"This arrow comes from the 'Destruction' you yourself acknowledge."
Leon raised his hand, and the hatred of Amphoreus from thirty million ages materialized entirely into an arrow in his grip.
"This is the heartfelt hatred of people who have repeatedly fallen into ruin within your golden blood for thirty million ages!"
The cycles of Amphoreus's thirty million ages materialized at this moment.
The unwavering resolve of titan-slaying, the unyielding spirit of the fire-chasing journey, the despair brought by the Rekindled Creation deception, and the hatred towards the Black Tide, towards Iron Tomb, towards Nanook!
Everything Baie carried, that bottomless 'Hatred,' was now taken over by 'The Hunt,' which symbolizes vengeance!
In Leon's hand, it coalesced into the purest arrow of vengeance aimed at the Wound-Bearer God!
The marks of the Twelve Titans lit up sequentially around Leon. The formation of the black-and-red arrow shaft was the truest depiction of this deceitful fire-chasing journey being extinguished by the Black Tide. The golden blood tempered on the arrow's surface was the concrete manifestation of the Golden Arrows' continuous sacrifices! And the flames burning within the golden blood were the profound mark of Kanislanna's valiant struggle!
The arrow was forged from hatred. It was the yesterday of all in Amphoreus, but also their first step towards tomorrow!
Leon took a deep breath and threw Trailblazer's March forward. Trailblazer's March stood directly in front of him, a body's length away.
The bow expanded, changing completely from azure to purple.
With a snap, Trailblazer's March returned to its rightful owner. The dharma image of 'Lan' behind Leon gripped the bow for him!
He threw the arrow, symbolizing Amphoreus, from his hand towards the sky!
Lan's dharma image steadily caught it, and with a psychic connection, set it on Trailblazer's March's string.
"If justice cannot be reasonably upheld,"
Leon raised both arms, making a motion as if drawing a bow.
"then 'The Hunt's' light arrow will ensure the cosmos's fairness is served in another way."
Lan's dharma image mirrored his actions, drawing back the arrow set on the string.
"All things have an end, whether immortal or mortal."
In Lan's philosophy, whether 'Aeons' or anything else, all should perish at the appropriate time. 'The Abundance' was the one who disrupted this timing. Many should have died long ago, but thanks to 'The Abundance,' they have lingered. This was Lan's opportunity for ascension, and it also laid the foundation for the philosophy he would practice after his ascension.
"This is by no means an unmerciful heavenly punishment, but rather clemency!"
Amphoreus has cycled through enough yesterdays; it's time to end them and move towards tomorrow!
Leon aimed a conceptual crosshair at Nanook, and Lan's dharma image simultaneously aimed a real crosshair at him! The two once again achieved a state of unified intent!
Space began to twist. A scorching wave of air suddenly surged, like an iron brand upon skin! Even 'Emanators' could not avoid being scorched!
"Retreat."
Zephyro felt the power spreading from around Leon and spoke to the other two Lord Ravagers.
This arrow already bore the momentum of an 'Aeon'!
Although their target wasn't them, the mere aftershocks would be enough to give them a hard time.
"Haha, fearsome as it is, I like this temperament that skips the process and goes straight to the result."
Even with death close at hand, Quietus remained as he was before.
Could it be said that he truly lives up to being a Lord Ravager comparable to 'The Elation'?
"Stop your rambling."
Celenova suggested that if he truly had the ability, he should stay.
"Iron Tomb's birth is a foregone conclusion."
"The rest depends on its own destiny; whether it's absolution or corruption, it will be the end of its long-held wish."
With that, Celenova vanished.
She was the first to escape into Nanook's direct domain, within the Path's Fissure of 'The Destruction'.
"I think it's a long shot."
With that, Quietus retreated immediately after.
Zephyro cast one last glance in Leon's direction, then, after retracting his gaze, also vanished into the Path's Fissure.
Nanook, however, made no move. He simply watched Leon quietly, or rather, waited quietly for him to act.
