Only after seeing Hotaru's condition stabilize did Sora look at the thing held in his other hand.
It was an object emitting a dazzling light.
This thing was not to be underestimated. After all, it had just swallowed up every bit of NIHILITY leaking from Hotaru's body.
Swallowing it all was one thing, but from the outside, it did not seem affected at all.
"Should I say, as expected of a Stellaron? It really is unusual."
That was right. The thing Sora held was the famous Stellaron, known far and wide throughout the universe.
It could easily summon the Fragmentum.
It could plunge a civilized planet into war in the blink of an eye.
It could also bewitch people's hearts, granting many of them power they had no ability to control.
Even blocking Star Rail routes and disrupting the normal order of the universe were basic operations for a Stellaron.
On another level, however, it could also create no small amount of benefit.
For example, it could stabilize a planet's magnetic field and make it suitable for habitation.
It could also freeze Fragmentum monsters, giving people a brief chance to catch their breath from their attacks.
Though the Fragmentum monsters might very well have been brought there by it in the first place.
In any case, no matter how one looked at it, the Stellaron did far more harm than good.
And it was likewise indispensable in the creation of an AEON.
After all, far too many coincidences were required for an AEON to be born.
Not only did the Path have to align, they also had to obtain a vast amount of Imaginary Energy.
What was Imaginary Energy?
Before Chadwick of the Genius Society, it was a special kind of energy that had almost never truly been touched.
It could be said that he was the first non-AEON to put this elusive energy drifting through the universe to practical use.
Although he used that energy in a weapon, that had also proved indirectly just how terrifying this energy truly was.
And obtaining such terrifying energy was extremely difficult.
One major reason that drove Chadwick to work with the IPC was precisely because the equipment required cost an astronomical amount of credits when added together.
That was why Chadwick cooperated with the IPC.
From this, one could see the two major characteristics of Imaginary Energy.
First, it was unknowable. Second, it was uncontrollable.
You never knew when this thing would appear, and you never knew how to preserve it.
Perhaps you inhaled a trace of Imaginary Energy while breathing, only to find when you tried to gather it that it had already vanished at some unknown point.
It could be said that this thing was truly difficult to seek out.
Yet when an AEON ignited a Path and ascended to godhood, they required these things.
And what they needed was not just a tiny bit, but an enormous amount large enough to trigger turmoil across an entire star system.
Only by gathering so many coincidences could an AEON descend into the universe.
One could imagine just how difficult that was.
But with a Stellaron, things became different.
Whether it was the previous Titanironia, or Sunday afterward, or DESTRUDOS, who had just been defeated—
These beings who had once stood before Sora proved one thing.
With this thing, the difficulty of allowing an AEON to descend could indeed be lowered by a great deal.
That was why Sora had actually been keeping an eye on this thing's whereabouts all along.
And now, he finally held this dangerous thing in his hand.
"I just never expected you to run to this place."
Sora glanced at the surrounding Iron Cavalry, then at Hotaru, who was sleeping peacefully before him. His tone grew somewhat low.
Hearing Sora's words, the Stellaron in his hand flickered faintly.
Although DESTRUDOS had already suffered that brutal torment just now, THEY still retained one last trace of consciousness.
[HOW DID YOU KNOW WE WERE STILL ALIVE?]
THEY accepted defeat regarding what had happened with Kohane, but the speed at which Sora had come to support her had surpassed THEIR imagination.
From what Sora said, it seemed he had never once believed THEY had been completely defeated from the start.
But that should not be right...
That massive divine body had already dissipated.
Any normal person should have thought THEY had been defeated.
That was the reaction a normal person should have.
Because DESTRUDOS had been born from emotion, if nothing else, grasping the emotions of living beings was very easy for THEM.
After THEY had already prepared so many layers of concealment beforehand, why would Sora still conclude that THEY were not dead?
"Isn't that obvious?"
Faced with DESTRUDOS's confusion, Sora could only shake his head and sigh.
This made DESTRUDOS even more puzzled. Just where had THEY exposed a flaw?
And Sora directly answered THEIR doubt.
"This isn't my first time fighting an AEON of ORDER. Do you think I don't know what it looks like after you people lose?"
That was right. This was the flaw DESTRUDOS had revealed.
