"Little peacock, if the Corporation really dared to kill me, why would they have waited until now?"
Sparkle chuckled at this; she wasn't one to be easily scared.
"Speaking of which, the only reason you haven't made a move is because you're afraid of that Ranger, isn't it?"
She showed no fear of death, but rather seemed to be enjoying herself.
Aventurine remained silent.
The Fool was right. The only reason she was still alive was due to the deterrent presence of that Ranger.
It was true that whether Leon would come was an unknown.
But the odds were high that he would.
Killing Sparkle would mean there was absolutely no room for negotiation left, forcing the question of whether to go to war with Leon and the Xianzhou Alliance.
The Corporation was still deliberating.
"Don't you think this Ranger is far more interesting than some 'War of the Gods'?"
Sparkle didn't mind his silence and continued speaking on her own.
"I don't deny his strength. He's as strong as a monster, it's true."
Aventurine was speaking honestly. Leon's value was indeed very high.
"The Third Abundance War."
The gears of fate began to turn at this moment.
"I thought this battle would severely weaken the Xianzhou Alliance, but I never expected it to be a blessing in disguise, giving them an unprecedented Arbiter-General of the Divine Bow."
In the 'War of the Gods,' no one could say who the final victor would be before the dust settled.
"It truly makes one lament the capriciousness of fate."
But a young man appeared in the Xianzhou Alliance.
After Leon's emergence, one could only say:
Now we know who has the highest stats!
"What, are you the only one allowed to have good luck, and no one else is?"
Sparkle looked at him with a playful grin.
Before Aventurine could reply, the door to the interrogation room was suddenly thrown open.
Click, clack, click, clack.
The crisp sound of heels tapping on the floor echoed as hurried footsteps approached from behind.
Accompanying the footsteps,
was Jade, the current head of the Ten Stonehearts.
"Oh my, it seems the Corporation has come to a decision regarding this Galaxy Ranger."
Sparkle looked up at the sound, her eyes meeting a grave face that had just entered her line of sight.
Aventurine's eyes shifted, his gaze also landing on Jade as he asked in a deep voice:
"Has the Corporation decided?"
Jade's presence here meant that the Board of Seven Directors had already concluded their discussion on how to handle this incident.
"Yes."
Jade nodded solemnly, her expression extremely serious.
"The great work of 'The Preservation' cannot be sullied by anyone."
"By unanimous decision of the Board of Seven Directors, the Interastral Peace Corporation will declare all-out war on this Galaxy Ranger."
Jade said after taking a deep breath.
"Wa-oh~"
Hearing this answer, Sparkle feigned surprise, clapping her hands in celebration. The shackles on her wrists clanged noisily, one after another.
"Then how will this Fool be dealt with?"
After hearing the answer, Aventurine looked at Sparkle again.
He knew that the final outcome still depended on whether this Fool lived or died.
"An all-out war will be initiated against this Galaxy Ranger!"
As a veteran of the Corporation, Aventurine.
Of course, knew this was a word game.
They specifically pointed to 'a Galaxy Ranger', not 'Leon, the Arbiter-General of the Divine Bow'. From this, one could see the Corporation's true intention was still to avoid escalating the matter.
They knew Leon's temperament.
Arrogant. An arrogance born from his own high stats, one that knew not the bounds of heaven and earth.
For such a person, if the Corporation declared war on him in his capacity as a Galaxy Ranger...
...then it was highly probable that he would respond alone.
He would face them by himself. It would be between the Corporation and him, with no third party involved.
Leon's character dictated that he would only be someone others relied on, not one to rely on others.
To put it simply, the Corporation wanted to use wordplay to make him face their centuries of accumulated resources alone.
Although Leon's nature was the root of their troubles...
...one had to admit that as long as they questioned his stats and used the simplest taunts, this same nature became a convenient loophole for them to exploit.
The benefits of this word game were obvious.
Leon would surely insist on crushing the entire Corporation head-on by himself.
This way, it wouldn't escalate to the level of the Xianzhou Alliance making a move, and a full-scale war between the two factions could be avoided.
"Take her to see the Board of Seven Directors."
Jade stated how Sparkle would be dealt with next.
"Extract the intelligence she has about that 'Memokeeper friend.' As for what happens after that, nothing has been decided for now."
