Chapter 211: Aha: I Thought It Was a Speed Bump
"You're the one who resurrected me, right?"
Akivili looked at Kenji, an interesting existence that flickered like the stars.
"The resurrection was just an accident. I was just trying to restore an Astral Express," Kenji said truthfully.
"I was an accident?"
Akivili seemed to have taken a blow from Kenji's words. He squatted in space, drawing circles.
"Hahaha! Aki has no face! He was an accident!" Aha laughed without reservation.
"Aeons are really..." Ruan Mei was speechless. She didn't know what to say. They were truly the two most human-like Aeons. The other Aeons were indifferent to mortals, but these two could play together with weak, frail humans.
The Aeon of Trailblaze was extremely protective of his own. Before he disappeared from the universe, no one dared to mess with the Nameless of the Astral Express. It was like opening a blind box; you never knew which Astral Express would have Akivili pop out of it. You thought it was a train carrying ordinary Nameless, but it turned out to be the one Akivili was riding.
At that time, it would be a case of: Surprise! Did you expect me?
Just kidding. He had anchors. He could teleport over even if he wasn't there.
The only Pathstriders who could get so close to an Aeon were Akivili and his Nameless. The Aeon of the Hunt was quite generous, opening up the Path of the Hunt to the Xianzhou and even answering their calls for aid by "gifting a big rocket," but its attacks were indiscriminate and the area of effect was too wide.
But Akivili was different. He rode in the same train as his Nameless, trailblazing together. When there was trouble, he really showed up.
Traveling with a god... besides the Nameless of the Path of Trailblaze, could any other faction do that?
"Aki, in these Amber Eras that you've been gone, Aha was so bored. The universe without you is so dull."
The other Aeons were all so boring. Nihility was one thing, but that petty little boy of the Hunt had no sense of humor at all, just sitting in his wheelchair all day shooting at things. He had tried to tease him once, and he had shot him in the butt. He had remembered that grudge.
"Hmm?"
Akivili ignored Aha's antics. He looked up and saw a streak of light piercing through the universe.
"This aura... has a new little Aeon been born these past few years?"
He was unfamiliar with the aura of the Hunt. Before he had disappeared, Lan had not yet ascended to godhood.
"It's the aura of that petty little boy, Lan," Aha said with disgust. The only fun Lan could bring him was the CP combo with Yaoshi.
Is that the shot fired by Boothill? Kenji realized. A shooting star of the Hunt... the group battle at Penacony was about to start.
Leo (Gen Ohtori): Did you say group battle?
"From the point of launch... I can feel the aura of the Trailblaze!" Akivili's gaze pierced the universe, looking in the direction of Penacony.
"This is a Trailblaze affair! How can we let the Hunt steal the show?!" Akivili clenched his fists, a wild arc forming on his lips.
"Go! Go! Go!"
With a shout, Akivili jumped directly into the Astral Express.
"Aki, wait! I'm not on board yet!"
Aha, giggling, followed closely behind, carrying his suitcase.
"Let's go. An Aeon is driving. Ruan Mei, this must be a first for you, right?" Kenji shrugged.
Ruan Mei was noncommittal. It wasn't just her; it was a first for everyone else too.
The headlights of the train turned on, and the power of the Trailblaze formed an indestructible ramming horn at the front. The Astral Express started up. It didn't even bother to warp, just began to soar through the sea of stars.
The Astral Express, powered by the Aeon of Trailblaze, moved at a speed that surpassed all other vessels in the universe.
"Akivili, are you sure it's okay to let Aha drive?" Kenji asked, his eyebrow twitching as he looked at the driver's cabin. Are you sure we're not going to get into an accident?
"Don't worry. I've reinforced the train with the power of the Trailblaze. It won't be damaged that easily," Akivili said with a shrug.
BOOM!
The words had barely left his mouth when the train shook very slightly, and at the same time, a huge explosion was heard. It seemed they had hit something.
Akivili: "..."
This guy Aha... I had just finished speaking, and he immediately made me eat my words.
"The emblems on these ships... they're from the Xianzhou and the Market Development Department," Ruan Mei said, looking out the window, the corner of her mouth twitching.
"If it's Aha, then that's not a problem," Kenji said, looking sympathetically at the wreckage outside. Others have a stroke of good luck; these ships had a stroke of the Astral Express. What a disaster.
So, will the Astral Express be getting revenge from the Xianzhou?
"Aha! Aren't you looking at the road?!" Akivili shouted.
The train's intercom crackled to life:
"Heeheehee! Aha thought it was a speed bump!"
"They were in my blind spot!"
"Tell it to the Trailblaze!"
"We are all just trying to live our lives to the fullest!"
Aha felt no guilt at all. On the contrary, he was incredibly excited. He slammed his foot on the accelerator. Driving the Astral Express with Akivili in it was so much more fun. If they weren't in a hurry to get to Penacony, Aha would have wanted to go and ram the blockhead's wall. These ships were so flimsy. The Astral Express, with its Akivili-brand ramming horn, could even crash through the Subspace Crystalline Wall and the Star-Guarding Wall of Tianhui. He "really" hadn't seen them. It was definitely not for revenge.
The Astral Express left. The survivors from the Xianzhou and the Corporation looked at each other. What was that? The Astral Express is supposed to be at Penacony. Why did it attack us in this system? The loss of ships and personnel was not something even the Xianzhou and the Corporation could ignore.
Xianzhou/Corporation: Report to the Xianzhou/Oswald.
"A disgraced Nameless?"
Because Ruan Mei had mentioned the Market Development Department, Akivili was a little curious. He then heard about what Oswald had done, and his brow couldn't help but furrow. The principle of the Nameless was to help civilizations develop without seeking reward, but Oswald had plundered resources and forced market development. That was one thing, but he had done it in the name of the Trailblaze. No wonder he had been disgraced.
"Even Aha, who blew up an Astral Express, was only called the 'worst Nameless' by Pom-Pom. He wasn't disgraced," Kenji laughed.
"Haha! Aha is the worst Nameless, and Aki is the second worst!"
Aha's laughter rang out. Akivili's face darkened, and he retorted, "Aha, you have the nerve to laugh? How many times have I taken the fall for you?"
"Aki, you can't say that! How much fun did you have yourself? Don't you have any idea?" Aha was suddenly unhappy. He didn't mind taking the fall, but you couldn't throw all the blame on him. As the strongest Emanator of Elation, how could he be an honest god?
"Akivili, I have heard of some of your deeds in the past. You could be called the second worst Nameless," Kenji teased.
"Huh? Besides Pom-Pom, was there anyone else alive back then?" Akivili said awkwardly. He had done so many things that he couldn't even remember them all.
"Isn't Aha still alive?" Kenji nudged his head.
"That's right! Aha is still alive~" Aha said, playing along.
Akivili was instantly tilted. He could already imagine his dark history being spread everywhere by Aha.
"Your Excellency, the Aeon of Trailblaze, why did you disappear from the universe?"
Ruan Mei looked at Akivili with eyes full of curiosity. The mysterious disappearance of the three Aeons—Immortality, Trailblaze, and Beauty—could be said to be one of the universe's greatest unsolved mysteries.
Before Akivili could answer, Aha answered first:
"Aha knows! According to the fictional historians: Aki went to trailblaze the world of the dead!"
Akivili: "?"
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