After all, during this period, Sora had defeated Sunday, Steel DESTRUDOS, and THEIR complete form in succession.
It could be said that no one understood better than him what an AEON of ORDER looked like after defeat.
He had once gone with Robin into the Embryo of Philosophy to search for Sunday's traces, and he had also cleaned up the battlefield afterward.
Although they had not managed to successfully stop the other side from merging, no matter what, an AEON of ORDER absolutely did not look like that after being defeated.
Not to mention, after he defeated DESTRUDOS, THEY had directly vanished into black smoke and dust, leaving no trace behind at all. It was practically as if THEY had disappeared into thin air.
That made him even more certain THEY were still alive.
"Hmph. Trying to run? You're still too early for that!"
DESTRUDOS fell silent. THEY had calculated everything, but THEY had never calculated that Sora would notice the abnormality in this way.
Most importantly, an ordinary person could not possibly encounter such a situation.
To face an AEON head-on, win, and watch the opponent's state after defeat multiple times...
If that were said aloud, who would believe it? Who could believe it?
But that was simply the truth. It could be said that DESTRUDOS had not lost unjustly.
[WE INDEED DID NOT LOSE UNJUSTLY.]
No matter what, Sora had obtained this experience through his own hands.
But before that, THEY still had one thing THEY had to say...
[THAT GIRL. WITHIN HER...]
When DESTRUDOS thought of what THEY had just experienced, THEY could not help trembling with fear.
THEY had been born from the fundamental rules jointly created by Gopher Wood and Sunday.
So THEY loved humanity.
Yet from that girl, THEY had sensed some strange, inexplicable fluctuation.
Perhaps that thing would have a special influence on living beings, so THEY decided to tell Sora as a warning.
Unfortunately, to Sora, this was not anything important.
Before DESTRUDOS could finish speaking, Sora used alchemy to completely erase that remaining consciousness.
"Ending this as quickly as possible is what I want most right now."
He would absolutely not repeat the mistake he had made before.
To Sora, complete disappearance was the best ending for an extremely dangerous existence like DESTRUDOS.
And so, before DESTRUDOS could finish speaking, THEY completely vanished from Penacony.
Along with THEIR disappearance, the whole of Penacony seemed to undergo some indescribable change.
The black clouds that had gathered around the sky completely dispersed, and the stars once again shone over this city of beautiful dreams.
The distant city glittered with dreamlike colors, looking so peaceful and serene.
And this change also reminded Sora that this matter had truly ended.
He could not help letting out a long sigh. Immediately afterward, the exhaustion in his body surged up.
But before that, he still had to completely seal away a dangerous thing like the Stellaron.
He lightly snapped his fingers. Immediately, countless substances surged in from every direction and sealed the Stellaron within.
Only then could he truly relax.
But what he had not expected was to soon feel someone tugging at his clothes.
He turned his head and saw a very small figure.
The moment he saw her face, Sora's brow immediately rose.
What a delicate-looking little girl. She was rather cute.
But why did this face feel a little familiar...?
Sora's figure was reflected in Kohane's eyes. She clasped her hands together, and the wings behind her ears fluttered constantly from excessive anticipation.
At last. After being busy for so long, she had finally seen him!
Compared to her, however, Sora only grew more hesitant the longer he looked.
That familiar feeling tangled around him, giving him an indescribable sensation.
So after hesitating for quite some time, he finally asked, "Have I met you somewhere before?"
Yet he could not say where he had met her.
Right!
A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Sora's mind. He remembered!
After DESTRUDOS had come here, wasn't this little girl the one THEY had gotten entangled with?
Just now, he had only stabilized Hotaru's condition and had forgotten about this child.
So Sora directly grabbed her hands with both of his.
"Are you all right?"
He looked her up and down, afraid that DESTRUDOS had affected this little girl in some way.
"I'm fine."
Under Sora's scrutiny, Kohane's mood dipped just a tiny bit.
But he was worried about her, so she was still very happy.
"Are you really fine?"
DESTRUDOS was an AEON, after all. The danger THEY brought was impossible to predict.
But when he thought of Hotaru's condition just now and then saw how lively and energetic this girl was, he hesitated again.
"I really am fine. If you don't believe me, check for yourself!"
Seeing that Sora did not believe her, Kohane immediately raised both hands, signaling for him to examine her.
