"Although I don't understand how this happened… it's really incredible."
Yunli gazed up at the shattered sky of the Xianzhou. In that instant when the Aeon dispersed the black beast tide, she, as a Cloud Cavalry trooper of the Alliance, naturally recognized Firefly, the former Emanator of Destruction.
"That elder sister… she's become an Aeon, and the Aeon of Destruction at that. I don't know how, but it's truly amazing."
Yanqing lay collapsed atop the ruins of a half-destroyed building, gasping heavily, too weak to even lift his sword.
"The beasts… they've been dispersed. Hah… but…"
But it was already too late. Even when he had still had strength left earlier, the black beast tide had already halted its assault and begun to retreat.
After the dome of the Xianzhou shattered, countless beasts had swarmed into its inner realms. In only a short span, more than eighty percent of its population had been devoured.
Aside from the Cloud Knights and the high-ranking Six Charioteers, the vast majority of Xianzhou citizens were merely long-lived mortals. Even the weakest abyssal beasts were far beyond their ability to resist.
Though there were many Pathstriders among the populace, each one faced an endless wave of beasts stronger than themselves.
The internal chaos only accelerated the slaughter. Even someone like the General—a Hunt Emanator—was powerless to stem the tide.
"Jingliu, look! That's an Aeon! So enormous, so powerful!"
Bailu, clutching Jingliu's hand, tugged at her in awe.
"Oh… right. I forgot, Sister Jingliu, you cannot see."
Jingliu turned her gaze toward the colossal Aeon whose radiant body blazed across the cosmos like a star.
"So this is the birth of an Aeon… I never imagined I would live to witness such a sight."
"Well… then again, it makes sense. In a calamity of this scale, the birth of an Aeon is not strange."
The last Swarm Disaster, which devastated two-thirds of the universe—had given rise to several Aeons. Compared to that, this black beast tide was no less deserving.
...
Aboard the Astral Express—
Stelle pressed her face against the observation glass, her mouth gaping in shock at the scene before her.
Because Firefly's location was so close, nearly within reach, the Express felt as though it were sitting right beside the Aeon.
The overwhelming force of her Holy Body filled the universe. Even the Astral Express—crafted by Akivili themselves, so durable that even Aha would struggle to split it apart—was now immobilized, as though locked into space.
"Firefly! That's Firefly, it must be her! She actually became an Aeon! This is unbelievable!"
Ever since boarding the Astral Express, Stelle had traveled through Jarilo-VI and several other planets before reaching the Xianzhou. As the carrier of a Stellaron, she naturally attracted the gaze of Aeons, and had already felt their glances—gaining the Paths of both Destruction and Preservation.
From the grand scale of the cosmos, the Express looked like nothing more than a speck of dust before Firefly's Holy Body. Though they were still distant, her divine form filled every inch of the Nameless' vision.
Even Welt Yang's expression was one of disbelief. Normally calm and composed, his mind now felt blank.
"That… truly is Miss Firefly, without doubt. Destruction—the Aeon of Destruction…"
"The last time we met was less than two system hours ago. What kind of change could she have experienced to ascend into an Aeon so suddenly?"
Before coming to this universe, Welt had studied the records of Aeon births carefully.
The origins of Aeons were always veiled in mystery. Still, there were certain consistent rumors.
The conclusion was that every Aeon's birth required a spiritual transcendence beyond imagination—an elevation surpassing all intelligent life in the universe.
Each Aeon's birth was utterly unique, without precedent or parallel.
"Destruction… the Aeon of Destruction. Could Miss Firefly's ascension truly be the same as Nanook's?"
"Two Aeons? Two identical Aeons of Destruction?"
-It was said that Nanook's birth came from a galactic war of utter annihilation. That war engulfed Nanook's homeworld, leaving him displaced and tormented by endless suffering.
Within the unending agony of war, Nanook realized the truth of the universe amidst despair.
