The apex of all things.
To interfere with an Aeon, one must certainly have the aid of another Aeon.
If you wish to block the arrow of the Vanquisher Arbiter, then let Mythus come himself.
"So that's how it is..."
Taravan's body began to dissipate.
He felt his very existence being erased by an indescribable power, understanding it to be the unfathomably insidious divine power of "Causality," and couldn't help but feel a little sorrowful.
"A gift bestowed by an Aeon, the purest embodiment of a Path..."
He looked at the majestic longbow in Leon's hand, and at that moment, he finally realized what he had truly lost to.
"Why did you think Lan wasn't with me?"
He had assumed Leon was referring to his own status as an Emanator, but he hadn't expected it to be so literal.
"Oh, Amber Lord, have I walked Your 'Path' to the very end, just as he has...?"
At the end of his life, Taravan shifted his gaze to the giant figure plastering the sky, murmuring to himself.
Those who walk a Path are generally not afraid of death.
To step onto a Path means one has already decided on their life's goal; all that remains is to see their chosen road through to the end.
As the saying goes, "If one hears the Way in the morning, one can die content in the evening."
"I was defeated by 'Lan,' not by you..."
These last words were the final trace Taravan left in this world.
He expressed no complaints about his own death, not even a single objection.
Because the one who killed him was an Aeon!
If Leon had been determined to be stubborn to the end, he too would have hoped for Qlipoth to step in and resolve everything. Now, he was dying by the same means.
What could he say? There was nothing to be said.
An Emanator is merely a toy created by an Aeon at will.
Their relationship is that of a subject to a ruler. Unless you can rebel and usurp their place, even the most powerful Emanator cannot escape the Aeon itself.
Faced with such an existence, his death was only natural.
Taravan knew full well he had no power to resist.
He gave Leon one last, deep look.
It was filled with hatred, with release, and also with envy.
That Leon could receive a weapon from Lan was a natural symbol of how far he had walked the Path of The Hunt. This was evident from his reckless decision to go to war with the IPC.
The purest of Pathstriders could be no other.
'If I had taken one more step on the Path of The Preservation, would today's outcome have been different?'
With this thought, Taravan's body completely vanished in the next instant. The masterless power of The Preservation returned to Qlipoth.
He was dead, without a doubt.
Causality strikes at a person's very origin.
Unless you are an Aeon, whose destiny of ascension is fixed across the past and future with no weakness to exploit.
Otherwise, no one can truly defend against an arrow of Causality.
Because everyone has their own starting point, and that starting point is the most vulnerable period in life.
No matter how great your future achievements, you cannot change a single bit of your past.
Whether out of youthful ignorance or deliberate action, once the gun is fired years ago, the bullet will eventually strike between the eyes at the appointed moment, killing you.
The Hunt is the reenactment of this process.
Just as Leon had witnessed moments ago.
Taravan would meet his final "Hunt" in the past, and that was precisely the "vengeance" from the future!
"So much for being a veteran."
Leon felt his appearance on the battlefield was just a joke.
Felt like he was worse than...
"See that? Only stats that can crush everything can let a man control his own destiny. You were too soft-hearted back then, old man."
Leon said this to Chadwick.
Although he didn't know the exact stats of the "Imaginary Collapse Pulse," judging by how seriously the IPC took it, they couldn't have been low.
If Chadwick had been willing to go all out with the IPC using this technology, he wouldn't have ended up being turned into a Memory Bubble, unable to even rest in peace.
One could only say his moral baseline was still too high and needed lowering.
"Alright, what's next? Is the IPC going to open up on its own, or do I have to force my way in?"
Leon cast his gaze toward the transformed Diamond, his meaning clear.
Would they hand over Oswaldo obediently, letting him kill one more and be on his way, or would they continue to fight and fast-forward to a battle to the death?
His entire body was encased in a suit of translucent crystal armor. Diamond, in his true-power state, fell silent upon hearing his words. His face, covered by crystal, revealed no expression.
Perhaps handing over Oswaldo now was the best choice to cut their losses.
A P48-level member of the Board of Directors was already dead. Did they really care about one more P47-level department head?
Hand the man over, call it a day, and prevent further damage to their overall interests.
This was indeed what a merchant should do.
But...
"As long as I stand, he stands!"
Diamond took a deep breath and spoke with unwavering resolve.
But before being the merchants of the Interastral Peace Corporation, they were the "Qlipoth Fort Support Team," the most loyal supporters and practitioners of The Preservation!
What pushed Diamond to choose a fight to the death wasn't recklessness, but the practice of his own ideal of The Preservation.
So no matter how great the interest at stake, he absolutely could not retreat today!
This was a clash between Paths, not to be viewed with a mundane, worldly perspective!