So Sora reached out, placed his hands on her shoulders, and used alchemy to inspect her.
However, the moment his alchemy activated, a pair of hands directly covered his.
When he looked again, wasn't that Robin, who had been standing nearby all along?
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her come over, Sora thought something had happened.
"Nothing..."
After sensing Sora's gaze, Robin felt somewhat embarrassed and looked away.
She scratched her slightly flushed cheek with her other hand and spoke in a somewhat faint voice.
"Don't you think this child looks familiar?"
Familiar? How could she not be familiar?
From the beginning, Sora had been feeling that familiarity. He had only thought it was his own problem.
And now that Robin had said this, he immediately understood something.
"Don't tell me you feel it too?"
Seeing Sora's pleasantly surprised expression, Robin's shyness and blush gradually gave way to speechlessness.
No, you already think she looks familiar, so have you really not thought about why she looks familiar?
What on earth is wrong with you?
The exchange between Sora and Robin naturally all fell into the eyes of the Iron Cavalry behind them.
Ever since Sora himself had arrived, their gazes had been moving constantly between him and Kohane.
"The shape of her brows and her nose... Is it just me?"
"You think so too? When I first saw her, I already thought those features looked a lot like Sora."
"What do you mean, looked like? They're practically the same. Once she grows a little more and her features fill out, she'll look almost exactly like him."
"How would you know?"
"Nonsense. My room is covered in pictures of him. I even know he has a mole behind his ear!"
The moment those words came out, a series of sharp gasps instantly sounded.
There was actually an expert among them on this matter?!
But they quickly brought the topic that was about to veer off course back to the matter in front of them.
Having similar facial features was actually very common.
But having this many similar features was extremely uncommon.
Could it be...
For a moment, they all widened their eyes in unison.
When did this happen? When did it start?
Most importantly, why had this little girl only appeared now?
A whole string of questions appeared in their hearts, but they also knew now was not the time to ask.
For them right now, the most important thing was watching what kind of sparks would fly between Sora, Robin, and this little girl!
At this moment, after thinking it over, a thought suddenly emerged in Sora's mind.
"Don't tell me..."
Robin let out a breath of relief, and Kohane showed a delighted expression.
Was the truth of this matter really about to be revealed?
The two of them had long since been unable to wait any longer!
"She's definitely your relative, right?"
Otherwise, why would her wings and hair look so similar?
As for why she was following Robin around?
That was even simpler. A relative's kid wanted to come out and play, so Robin was looking after her for a while. Simple, right?
"You could've said so earlier. There was no need to hide it like that."
Her fist clenched. Oh, it really clenched this time.
Robin looked at Sora in front of her. Her speechless expression gradually became calm, and even the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
At this moment, she suddenly understood...
When someone was speechless enough, they really did start smiling!
She could not wait to teach Sora a lesson!
But just as Robin was about to step forward, her hand was suddenly stopped by an even smaller hand.
Kohane gently shook her head, then showed a brilliant smile.
Some things were not actually that important.
What mattered was...
She took Robin's hand with one hand and Sora's hand with the other.
Then, beneath their puzzled gazes, she joined their hands together.
"This is what matters most..."
She lifted her face and showed a radiant smile.
That smile also shone upon the two people who were not quite able to face it directly.
Robin turned her head to the side. Sora could feel the other person's hand growing hotter and hotter.
But Sora himself was not doing much better. Robin could even feel his fingers trembling.
Clearly, this matter was also an unexpected development for him.
"Pfft."
Sora suddenly heard a soft laugh and raised his head in surprise.
Robin was covering her mouth at that moment, but her curved eyes looked like crescent moons.
"What are you laughing at? What's so funny about this?"
"I'm not laughing at anything. What do you think is so funny?"
"You, you, you—I, I, I—this, this, this..."
Sora, who was usually so good with words, actually stammered a little at this moment.
His head had turned into a complete mess.
It was as though there were many things he could say, yet in the end, none of them could come out of his mouth.
So he chose the most perfect way to handle this situation!
Silence.
Silence was golden. Choosing silence at the right time would make others feel he was profound and unfathomable.
And right now was very clearly the most appropriate time!
No matter how others judged him, Sora remained still and unmoving like a solitary pine.