In pain, hatred, and rage, he saw the errors of civilization, the errors of the cosmos, the errors of life itself.
If civilization was a cancer silently spreading among the stars, and conflict was the only language between intelligent beings, then to correct such an error, to erase the stain upon the universe, he would become the embodiment of entropy—the destruction of civilization, the destruction of the cosmos itself.
It was through such extreme fury, hatred, and suffering that Nanook became an Aeon.
March 7th, like Stelle, pressed against the observation car's glass, eyes wide and mouth agape.
Dan Heng remained silent, yet his widened eyes revealed his shock.
Only Himeko, after the initial wave of astonishment, placed her hand over her chest. At her touch, a pure white glow flickered faintly.
Her own Path of Trailblaze was trembling. The newly ascended Aeon Firefly's Path shared an unknown connection with her own—similar, as if born from the same source.
At this moment, every being who became an Aeon within the Star Rail Universe bore the imprint of Teyvat.
All Laws flowing down from the Imaginary Tree were being drawn into Teyvat. To the Imaginary Tree, the Star Rail Universe now resembled a massive black hole, endlessly devouring the Laws flowing from it.
The Imaginary Tree had no complete consciousness, only the instinct of its mechanisms. Thus it indiscriminately rained down every Law into the universe, resonating with philosophies to construct Paths.
A Path was not formed from a single Law, but from many. The one Law that dominated became the core.
For example, Preservation contained within it the Principle of Existence—this was why Qlipoth could forge a pseudo-cosmic wall. Similarly, Harmony contained the cluster of Order, and so on.
Noah exploited this flaw in the Imaginary Tree's mechanism, endlessly devouring Laws.
As long as the devouring did not exceed the capacity of a super single-universe scale, the Great Will of the Tree and Sea would not notice anything amiss. And even if it did—what then?
...
Firefly's Holy Body slowly opened its eyes. Her voice spread throughout the cosmos, redefining a new Path of Destruction.
[Destruction exists for the sake of a more beautiful rebirth]
Instantly, her new Path of Destruction clashed with the old, forcing Nanook to appear before Firefly—the newly born Aeon of Destruction.
[Destruction exists to reduce all things to nothing]
Rumble—
The two identical Paths clashed violently, radiating throughout the universe, like two stones cast into a lake—whose ripples would spread farther?
This was a direct collision of philosophies. Neither was strictly right or wrong. The question was: which philosophy better served the universe's future? That one would prevail, devouring the other Path.
Watching this scene from Teyvat, Noah's lips curved upward. Finally, it has come. Though Firefly had not endured much struggle to ascend as an Aeon, for him, that was perfectly fine.
In the multiverse, each single universe was unique. Yet as long as a universe possessed instinct, it had underlying logic for continuation. Without doubt, Firefly's vision of Destruction was far more aligned with the cosmos than Nanook's.
The outcome had been decided from the start.
The Aeons of the Star Rail Universe were indeed powerful, not bound by their cosmos, even able to traverse between neighboring universes. But they were still bound to the Imaginary Tree—the source of all Laws and Truths. Within the Imaginary Tree's logic, a universe could not possess two identical cosmic cornerstones. That would disrupt universal balance.
"Hehe… not enough, not enough. More, I need more."
Behind Noah appeared a withering halo of prismatic light. From the void, endless multicolored streams of brilliance converged into the halo.
This halo was none other than the Laws descending from the Imaginary Tree into the Star Rail Universe. Those streams of light were the filaments of Law.
The Law of Space, the Law of Time, the Law of Continuance, the Law of Existence, the Law of End, the Law of Life, the Law of Death, the Law of Soul, the Law of Quantum, the Law of Imaginary…
All manner of Laws endlessly poured in.
"What a pity. These Laws cannot be taken in complete form like those native to the Star Rail Universe, since this cosmos lacks the corresponding philosophies."
Noah sighed with mild regret, though not too much. Even incomplete, these Laws were still of single-universe strength. Once he obtained the seeds, he could cultivate them into completion himself.
