"Nanook?"
Leon felt the immense power radiating from the Aeon. How long had it been since he'd felt the weight of pressure?
Without a doubt, this was the real deal.
But the question was, why would the Aeon of The Destruction appear here in person?
Beings like Aeons couldn't just intervene at will.
If one Aeon descended, the others would never stand idly by.
The fall of Tayzzyronth was clear proof of this.
It wasn't just because the simple destruction of the galaxy was meaningless to an Aeon; it was because this had long become an unwritten rule.
What Nanook wanted to destroy were the Aeons, the eighteen Paths,
and even the very concept of the Imaginary.
The Lord Ravagers under Nanook's command were weapons meant to burn away the Paths.
But even with Iron Tomb's immense potential, it was certainly not worth Nanook's personal intervention.
Why had the Aeon appeared here?
"Nanook, you arrogant fool! I am ruined because of you!"
The Aeon lowered his gaze, and Leon understood. Within Baie, a frenzied impulse, like a ferocious Antimatter Legion soldier, was roaring.
He advanced relentlessly.
Watching Baie, Leon finally grasped the answer.
The incredibly powerful energy of the Path he had felt upon entering came from Baie's obsession with the God of Ruin, The Destruction!
The hatred emanating from Baie was deeper than any ordinary person could imagine.
It was so heavy that this hatred had twisted into a near-demonic obsession with destruction.
Otherwise, he should have walked The Hunt.
Leon watched Baie.
An Aeon's gaze elevates an Emanator.
The answer was obvious.
Nanook hadn't come for any other reason but to cast his gaze upon this kindling filled with rage.
He had acknowledged his caliber.
Baie roared, raised his sword, and cut a bloody, unimpeded path forward!
Just as he was about to reach Nanook,
a sudden change occurred!
"If you can pass the 'Daylight', only then will you be qualified to step into tomorrow."
A being, black on the right and white on the left, its head covered in white cloth, descended slowly from before Nanook.
It wielded a ferocious and bizarre sword, and its very stance radiated a terrifying, overwhelming pressure.
It blocked Baie's path.
"A good seedling, indeed."
A voice commented from the side—an ethereal female voice, gentle yet unable to hide its coldness.
Clearly, Leon was not the only observer here.
"Since the outcome is already set, why not skip the process of resistance?"
A magnetic male voice followed his colleague's comment.
Hearing this, Leon realized that not only had Nanook come,
but two Lord Ravagers had accompanied him.
The Lord Ravager "Celenova," and the Lord Ravager "Quietus."
Like Leon, they had taken on the role of spectators.
"Speaking of which, where is Phantylia? Wasn't she looking forward to this show for a long time?"
Quietus asked, having remembered something.
"She has most likely become a captive of the Xianzhou."
As she spoke, Celenova cast her gaze towards the third party who had just arrived.
Just as Leon had noticed them, she had long since noticed Leon's presence.
Leon met her gaze directly.
Celenova's gaze caused the fragments entwined around the follower of The Hunt to stir restlessly.
It was as if they were eager to return to their original owner.
Unfortunately, they were suppressed by the stark, murderous aura emanating from him.
"Oh? So this is the Xianzhou's new Arbiter-General?"
Following Celenova's lead, Quietus also turned his gaze upon him.
"My apologies for the impoliteness. I am Quietus. I look forward to our future interactions."
As he spoke, Quietus removed his hat, revealing a head that was a purple palm.
Leon ignored them both, his gaze returning to Baie and Zephyro.
What needed to be done now was,
to offer the greatest respect to one who was determined to die.
Leon could save Baie, and he definitely would.
But he absolutely could not save him now.
As someone who had personally experienced the presence of an Aeon, he knew clearly.
Aeons could not act rashly,
but killing an Emanator didn't even count as acting for them.
Whether it was Lan answering the call of the Xianzhou Alliance, or Nanook striking down a powerful enemy,
the fact that no other Aeons intervened in these actions made it clear.
This was still within the scope of that unwritten rule.
Leon wouldn't be surprised if he ended up trading blows with Nanook.
If Baie was devoured by Iron Tomb, Leon could save him later just by killing Iron Tomb.
But if he fought Nanook, he might not be able to look out for Baie.
An Emanator could die from the mere gesture of an Aeon.
Therefore, he absolutely could not act rashly now.
Leon took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he'd felt pressure.
"Nanook," this would be the strongest opponent he had faced since his debut!
"What about the Kingmaker and the Light-Fader?"