He had come here precisely to witness Baie's 'Destruction'. Now that his 'Destruction' had been inherited by Leon, He naturally had to witness it to the very end.
Since 'The Hunt' sought to intercept midway, then let Him see Leon's capability.
Whoosh, the arrow shot forth!
An unlookable light tore through space, the arrow forged from the hatred of Amphoreus's thirty million ages, roared as it sped towards Nanook, the Wound-Bearer God of 'Destruction'!
Sizzle, sizzle—
The arrow pressed onward.
But the faint golden flames surrounding Nanook destroyed most of its form as it approached.
Just halfway through its trajectory, the arrow could no longer be called an arrow.
It had long lost its complete form, leaving only a wisp of ghostly blue fire!
Fortunately, this ball of fire dragged its crippled body, and finally succeeded in touching Nanook!
With a sharp scrape, the keen arrow-light sliced through the tall, bronzed skin before it.
A small wound appeared on Nanook's cheek, directly below his right pupil. Brilliant golden blood flowed from the wound.
Nanook showed no reaction, as calm as ever. Leon was not surprised by this outcome.
The combined power that the entire Path of 'The Hunt' could mobilize, plus the hatred accumulated over Amphoreus's thirty million ages, such immense power, had only just barely managed to leave a cut on Nanook's face. There was no help for it; 'Aeons' were simply such overbearing and unreasonable beings.
Leon looked at the wound; it was attempting to heal but found it to be futile.
But it was still good; at least Nanook was truly wounded.
Not just a fleeting surface scratch.
Nanook was called the Wound-Bearer God for a reason. The more wounds He bore, the deeper His commitment to His 'Path' became. The closer 'The Destruction' came to bringing 'Terminus'.
Thus, Nanook was pleased to witness 'Destruction'.
Simply put, as long as you couldn't kill Him in one go, then He would not only not die, but would grow even stronger.
Just as Nanook, many years ago, survived the Swarm Disaster and the Emperor's War. Those who failed to defeat Him would only become His aid! In the next second, He would rise again and unleash a crushing 'Destruction'!
Of course, don't say it so easily. If it were truly that simple, Nanook would have long since 'Destroyed' everything and been invincible throughout the cosmos. The galaxy could not have survived until now.
To leave a permanent wound on Nanook was a task more difficult than reaching the heavens. At the very least, it would require an existence of His own caliber.
Leon's full-power 'The Hunt,' Baie's 'Destruction' of thirty million ages, and the one opportunity to strike granted by 'Reversing Causality'. Today, none of these three could be absent. If one were missing, this feat could not have been accomplished.
Leon was not 'Lan' after all; the missing rank remained his persistent obstacle. If 'Lan' could unleash 100% of The Hunt, then Leon could only unleash 50%. Because 'Lan' was truly the master of 'The Hunt'. Even if He completely opened His Path to Leon, he could not unleash more than 50%.
If 'Lan' Himself had come, this arrow would have been more than just a simple wound. It would have, at the very least, torn a hole in Nanook. But if it had truly reached that level, Amphoreus would definitely not have been saved, and all the 'Aeons' symbolizing neutrality would have intervened.
Nanook cast one last glance at him. After the arrow, the ghostly blue fire, tainted by 'The Hunt', vanished from the dazzling gold of His chest. Immediately, the golden flames of 'Destruction' rose from the ground and swept forth, obscuring Leon's vision.
When the flames receded, Nanook had already vanished. Only a drop of blood, half gold and half blue in form, remained where He had just been.
The strike was done, causality was no more. Yesterday's cause, today's effect, Nanook returned them all!
Leon remained silent, the mask on his face gradually fading. Lan's dharma image, its energy-formed long hair, and breastplate all began to dissipate.
He stretched out a hand towards the blood in the sky. The 'Purifying Golden Blood' flew towards him in an instant, finally hovering just above his open palm.
"I grant you the right to move towards tomorrow, but you must also have the ability to bear it!"
Leon articulated the meaning behind the golden blood Nanook left behind.
Half gold, half blue.