He also now understood the quality of Laws within the Imaginary Tree. All were only at high single-universe level—none reached super single-universe. That was natural: only the Tree and Sea as true multiversal held such power.
But the difference between high single-universe and super single-universe was immeasurable. A high single-universe strike could destroy multiple great universes; a super single-universe strike could obliterate countless great universes.
"I've already gathered one hundred twenty-eight types of Law, but it's still not enough."
"Tsk tsk… even just this much is enough to push Teyvat to super single-universe. Such a massive harvest, all at once."
With over a hundred Laws, more than five Truths, and multiple great universes (Cosmologies) stacked upon the main one, this cosmos would practically embody super single-universe scale.
But aside from himself, the strong within the universe had yet to grow to their destined positions.
What intrigued Noah most was discovering another mechanism of the Imaginary Tree.
Once the Imaginary Tree detected abnormalities in a universe, it directly pruned it away—like clipping a leaf.
Thus, no matter how frantically he devoured Laws, the Great Will of the Tree and Sea would not notice. And the Star Rail Universe itself had already been pruned, tumbling toward the Sea of Quanta.
When the time came, he could simply fish it out.
It was the ultimate bargain—one move, countless gains.
Boom—
The instant the new Aeon of Destruction clashed with the old, Noah's attention was drawn back.
...
Two identical Paths collided head-on. One had to fall.
[Destruction exists to reduce all things to nothing]
Nanook struck at Firefly, this time without the Principle of Destruction, relying solely on the Path's raw power.
The Path of Destruction burned madly. One-third of the cosmos turned a dangerous crimson, as billions of galaxies collapsed under its force.
The orbits of countless galaxies fell into chaos. The massive gravitational frameworks—the Great Attractor, forged by Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation, to stabilize the galactic order—shattered instantly.
One-third of the universe's stability had been temporarily shattered.
Though the cosmic structure was damaged, for galaxies to actually collide with one another would still take billions of years.
Moreover, the universe itself would automatically readjust its operation.
And without the support of Law, even an Aeon could not truly destroy the universe by relying on Path alone.
[Destruction exists for the sake of a more beautiful rebirth]
Facing Nanook's direct assault through his Path's philosophy, Firefly ignited her own newly born, unique Path of Destruction.
"Nanook! To annihilate civilization, life, and the cosmos itself is absolutely not the truth. Beyond destruction lies rebirth, the renewal that follows sin burned to ash! Destruction must grant the universe new life."
Firefly's Path of Destruction spread directly over Nanook's Path.
The clash of philosophies was perilous in the extreme—an attack that struck at the very root.
It was just like when Xipe and Ena once clashed. Under the collision of philosophies, Ena fell instantly, without even engaging in combat, his Path utterly devoured.
As the two Paths overlapped and tore at one another's ideals, half the universe was stained with the crimson of Destruction.
"Civilization is the cancer of the cosmos. Life is the source of conflict. The very existence of the universe is error. To erase all is the truth."
Nanook's will poured toward Firefly in unrestrained frenzy.
Crack—
The cosmic starry sky across tens of millions of light-years shattered beneath the collision of the Aeons' wills, like glass splintering apart. Galaxies were trapped within countless fragments of large-scale cosmic space.
Crack—
Another rupture appeared—this time from the cornerstone itself.
Under the all-out clash of philosophies, the old Path of Destruction fractured. Shards of philosophy splintered off from it.
Nanook's Holy Body, already broken twice before, split apart once more—from shoulder to waist, one arm shattering into countless fragments, golden blood spilling across millions of galaxies.
Yet Nanook did not waver, even as his Path crumbled.
To him, all things deserved to be destroyed—including himself. Only after obliterating all creation would he extinguish himself.
[Civilization must be destroyed. Life must be destroyed. All existence of the universe must be destroyed.]
Under Nanook's will, the fracturing of his Path accelerated further.
—
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