To deviate from the road one walks is more serious than death for a Pathstrider!
"Good."
Leon wasted no more words.
He drew his bow again, preparing to give him a quick end!
Rumble!!
The moment Diamond's words fell, three thousand warships began to attack him with suicidal fervor, employing all kinds of advanced weaponry!
All to defend the dignity of the IPC!
Whoosh!
As the attack came, the teal spectral flames on the Vanquisher suddenly flared up, enveloping Leon entirely in a blaze, like some kind of protective mechanism!
The teal flames devoured everything!
Whether it was energy beams or physical bullets, Phantylia subconsciously intercepted them all for him, driven by the protective instinct born of absolute loyalty!
These weapons, created with the purest intent to kill, were undoubtedly the best fuel for Destruction!
Diamond glanced at him and clapped his palms together!
In an instant, a gigantic diamond hammer condensed from the power of The Preservation hung high above his head, its heaven-blotting size like facing a natural disaster!
Construct: Gigasculpture!
Phantylia's flames subsided, and Leon's vision returned to normal.
He sensed he was being overshadowed by something.
He looked up. The giant, glittering hammer was just inches away, as if it would fall the next second and smash him into Leon-paste.
Leon showed little reaction.
He raised his bow, preparing to face Diamond's attack head-on and make him clearly understand who the mere mortal was!
CLANG!!!
The giant hammer moved.
But it didn't fall as expected. Instead, it swung toward the surrounding walls personally forged by Qlipoth!
Diamond's target wasn't Leon, but the Celestial Wisdom Wall!
He was never one for courage without strategy.
Taravan's dying words had already made Leon's capabilities clear.
As an Emanator blessed by the Aeon of The Hunt, he knew that even if he used every trick up his sleeve, he could never win against Leon in a direct confrontation!
Only another Aeon can defeat an Aeon!
Diamond knew this well.
So he shifted his target to the wall forged by Qlipoth, forcing the Aeon of The Preservation to act through an act of destruction!
Even if it meant resorting to any means necessary, as long as he could protect what he wanted to protect until the very end, it was still The Preservation!
So although this act was somewhat sacrilegious, he had no shame before the Amber Lord!
Because he was walking his own Path, with a clear conscience!
BOOM!!
Seeing someone trying to destroy his handiwork, Qlipoth predictably made a move.
Under its will, the Celestial Wisdom Wall emitted a powerful counter-shock!
An earthy-yellow, wave-like sonic attack spread out from all sides, causing the entire space to tremble. To say it shook the heavens and the earth would not be an exaggeration!
Rumble, rumble, RUMBLE!
Wave after wave of aftershocks struck!
While protecting the three thousand warships from harm, Diamond took the full force of the upheaval head-on. Under the immense impact, his face turned ghastly pale, as if he would faint and collapse at any moment.
The Amber Lord didn't hold back just because it was one of his own.
It treated both the IPC and Leon equally, using the same amount of force.
After wave after wave of impact.
The crystal armor could finally take no more and shattered from Diamond's body, indicating he had suffered extremely severe injuries.
Diamond gasped for breath.
His vision was blurry, and he was clearly weakened to his limit.
Although it wasn't the Aeon acting personally, it was infinitely close.
Even an Emanator like him, specializing in defense, couldn't withstand this counter-shock. It should at least be able to injure him, right?
With this thought, he shifted his gaze to Leon's position.
But when his vision cleared—
The first thing that met his eyes was not the good news he had imagined.
But hundreds of purple arrows made of Imaginary energy, brimming with murderous intent!
Diamond's eyes widened.
The Path of The Hunt was known for its speed; by the time he thought of dodging, it was already too late!
"Celestial Bow of Shattered Stars..."
Leon, pinching two fingers on the bowstring, was completely unharmed.
The flames on the Vanquisher had vanished, replaced by a dumb-looking rabbit-headed thing with its tongue out, collapsed on the ground.
"...The fleeting current is not extinguished."
After enduring the immense pressure from the repeated aftershocks, not only did Leon not bend at the waist, but he stood straighter than ever before.
Just like the ideal upheld by the Galaxy Rangers: never bow to tyranny!
"—And I am his arrow!"
As the powerful words left his lips, a phantom of Lan instantly appeared behind him, its mighty presence directly pushing back against the aftershocks!
The appearance of The Hunt's Aeon corresponded perfectly with the content of his words, undoubtedly the best authentication of their truthfulness!
"Can a single person really walk so far down a Path...?"
Diamond, impaled like a porcupine and barely alive, stared blankly at the phantom of The Hunt's Aeon before him, clearly in disbelief.
This was already beyond the scope of an Emanator.
Emanators are just an Aeon's toys.
