Throughout the cosmos, two Lord Ravagers had a rare meeting.
After her retreat, Celenova immediately contacted Phantylia.
As the Lord Ravager who was the counterpart to The Hunt, she planned to give her colleague, who was intending to make a move on the Xianzhou, a heads-up.
"The Xianzhou has produced a new 'Heavenly General.'"
Celenova said, recalling the recent scene with a hint of a headache.
The puzzle piece she had just given away was one of her own cores.
It would be a lie to say it had no effect, but while it had an impact, it wasn't so great that she couldn't function without it.
It was just that she particularly hated any discord within Harmony.
It was like an obsession; a once-complete puzzle was now forcefully missing a piece due to an accident, and it made her whole being uncomfortable.
This would not be her last clash with Leon,
No matter what, she would one day reclaim her "Core" from his hands!
"I already know."
Phantylia replied, unsurprised.
She had been lurking in the Xianzhou for a long time and had put in considerable effort, so naturally, she knew about this matter far earlier than the other Lord Ravagers.
"I'm more surprised that you've already crossed paths with him."
As she spoke, Phantylia looked her up and down, as if wanting to know the outcome of the battle.
The Xianzhou Alliance had only just released this information.
The existence of the eighth Heavenly General had yet to become famous throughout the cosmos.
If nothing unexpected happened, Celenova was likely the first being of a similar rank to have fought him.
"Forget my avatar. Even if my true self had gone, it would've been difficult to win. I might not have even managed a stalemate."
Celenova noticed her gaze and shook her head.
"He also possesses some kind of compulsory control ability, a method that surpasses my Harmony."
Celenova offered a kind reminder.
"If you're going to fight him, remember to attack his mouth first to silence him. Otherwise, you'll suffer a great loss."
No matter how bad the relationship between the Lord Ravagers was, they were still on the same side. She certainly couldn't let one of her own suffer an avoidable loss.
"Surpasses Harmony?"
Phantylia looked at her as if she were insane.
Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?
Girl, that's The Hunt, not Order.
Besides, Order itself was devoured by Harmony. How could a subordinate Path overcome a superior one?
If one had to name a Path in the cosmos that could completely resist Harmony, it would only be Nihility.
And now you're telling her that The Hunt can not only resist it but also has a counter-measure.
Are you serious?
"I'm not kidding."
Celenova's expression was unusually serious.
"Is it really that bizarre?"
Phantylia asked curiously.
"I just experienced it firsthand. There's no reason for me to lie to you about this," Celenova nodded.
"His goal, or to put it another way, why did the Xianzhou Alliance send him to roam the cosmos?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"
Celenova obviously wouldn't know.
As the Lord Ravager with the deepest understanding of the Xianzhou, she had thought Phantylia might have some answers.
"There are no leads from the Xianzhou Alliance."
Phantylia shook her head.
Those people were extremely tight-lipped. Apart from announcing the birth of the eighth Heavenly General, they hadn't mentioned a single word of related intelligence.
"However, hearing you say that, I must go and meet this Heavenly General myself."
Although she didn't know his purpose, it was a rare opportunity to have a Heavenly General acting alone, convenient for an ambush. How could she not go and test the waters herself?
Phantylia's heart surged with a strong interest in Leon.
"I'll go probe his true capabilities."
"If it goes smoothly, perhaps we can try to turn this card the Xianzhou has played openly into an asset for Destruction."
"What kind of reaction do you think those people from the Xianzhou Alliance would have then?"
Phantylia truly wanted to see it, that magnificent sight.
"You can't win."
Celenova thought it would be better to plan for the long term.
It wasn't that probing was out of the question, but it should be done with a plan, not by rushing in to be cannon fodder.
"I can't win?"
Phantylia scoffed and said with a light laugh.
She had never really taken Celenova's earlier statement about her true self being unable to defeat Leon to heart.
"Celenova, have you forgotten which Path I am the counterpart to?"
Not to mention that Celenova's own combat power had always been in the mid-to-lower tier among the Lord Ravagers; losing was perfectly normal.
"As a fellow Emanator, I don't believe there's such a massive gap between myself and this newly ascended Heavenly General."
But as the entity meant to counter The Hunt, she was bound to clash with Leon sooner or later. How could she retreat before the battle was even fought?
"I will keep in mind what you said about his methods."
"Beyond that, I remain skeptical as to whether he can truly defeat me."
Phantylia issued a series of "I will win" declarations.
"Suit yourself."
Celenova sighed. Good advice is wasted on a fool rushing to their doom.
Thinks there isn't much of a gap between herself and the new Heavenly General, does she?
What a fantasy.
Don't make me laugh.
That man is on a level second only to Scorching Gale. Who the hell do you think you are, Phantylia?
"Just don't capsize when the time comes."
However, Celenova didn't plan to reveal the full intelligence on Leon's strength.
Even after she had already emphasized the danger, Phantylia still refused to take Leon seriously.
In that case, let her be stubborn to the end.
People only turn back after hitting a wall.
By the same token, only after suffering a personal defeat at his hands and getting a harsh reality check would Phantylia behave herself.
...
...
A dilapidated medical clinic.
Leon, having taken Boothill's ship, followed him to an unknown planet and arrived at an old, abandoned clinic.
[This week's superpower has been refreshed]
The moment Leon followed Boothill into the clinic, the golden system, which had been quiet for a long time, finally stirred.
["If You Come in Winter"]
[Effect: After uttering a phrase in the format of "xx must xx," you can pull anything that should be a certain way but isn't in reality back onto its proper course, and inspire the target to swear loyalty (e.g., "Abundance must heal, not invade.")]
[Loyalty! Loyalty! And more Loyalty!]
[(Note: This ability comes with a free supply of paper and pen, which appear upon a mental command. When someone nearby records your words with paper and pen, the effect is doubled.)]
[Refresh Countdown: 168 hours]
Hearing the voice in his mind, Leon felt a bit wistful. He hadn't realized seven days had already passed.
He carefully considered this new mechanic.
He found that to use it, the target unit had to meet certain conditions for it to take effect.
It was far less versatile and overpowered than Freljord.
'Sigh, a trial-card god. I wonder when I'll ever draw Freljord again...'
Leon lamented in his heart.
Come back, Freljord, my proudest faith. The memory of my bros is still so vivid 😭
[Reminder: Previously obtained superpowers will not be refreshed in the future. Instead, they will become the host's own abilities in a weakened state.]
[Freljord (Current ability integrity: 20%)]
[After saying a friendly term like dude/sis/bro/friend to someone, there is an extremely low probability of activating a Freljord Skit. No matter how great the crisis, it can be averted, and you will receive a gift from the other party.]
[Extremely Low, Low, Medium, High, Guaranteed (The probability is doubled when used in a dining setting.)]
[Note: For every 20% of integrity, the probability will increase one level in sequence.]
[Reminder: Each successful use of the ability grants one Freljord Bottle Cap. Collecting and using seven will raise the success probability of the next use to Guaranteed and increase integrity by 10%.]
____
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