It was just that, perched on one branch of this solitary pine, there still seemed to be a bird singing sweetly.
And this harmonious, affectionate scene also entered the eyes of the figure standing in the distance.
He wore a hood, appearing remarkably mysterious.
More importantly, he stood high in the air without relying on anything at all.
Everything happening below entered his eyes.
That's right. Just like that!
Kohane, you did very well!
This way, the amount of time those two spent dragging things out could be reduced.
"Sigh~ I even have to worry about this kind of thing."
What? You ask why he had come here?
Of course, it was to cut down on the back-and-forth between a certain two dithering people and let what was destined happen a little sooner.
Only then could he get to the things he needed to do sooner.
Otherwise...
As if he had thought of something unpleasant, his steps became a little faster.
After all, he still had some very interesting things to do next.
For example...
Screwing over his past self.
After saying this, his figure vanished from the sky in an instant.
...
"I don't sense any movement from DESTRUDOS!"
Misha looked at the bright sky above in surprise.
Under Sunday's prior persuasion, he had already prepared for the worst.
But after coming over, he found that things did not seem to be as Sunday had said.
"Does that mean... Sora succeeded?"
Compared to Misha's excitement, Sunday appeared unusually calm.
The Penacony before him was so peaceful. That could only mean one thing.
In other words, DESTRUDOS had been completely defeated.
That was why the whole of Penacony seemed so tranquil and serene.
After all, he had once seen Penacony when DESTRUDOS existed.
That had been a realm made of deathly silence and oppression.
The moment one set foot there, they could feel a pressure bearing down on living things at a bodily level.
Yet after he set foot in Penacony, he did not feel that.
Although the Penacony before him seemed somewhat quiet, it revealed vitality.
"I never thought he would really succeed..."
Sunday could hardly believe it.
After all, the DESTRUDOS in this place was absolutely not the same as the one they had faced at that time.
This was the only AEON of ORDER in the entire history of the universe formed by the union of the twins of the Order.
THEIR power was far more complete than ENA's and Sunday's.
And the ORDER Path THEY commanded was also broader than it had once been.
Sunday had even already imagined the sight of XIPE of HARMONY being swallowed and absorbed by THEM.
But unexpectedly... THEY had still lost.
This also indirectly lifted a weight from Sunday's chest.
Because he understood that his dream would never be realized.
Because Sora was here, and Sora would absolutely stand opposed to him.
With the combat power Sora had shown in dealing with a two-in-one AEON of ORDER, would it not be extremely simple for him to deal with Sunday's current broken body?
"But this is fine too. There's no need to think about those things anymore."
The question was, what should he do after this?
Sunday inexplicably fell into confusion.
He had let go of his past dream, but he did not know what he ought to do now.
Just then, a voice called from beside him.
It was Misha. Misha was calling to him nonstop.
"Mr. Sunday!"
As the conductor of the Compass, he had not seen the Compass for so long that he had long since been worrying about it.
So he also invited Sunday to go with him.
"When we get back to the Compass, I'll mix you my specialty!"
Misha cheerfully talked about his skill at mixing drinks.
However, when he followed his senses and saw the Compass, all the color drained from him.
It was not because DESTRUDOS had revived, but because the Compass's current state was completely beyond his expectations!
"My Compass!!!"
Misha instantly grew anxious!
Because he could see all sorts of strange and bizarre objects added to his beloved Compass.
Most importantly, his Compass was being held in a gigantic hand.
How could he not worry?!
Misha was only worried about his Compass, while Sunday was currently focused on the massive figure holding the Compass.
That train robot, several hundred meters tall, was truly far too eye-catching.
Most importantly...
Sunday also sensed something familiar from above!
That was a trace of ORDER.
And the things emitting ORDER fluctuations were the parts on this train used to connect and combine the train cars.
The fluctuations of ORDER connected the trains of the Trailblaze, binding them more tightly together and also granting them the possibility of transformation.
"What is going on?"
Sunday walked forward in disbelief.
After DESTRUDOS had been defeated by Sora, ORDER should no longer exist.
Then where had these things come from?
With anticipation and doubt, Sunday made his way toward Trailblaze Brave.
And when he arrived in front of Trailblaze Brave, he discovered a figure up ahead directing people.