Quietus, no longer trying to amuse himself, continued chatting with his colleague.
"They have no interest in the birth of Iron Tomb."
Celenova explained why their two colleagues were absent.
"Sigh, they're right."
Quietus agreed. He too was finding the process of Iron Tomb's birth boring.
If he had known, he wouldn't have come, or would have waited until after it hatched.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The resounding clash of metal echoed continuously as two entirely different blades crossed back and forth!
Baie and Zephyro, two shooting stars—one gold, one white.
Moving at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye, they fought from the ground to the heavens, trading hundreds of blows in a single moment!
"Creator of The Destruction, listen well: this cry comes from all the creations you have abandoned—"
Baie laughed maniacally, his expression savage, his hatred twisting his features beyond recognition.
As the words left his mouth, his appearance instantly changed.
A pair of angel-like wings appeared on his back, and an aura of The Destruction comparable to an Emanator's erupted from him!
"If I was born to be the proud sun of The Destruction, then let you and your lackeys become the flares of my eruption! And then, let this fire that has burned in vain for thirty million ages consume everything!"
RUMBLE!!!
A massive meteor with the power to shatter heaven and earth appeared out of thin air, its size great enough to cover the entire space, accompanied by a cluster of smaller meteorites.
It unleashed a meteor shower assault!
Clang, clang, clang!
Zephyro raised his sword, effortlessly—one could even say without breaking a sweat—and neutralized the attack.
His figure vanished in the blink of an eye, reappearing directly above Baie!
The blade cut through the air with a deafening roar!
Zephyro gripped the hilt and swung down!
Golden blood sprayed through the air!
With that simple motion, Baie was caught off guard and lost his right arm.
And his right wing!
"Ugh!"
He cried out in pain, losing his balance without the wing and beginning to fall uncontrollably.
With a thud,
dust was kicked up from the ground by his falling body.
Baie collapsed, clenching his jaw, his eyes glaring fiercely. His face, twisted by hatred, was filled with powerlessness and unwillingness to accept defeat.
Slap!
He slammed his hand on the ground for support and staggered to his feet.
Baie glared at Zephyro, who was slowly descending from the sky, his rage not diminishing in the slightest!
Zephyro showed no reaction.
He merely picked up the fallen Qinchen and tossed it back to its owner.
It seemed he wanted to fight until one of them 'destroyed' the other.
Baie roared as he caught it, then swung the sword at himself without hesitation!
With a slice, golden blood dripped to the ground as his left wing was severed by the blade.
This strike was to return the favor!
He needed no one's charity!
Zephyro's effortless return of the sword was the greatest insult; he didn't need mercy from a mortal enemy!!!
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
The embers of thirty million ages began to burn from within Baie's chest. His entire form started to distort as he gripped the hilt of Qinchen, enveloped in a deathless flame!
Once more, he charged at Zephyro!
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The fury of billions of embers gave Baie's every attack the power to force Zephyro onto the back foot!
The two fought once again from the ground to the heavens.
But this time was more severe than the last; the shockwaves from the two streaks of light shattered the borders of Amphoreus.
They arrived amidst the star systems, in the galaxy where Leon and the other spectators were.
"Nanook!!!"
Baie's body was ignited by the embers, transforming him into a creature pieced together from the flames of thirty million ages, with no trace of his human form remaining!
Zephyro swung his sword at him!
Baie, who had been at a disadvantage, used the brief surge from the fury of billions of embers to successfully,
and completely, push Zephyro back for a moment!
He roared, stumbling towards Nanook like a child learning to walk!
Just as the flames of his ruined body were about to touch the God of Ruin, The Destruction—
Suddenly, the pale white color of despair was devoured by a sun with an intensely strong hue!
"You are worthy, proud sun of The Destruction."
A white hole, the "Daylight" that Zephyro said Baie must cross, blocked his path.
Clang!
Zephyro's sword was covered by the white hole. With a single strike, immense power instantly enveloped entropy and time!
It also enveloped Baie's futile efforts.
With a crack, the sword in Zephyro's hand shattered.
Half of his body was also mostly consumed by the flames of Baie's dying counterattack.
The proud sun of The Destruction fell once more.
Kanislanna, the one fated for no dawn, had this time burned away everything he was.
He would not have the chance to rise a third time.
"He serves your coronation."
Zephyro watched him, offering the highest praise.
"Did I... fail?"
Baie thought as he fell, his consciousness fading.