The gold, needless to say, was 'Destruction,' and the blue was 'The Hunt,' represented by Leon.
'Destruction,' 'The Erudition,' 'Remembrance'.
All three Paths sought to put Amphoreus to death.
But 'Remembrance' had Cyrene suppressing it; as for 'The Erudition,' he didn't know who was involved.
But Leon's intuition told him, the Path Amphoreus needed to cross to move towards tomorrow— —was only 'Destruction'!
Amphoreus prayed to the eighteen Aeons for salvation, but the only one who answered was Leon, the Hunter. This drop of golden blood was Nanook's declaration of war to Leon. Nanook, representing 'Destruction', had let go, but did 'The Hunt' truly have the capability to overcome Him? Leon answered Him with his actions: Yes!
He would completely seize Amphoreus from the grasp of 'Destruction'! 'The Hunt' would absolutely protect Amphoreus as it stepped towards tomorrow! Because he was here, Leon was here!
"Lend me that 'Golden Blood' in your hand for now."
A familiar yet somewhat strange female voice abruptly sounded from behind Leon.
Leon turned to look, somewhat surprised to see that face here. He also realized who was suppressing 'The Erudition'.
"…Herta?"
Leon spoke with a 'who are you?' tone.
"I hope you haven't confused me with the Herta you're familiar with."
The suddenly appearing 'Herta' said, arms crossed.
"No, but why are you even here?"
Leon was completely caught off guard by her appearance.
Because no one had been informed about this Amphoreus trial, and without a guide like Black Swan— Er, getting in shouldn't be a problem, since the protective substance around Amphoreus had vanished. It should be said that it would be hard to find, without a guide.
"Surprised? You have no one but yourself to thank."
'Herta' scoffed and replied.
Leon remained silent for a moment, pondering why the issue she spoke of had occurred. Although her appearance and figure (details) were identical, this 'Herta' still had considerable differences compared to the Herta he had known the longest. She had less sharpness, more composure.
And the most obvious distinguishing feature was their hair color. The Herta he knew had long gray-purple hair. But this 'Herta' had distinctly silver-white hair, identical to the Herta he had seen previously in her Emperor Rubert III state.
Given Herta's level of narcissism, she considered herself perfect, requiring no alterations. How could such a person intentionally dye her hair?
In other words, this 'Herta' was definitely not the Herta he knew. But she wasn't an imposter either; she was undoubtedly the real deal. The answer was already clear.
If Leon's guess was correct, this 'Herta' was from the other timeline he had visited before. The timeline where Iron Tomb had been dealt with, and she had been crowned a Perfect Scholar.
"You came from there?"
Leon still hadn't fully grasped the question.
"Didn't I already say?"
'Herta' looked up at him,
"Of course, it's thanks to you."
"Me?"
Leon pondered, "Caused by 'Terminus'?"
No wonder he couldn't see Elio's future vision; it turns out his 'Terminus' was 'My forgiveness is the true heart's tether'.
"There's no other 'Path' in this world that allows one to travel against time."
'Herta' subtly implied his obtuseness.
"Were you here from the very beginning?"
Leon wondered if she had been lying in wait for him within Amphoreus all along.
"What else?"
'Herta' sighed, "But thankfully you didn't make me wait long."
"You came surprisingly quickly."
She said, also voicing her own conjecture on the matter.
"The reason I appeared here is likely due to causality."
"She should have appeared within Amphoreus."
If there was anything to explain why she went directly to Amphoreus instead of to Leon's side.
Then Iron Tomb was the only option.
Leon nodded, generally understanding her origins.
He then asked, "In what form did you appear in Amphoreus?"
"Don't tell me you've been in this foreign land all this time?"
If she was truly teleported by causality, she should have appeared inside Amphoreus. That would allow her to secretly manipulate things and act when needed. Why would she appear in this still external location?
"Of course, I appeared within Amphoreus using factors as a medium."
'Herta' said testily.
"That person just now, was he named Baie?"
"He was trying to assault the 'Scepter's' core layer, and I secretly gave him a push."
