She said you are especially weak today, much weaker than yesterday, just like when you turned into Elation the other day."
"That is a bit too..."
Rekka's jaw tightened. He felt like he was being personally attacked.
But she was not wrong. Preservation Rekka could construct literal cosmic walls with a massive divine body the size of a galaxy. Destruction Rekka could casually log into Nanook's personal account at any given moment. Permanence Rekka transformed into a colossal dragon that snacked on entire planets. Equilibrium Rekka bypassed the middleman and directly merged with the Dao. Propagation Rekka could single-handedly trigger a Swarm Disaster capable of sweeping across the stars. And Erudition Rekka... ahem, that version was busy saving the universe every single second.
So, what actual effect did our Elation Rekka have?
Naturally, he just changed his outward appearance, and that was it.
Do not worry about whether Elation's ability is actually funny or just a massive joke; the only point that matters is, did you laugh? Currently, it seemed that under the Paths of Trailblaze and Elation, Rekka's physical state did not change much at all.
"The other you told you that?" Rekka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," March 7th nodded, her eyes drifting back to the row of Aeon figurines. "She said your combat power today is exactly the same as the last time you became Elation. Any random street monster could chase you across three blocks. No progress at all."
"Alright, looks like I need to dispel some rumors... wait, it is not a rumor, she is actually right."
His Elation form had made zero progress. He could only change his appearance. If he tried to become too large, his own mortal body could not support the sheer mass, and he would just collapse to the ground, completely unable to move.
"I am going to worship every single Aeon. The dead ones and the living ones."
Rekka announced his shocking new plan with absolute conviction.
"...And?" Stelle prompted.
"It is free anyway, might as well believe a little... right?" Rekka said, scratching his cheek defensively.
"You really are..." March sighed, shaking her head. "Though if Aeons from all eighteen Paths were staring at you at the same time..."
"Then I would have to say goodbye to everyone."
What a terrifying 'blessing' that would be.
Suddenly, a violent shudder ran down Rekka's spine. Acting on pure instinct, he instantly grabbed one of the statues on the table and held it high above his head. A powerful, blinding pillar of light erupted from the ceiling, crashing down and making the Nanook figurine in his hand glow with a brilliant, chaotic intensity.
[Elation].
Not Destruction?
Rekka stood completely stunned. It was indeed the heavy, mocking gaze of Elation that had fallen upon him, and the Aeon had actually granted a blessing.
A Nanook statue, the absolute symbol of galactic ruin, was now overflowing with the prankster aura of Elation.
Rekka's expression twisted into something resembling a man who had just stepped in something incredibly gross.
"Dammit..."
"What?" March asked, startled by the sudden light show.
"I already avoided Aha, why is He the only one being so unconventional?" Rekka looked up at the ceiling gloomily, as if he could glare a hole straight into the cosmos.
He had not even worshipped Aha just now!
March 7th and Stelle exchanged a long, meaningful glance.
"So, you have been targeted by Aha?" March asked slowly.
"His blessing fell into my hands." Rekka held up the glowing Nanook figurine, his expression tense, holding it as if it were a live time bomb. Knowing Aha, the Aeon might very well have turned it into one. "And it fell into Nanook's statue of all things."
Stelle leaned in, her curiosity peaking as she stared at the glowing little figure.
"So, is this now... an Elation statue, or a Destruction statue?"
"I don't know."
Rekka looked at the figurine in his hand with an incredibly subtle, pained expression.
"Why don't you try making a wish?" March 7th suggested, a sudden bright idea forming. "After all, you worshipped a whole bunch of them and only Aha responded. Maybe He is waiting for you to make a wish right now."
"What wish? Ask Aha to take the blessing out of the Nanook statue?"
"That could work too."
Rekka stared at the little glowing figure for a few heavy seconds. Finally, he let out a long, exhausted sigh and placed it back on the desk with the other statues.
"Forget it, let it be. Aha's actions never make sense anyway. Maybe in a couple of days He will get bored and take the blessing back."
"Or maybe in a couple of days you will find this little guy can talk," Stelle added from the side, her tone completely deadpan. "The kind that suddenly starts chatting with you in the middle of the night."
"...Can you say something nice for once?"
But clearly, Aha did not want Rekka to lose interest so quickly.
"If this is your excuse for breaking up~~~~"
A loud, synthesized beat suddenly blasted from the desk. Three statues on the table began flawlessly cosplaying the 'Lord of Shadow Flow' internet meme. With Nanook taking the center stage, and Yaoshi and Lan flanking Him on either side, the three miniature Aeons twisted their stiff, clay joints. They began to sway their hips, dancing in perfect, hypnotic, and utterly cursed unison across Rekka's desk.
Rekka crossed his arms. He watched the three little figures throw a synchronized rave on his desk with an entirely deadpan expression.
He could keep watching this without his expression changing even a fraction of an inch.
"Quite the taste in music, huh?" Stelle noted, watching the Aeon of Destruction pop a hip.
"It has style," March offered weakly.
"Where exactly is the style?" Rekka asked, his voice hollow.
"If I let you start over—would you love me—"
I can't feel the love!
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