Jade looked at Sparkle meaningfully as she spoke.
Saying 'nothing has been decided' was surely a lie, just something said for the benefit of the person involved.
In reality, once the Corporation got the information they wanted, Sparkle would most likely face a dead end.
Leon could trample on the Corporation's dignity because he had the ability.
The Corporation, lacking the strength, could only endure it.
But Sparkle, a mere follower of Elation...
...not even an Emanator, did she think she could get the same treatment as Leon?
What a beautiful dream!
Did she really think the Corporation was some stray dog on the street that anyone could kick?
Even if it were a stray dog, a cur that lacked strength but threw its weight around would be put down by the big dogs' club!
"How hypocritical. Pretending there's still a chance for me, when you're all just dying to slice me into a thousand pieces right now, aren't you?"
Sparkle laughed, continuing her death-defying provocations.
"A moment of sharp-tongued victory won't change your current situation, Fool."
Jade said nothing more, simply taking her to meet the Board of Seven Directors.
Pier Point.
Headquarters of the Interastral Peace Corporation.
In a room forged entirely from 'Dispersed Stardust' containing the divine power of The Preservation, unbreakable and accessible only to those of P47 rank and above.
Six figures, symbolizing the apex of the Corporation's power.
The Board of Seven Directors had once again gathered for a rare meeting.
Why are there only six people when it's called the Board of Seven? Because one was killed by Leon.
These six were usually elusive figures; not many could startle them all at once.
Without a doubt, Leon was one of those very few.
"I said we shouldn't have invited a Fool in the first place."
Madam Scar-Eye looked at Sparkle, her tone filled with complaint.
"Fool, isn't the spectacle of the Corporation's downfall enough to fill your stomach?"
Zaitian's tone also suggested that this was now a troublesome situation.
You have to know, the Corporation still hadn't made any official response to that short film.
And as everyone knows, no response means everything is just speculation.
But by actively seeking out a member of 'The Elation' faction this time, they had undoubtedly confirmed the short film's authenticity.
This spectacle was already big enough.
At least big enough to make a Masked Fool乖乖cooperate with them.
With the promise of a great spectacle, plus the Corporation's reputation, any Pathstrider would not want to provoke them. To do so would mean a galaxy-wide warrant.
An ordinary Fool wouldn't be so bold. By all rights, everything should have gone smoothly.
But unexpectedly, Sparkle, despite having little power, had a boldness that, like Leon's, knew no bounds, and she dropped a huge bombshell on the Corporation.
"Oh, dear. Isn't the fact that the Galaxy Ranger didn't escalate things to the very end enough to satisfy you?"
Sparkle retorted with her own sentence structure, implying they were all the same kind of people.
"Why bother putting on a pure and innocent act?"
They were all just people running after their own interests.
"Alright, just like last time, there's no point in discussing what has already happened. How to stop the losses is what we need to focus on."
Mutoewin Radhe Konzad, Head of the Talent Incentive Department, spoke up.
"Indeed."
Opal, who had replaced Diamond, expressed his agreement.
"Fool, spit out the information you have about the Memokeeper. If you cooperate, the Corporation might just let you live."
He looked at Sparkle and said.
"Sparkle doesn't know~"
Sparkle feigned innocence, clearly having no intention of cooperating with them.
"But kill me or cut me up as you please."
"Of course, that's assuming you actually dare to, hehe."
Sparkle loved this thrilling feeling of walking a tightrope high in the sky.
The Corporation has already decided to declare all-out war on him.
Yasarli said with a grim face.
"Then from this day forward, the Interastral Peace Corporation will officially be in a fight to the death with him!"
The meaning behind his words was, 'We're about to fight, so why wouldn't we dare to kill you?'
"Stop annoying me. If the Corporation was really that resolute, why are you even asking?"
Sparkle saw right through it. "Aren't you just trying to find an escape route for yourselves?"
Heh, they talked a good game, but if the Corporation's attitude was really as they claimed...
...then without another word, they would have taken her head first.
"We can sign a contract, a contract under the witness of the Amber Lord."
The directors were all silent.
For a good while, no one spoke up, as if no one had a strong opinion on the matter.
"Hand over the information, and the Corporation can truly spare your life."
Sparkle was right; the Corporation still wanted room to maneuver.