"As you saw, he burst out."
Herta explained why she was present and active, rather than remaining unseen or trapped.
"I also took advantage of that opening, following his footsteps to leave the 'Scepter's' interior."
'Herta' indicated that most of the credit belonged to Baie.
"Seeing this commotion, I knew you had arrived."
"Then why do you ask me for the 'Golden Blood'?"
Leon looked at her, asking his last question.
"You want to get involved with Iron Tomb again? Honestly, I'm enough here."
Although 'Herta's' appearance was unexpected, it didn't change anything.
"Simply defeating Iron Tomb, indeed, you alone are enough."
'Herta' did not question the truth of his words.
Whether it was her timeline, or his recent direct confrontation with the 'Destruction' Aeon, both proved that Leon possessed the strength he claimed.
"But if you want to save people, you alone are not enough."
'Herta' looked at him, her expression quite serious.
"After you left,"
she began to cite precedents, recounting what happened in her timeline after he left.
"I successfully crowned myself a Perfect Scholar, and smoothly completed the orbital rendezvous with the Mechanical Head."
'Herta' provided the basis for her statement.
"My hair is the best proof."
With that, she ran a hand through her silver-white hair.
"Logically, I should have rewritten Iron Tomb's 'Fourth Hour' then."
"And I did so."
She paused, her expression suddenly becoming somewhat complex.
"But after briefly replacing the Mechanical Head, I discovered that Iron Tomb was merely a beginning."
"A beginning of what?" he asked.
"The beginning of the 'Fourth Hour'."
Herta replied,
"I originally thought Iron Tomb's birth was the entirety of the Fourth Hour anchored by the Mechanical Head."
"But I guessed wrong."
"Iron Tomb's birth was just a start; her corruption did not signify the end of the Fourth Hour."
"Rather, it was just the beginning."
'Herta' shared the intelligence she possessed with him.
"The Fourth Hour is the War of the Gods!"
She said gravely.
"That's too far-fetched; tell me about what's close at hand."
Leon thought it was no big deal.
So what if it's the War of the Gods? It's not starting right now.
Future matters can wait until they arrive; now, the focus should be on the present.
"First, Iron Tomb's birth cannot be stopped."
'Herta' heard this and began to get to the point with him.
This was something no one could change.
"I believe you should be clearer than I am about the capabilities of 'Aeons'."
She thought Leon would have a deeper appreciation for the power of 'Aeons'.
Iron Tomb was destined to be born. No external factors could stop it, because this was something anchored by the Mechanical Head.
Just as years ago, when Polka was assassinating Emperor Rubert, even the two Aeons, 'Mythus' and 'HooH', intervened, they only managed to slightly deflect Polka's scalpel. The Emperor's death was an outcome no one could shake.
"'Nous's' authority is self-evident; the Emperor's War back then is the best example."
"In other words, if things continue to develop this way,"
"the external situation you face will become the same as in my timeline."
"You can only kill Iron Tomb, but you cannot save Amphoreus."
'Herta' continued.
"Nor can you save the person you wish to save."
"My timeline is one thing, but in your own timeline, I don't want you to end with regret."
'Herta' scoffed; she always repaid her debts.
She felt her arrival was fated.
Just as Leon had saved her, this time she would bring him aid.
"What should I do?"
Leon didn't stand on ceremony; after all, he could protect 'Herta' from a mere Iron Tomb.
Killing Iron Tomb was simple, but saving Amphoreus was difficult.
He had just tested it; at least for now, he didn't have the stats to rival an 'Aeon' Emperor.
Amphoreus was a data world composed of 'Erudition'; in this aspect, he really had to listen to Herta, a member of the 'Erudition' faction.
She knew more than he did.
____
New Story: Stardew Valley: What Do You Mean They All Became My Servants
✅ Read 40 chapters ahead of everyone else.
✅ Get cool exclusive stuff and updates!
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!
🚀180 MEMBERS = 5 extra chapters on all stories for supporters!
👻 P - Walnutchan