"The sacrifice of the Golden Progeny... was our effort... all just in vain?"
There was no turning back from this failure.
Baie knew this well.
Cyrene had vanished completely in this cycle; the eternal recurrence could no longer be maintained.
The power of 'Remembrance' was his greatest asset in confronting Lycus.
With that asset gone, he was nothing more than a desperate fugitive making his last stand.
A fugitive with nowhere to go, no home to return to.
And no path... for retreat!
With Cyrene gone, only one path remained for him.
—To demand an answer from the God of Ruin, The Destruction, with the fury of thirty million ages!
If he succeeded, everything could have a peaceful end.
Thinking of this, Baie gritted his teeth, his dissipating consciousness filled with unwillingness.
He had failed. The fury of thirty million ages was ultimately just more fuel for Iron Tomb.
Whether it was the flame-chasing journey the Golden Progeny were manipulated and forced into by fate, or this damn cage created by Lycus, or Iron Tomb which treated everyone as nutrients!
Everything Baie wanted to stop could not be killed.
He couldn't protect the Lili Mythwood, he couldn't resist the encroaching Black Tide, he couldn't defeat Iron Tomb, he was powerless against fate, and he couldn't save Amphoreus.
Family, home, friends—he could only watch helplessly as they—departed.
And he could do nothing.
His fury could not bring dawn to anyone, could not illuminate any existence.
It was just a fire burning in vain.
A gust of wind would extinguish it, offering no warmth at all.
Hate, how he hated it!
He hated that his fury couldn't be stronger, hated that he couldn't have tried harder.
He was so close, so close to reaching the culprit behind Amphoreus's current state!
Baie's consciousness began to blur.
But the 'heart' in his chest, forged from hatred, beat ever more fiercely.
Thump, thump, thump.
With each beat, this unquenchable fury—
"A debt of hatred must be paid. This is the creed of The Hunt."
And finally, it summoned the god who symbolized 'Hatred'.
"I have received your obsession."
A figure carrying a longbow appeared directly above Baie's line of sight. He was like an ant before Nanook, yet he still stood forth.
"The hatred of thirty million ages, I accept it all."
He shielded him with his not-so-broad back.
"I am not 'Lan'. I cannot grant you power."
As Leon spoke, the light around the follower of The Hunt flared.
"But I can give you the 'justice' you deserve on His behalf!"
As his voice fell, a dharma image symbolizing 'Lan' manifested behind Leon.
It shielded Baie, shielded all of Amphoreus, and stood in direct confrontation with Nanook!
Without a word, Leon had declared his stance.
'Has... hope... arrived?'
Baie's consciousness grew dimmer.
Fortunately, before it vanished completely, he saw the dawn of Amphoreus rise.
The final words of his old friend were vivid in his memory.
"Someone will come to save Amphoreus. He will surely be a Ranger true to his word. If one day I disappear, it means he has arrived."
Baie's vision was blurring. He took one last, deep look at Leon's back.
As if to carve this scene into his heart, never to be forgotten for all eternity.
In his eyes, there was only a radiant Leon.
He formed a stark contrast with Nanook before him.
He was so small, like the insurmountable chasm between a mortal and a god.
But for some reason, Baie felt that even heaven and earth were but playthings in his palm.
—How could this man be born so tall, so mighty?
Baie could not find an answer.
He closed his eyes, his consciousness dissipating as he fell into a deep sleep.
In a daze, he seemed to have returned to his homeland, Lili Mythwood.
Those were his most carefree days, days he could never return to.
The midday sun was just right.
He would sunbathe, lying down in the wheat field.
Hehe, even if those little pixies came to call for him, he wouldn't want to move.
Baie felt as if he had returned to those days, to a midday nap in the wheat fields.
A pleasant breeze caressed his face, carrying the scent of the wheat to his nose.
The wheat of Lili Mythwood ripened especially early this year.
He remembered Cyrene saying this was an omen of the savior's arrival.
Mm, since the true hero has come, he can probably rest for a little while, right?
Baie had never stopped to catch his breath.
He had been running for too long; the journey of thirty million ages had left him exhausted.
Just a little rest, just for a moment.
He... was truly a little tired.
"Baie of Lili Mythwood, what is your dream?"
My dream... is to fulfill everyone's wishes.
If I can't fulfill them... then I will send them into tomorrow!
Everyone, do you see—
The tomorrow of Amphoreus has arrived.
Let us meet again at the end of the fragrant west wind.
Everyone, see you tomorrow.
_____
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