If one is lost, another can be made; they receive no special affection.
This is true for even the most powerful Emanator.
Or perhaps, the moment one receives an Aeon's favor, they should no longer be called an Emanator.
Leon was the first person Diamond had ever seen who walked with an Aeon.
Perhaps the rumored "Lord of Silence" was another; it was said she followed in the footsteps of Nous.
But he hadn't seen it with his own eyes as he did now, so he couldn't make a definitive judgment.
But without a doubt, whether she was or not.
People should create a separate category for such an existence.
Proxy.
Not an Emanator, but a Proxy.
For this level of dedication to a Path, he could only use these three words to describe it.
A mortal agent personally acknowledged by an Aeon.
All their words and deeds symbolize the will of the Aeon of their Path!
"As strong as a monster... truly unbeatable..."
Diamond felt his life fading away.
In the final countdown of his life, before the rampaging power of The Hunt stripped away every last bit of his vitality.
He used this final moment to marvel at Leon's strength.
This Arbiter-General was an enemy that was fundamentally impossible to defeat.
The gap between them was like an entire generation; before him, he was like a rookie insect. Dying at his hands was only natural.
A bitter smile crossed Diamond's face; this outcome was not unexpected.
Unless Qlipoth itself personally stepped in, the chasm between them was simply unbridgeable.
"Oh, Amber Lord..."
Diamond looked up, choosing to let the image of the silent giant be forever etched into his eyes with his death.
"Like him, I walked my Path to the very last moment. Did you see it?"
As his words fell, the energy contained within the hundreds of arrows tore him to shreds. The masterless power of The Preservation once again returned to Qlipoth.
Qlipoth remained silent, showing no reaction.
However, it did stop plastering and began to pay attention to Leon's next move.
Lan's phantom dissipated after the tremor.
Leon spoke, aiming the Vanquisher at one of the three thousand warships that his intuition was drawn to.
Oswaldo was there; he was sure of it.
RUMBLE!!
As if sensing his intent, the three thousand starships repeated their previous tactic, firing every weapon they could activate at him once more!
"I said it before."
Leon spoke again.
"You lot with your midwit thinking, when faced with my unstoppable, army-breaking mindset that never follows a rhythm, are just unranked small-timers."
After speaking, he used his superpower to effortlessly control the incoming weapons and send them back the way they came!
Whoosh!
Immediately after, the nuke arrows were back online.
Leon drew and fired several more arrows at Oswaldo's ship, just to eliminate the risk of him faking his death.
BOOM!!!
Without Diamond's protection, these warships naturally couldn't withstand the assault of their own weapons turned against them.
The glare of fire was blinding, and violent explosions echoed across the heavens and earth. The resulting shockwaves continuously battered the surrounding walls forged by Qlipoth.
Now, Oswaldo's entire family tree was finally empty.
Bro, I've avenged you on the way. No need to thank me.
Leon said this to the absent Boothill.
At this very moment, the matter of Chadwick was finally, truly brought to a close.
The injustice he suffered back then had been repaid with interest, and his greatest worry had been resolved.
The Imaginary Collapse Pulse.
Aside from Herta, it was unlikely anyone else would ever know of its existence.
And this entire result was achieved by one man, through sheer force of stats.
Galaxy Ranger.
One man arrived, clashed with two Emanators multiple times without a scratch, his valor unmatched by any who came before. A great victory.
Interastral Peace Corporation.
Arrived with three thousand warships, two Emanators of The Preservation, and in the end, two P47 department heads and a P48 executive were all killed. Not a single warship survived.
A great defeat.
"I'm taking my leave now, old friend from civil engineering. Don't see me out."
Leon slung the Vanquisher back over his shoulder, raised a hand to greet Qlipoth, and made to leave.
Qlipoth watched him go.
In the end, it did nothing, merely acting as a bystander.
Because Leon had shown great restraint.
Or perhaps, they both understood the hardships of a construction worker, so he deliberately controlled his power to avoid damaging so much as a blade of grass here.
Since he hadn't caused it any trouble, Qlipoth naturally had no need to intervene.
Strictly speaking, the IPC wasn't that close with it.
It had only granted them a title out of consideration for their long and unwavering following. To expect it to specifically step in and suppress Leon was impossible.
Leon was even polite.
He knew not to litter.
To avoid polluting someone else's workspace, he didn't leave a single complete corpse, be it man or ship. Qlipoth liked that very much.
Quite the moral standard, wouldn't you say?
After his farewell, Leon left without a backward glance, walking out of the sub-space the way he came.
A promising young talent for construction work.
Capable and polite. A pity that arrow-shooting fellow got to him first.
Qlipoth thought to itself, withdrew its attention from him, and continued its plastering.
_______
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