After all, the only thing about Sparkle that could attract Leon was the information about the Memokeeper. Without it, no one would care if she lived or died.
If the Corporation held the information, then they would have the capital to negotiate with him.
"Sparkle only has one answer."
Sparkle loved saying no to self-righteous people.
"If there's nothing more to say, then get on with it!"
She was still laughing and joking, as if she truly didn't care about her own life at all.
"Then as you wish!"
Madam Scar-Eye slammed the table, her words icy.
She couldn't take it anymore. "What are we cowering for every single day?!"
Is it really necessary for just one person?!
The Corporation's resources aren't limited to just two Preservation Emanators. So what if the Xianzhou Alliance is added to the mix?
We don't need anything else, let's just fight!
"Wait, an extremely powerful Path energy is rapidly approaching."
Before anyone could voice their opinion, Opal suddenly spoke.
"He's here?"
Yasarli asked in a low voice. It didn't take a genius to know who was coming.
"Where is he now? At the entrance to Pier Point?"
This unchanged method of entry stirred up unpleasant memories for everyone present.
It was the same last time. Leon appeared out of nowhere at the entrance to Pier Point, and then Tarachu and Diamond went to greet him.
Needless to say, the final outcome was that both of them died.
Would history repeat itself?
Opal carefully sensed the direction from which the Path energy was coming.
"What?"
Madam Scar-Eye suspected she had misheard.
"Ten meters? That close? But where is he? Why isn't there a shadow of him?"
The same doubt arose in everyone's minds.
"Three meters!"
Opal shot up from his seat, feeling a strong sense of unease.
"What kind of joke is this—"
His action prompted everyone else to immediately leave their seats and create some distance.
The distance was closing, which meant Leon was continuously advancing towards them.
But how was that possible?!
Not only was there no sign of him at this distance.
This was a space forged from 'Dispersed Stardust'. Even if Leon could easily break through The Preservation, it was impossible for there to be no sound at all!
This was incredible!
Just as Opal was about to report the distance, the long-awaited commotion they were expecting directly interrupted him!
RUMBLE!!!
Accompanied by the roar of a trailing engine!
An extraordinary train came driving straight from the sky not far away, directly smashing through the wall containing the 'Dispersed Stardust'!
The relaunched Astral Express thus violently re-entered the Corporation's field of vision.
"No one who uses this ticket is a good person! You're just as rough as the one who blew up the cabin!"
Along with the train came a complaint from within, following close behind.
The voice was so loud that even they, as outsiders, could hear it clearly.
CRACKLE!
A surge of electricity sparked from the train door. Who knows if it was overloaded or what.
Immediately after, a dazzling golden light shone from behind the door, accompanied by an unprovoked gust of wind.
Bang.
The door slid to the left, wide open!
Someone slowly walked out from within. The tail of a white windbreaker immediately appeared in everyone's line of sight.
"Just got here. Which one of you is Sparkle?"
After stepping out, Leon stood amidst the wreckage, scanning them as he asked.
Everyone was stunned by his sudden, grand entrance!
"Hahaha!"
After a long moment, it was Sparkle who came to her senses first, bursting into hearty laughter at his actions.
"I can't take it anymore! As expected of the one favored by the God of Jest. His Elation is so natural, a casual move is a lifetime that an ordinary Masked Fool could never hope to achieve!"
Leon had a certain aura about him, the aura of a god-man.
Of course, to Sparkle, this 'god-man aura' referred to his identity as an Emanator of The Elation.
Seriously, the Emanators of The Elation should just be renamed 'God-man Emanators' from now on. Anyway, there isn't a single normal person in this faction, they're all prime candidates for being god-men.
"You're Sparkle?"
Leon looked at the twin-tailed girl in the kimono.
He recognized her, or rather, he recognized her as a support, because she was someone he had to use all the time.
Whether in daily high-difficulty content, no matter what he was fighting, he had to bring a support. Not bringing one was not an option. In the ever-inflating environment, supports could be said to be the most value-retaining characters.
Sparkle, a support out of nostalgia.
He remembered her buffing was quite high, but that 50% Action Forward was just a complete joke.
Not the kind of Action Forward I like, an immediate rejection!
"Uh-huh~"
Sparkle admitted it freely.
"Yes, yes, I'm Sparkle!"
____
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