The previous battle could not exactly be said to have had no impact, because the people who died woke from the dream as if they had merely had a nightmare.
No one had truly died in that battle. Some people had only experienced death.
But one could not say there had been no impact either, because Penacony had indeed suffered damage to many buildings because of that battle.
So finding an intact place to hold a concert that belonged solely to the Navigators of the Trailblaze was inevitably somewhat difficult.
After gathering together and discussing it, the Navigators decided to complete the concert in a place that had suffered the least damage.
So they found a location with extremely light damage and began clearing away the wreckage inside.
And the area Sunday saw when he arrived was being handled by a woman with pink hair.
"What is going on?"
Dolly turned around and saw Sunday behind her, his face full of confusion.
The peculiar feeling he gave Dolly also made her fall briefly into a daze.
That feeling... she seemed to have only ever felt it from one special passenger on the train.
And that passenger's name was AKIVILI.
Now, in this place, she had actually felt a familiar sensation.
Although it was not entirely the same, its essence was unmistakable.
"Sir, may I ask what the problem is?"
Dolly looked at him and asked in some confusion.
"I..."
Only after hearing her voice did Sunday recover from his previous state.
He looked at Dolly before him and shook his head.
"It's nothing. I was only curious what this thing is..."
"You mean Trailblaze Brave?"
"Trailblaze Brave?"
Sunday repeated the name.
"That's right. Though I don't know how this happened, after we warped to this place, the train somehow became like this."
Dolly introduced Trailblaze Brave before them in an extremely excited tone.
"Warp? Are you also an Astral Express?"
Hearing that specialized term, Sunday could not help feeling surprised.
Wasn't there only one Astral Express in the universe?
How could there be so many?
Wait. Could this be the key to how Sora defeated DESTRUDOS?
After Sunday connected these points, his eyes immediately widened as he looked at Trailblaze Brave.
"Sir, it seems you're very curious about our Trailblaze Brave!"
Dolly saw Sunday's current state at a glance.
She had seen the curiosity revealed in those eyes on many people before.
As for her question, Sunday naturally would not deny it.
He nodded and admitted it. "I am indeed very curious."
Why did these parts contain fluctuations of ORDER?
"Unfortunately, Mr. Trash Can said he had some things to do. Otherwise, having him explain it to you would definitely be the best choice."
Dolly could not help feeling somewhat regretful.
Mr. Trash Can, who understood this place called Penacony the best, had said he had some gifts to give them and had then gone somewhere unknown.
Otherwise, having Mr. Trash Can explain things to this gentleman would have been the best choice.
"Mr... Trash Can?"
Sunday repeated the name, but quickly shook his head and threw it out of his mind.
Since Mr. Trash Can was not here, Dolly naturally would not let Sunday simply wait around.
After all, she naturally could not neglect an honored guest.
So she would be the one to introduce it this time.
Thus, Dolly led Sunday into the interior of Trailblaze Brave.
What entered his view was the Parlor Car, now drastically changed. Some Navigators were conversing with others.
Seeing Dolly bring an outsider in, they did feel somewhat surprised.
But since she had brought him in herself, they naturally would not ask anything.
However, Sunday had not walked more than a few steps before his identity was recognized.
"Acting Family Head Sunday?"
Himeko looked at Sunday in uncertain surprise.
Although the face matched, the clothes he wore were far too different from when she had seen him before.
Hearing this familiar form of address, Sunday fell slightly into a daze, but he quickly reacted.
He only nodded gently, neither admitting nor denying it.
However, when she had addressed him just now, he seemed to have sensed a familiar feeling.
"What are you... doing?"
Sunday curiously leaned closer.
"We're sealing the Stellaron."
Dan Heng responded calmly.
But his gaze did not dare leave the Stellaron before him for even a moment.
Because ever since DESTRUDOS's defeat, this Stellaron had been extremely unstable.
He was afraid an accident might happen with it.
When Sunday heard this term, he also showed understanding.
A Stellaron. Back when he had become the Embryo of Philosophy, he had come into direct contact with this thing.
Unfortunately, now that he had already given up the dream in his heart, paying attention to this thing no longer served any purpose.
Sunday shook his head and chose not to pay attention to the sealed Stellaron anymore.
However, just because he did not want to pay attention to the Stellaron did not mean the Stellaron would not pay attention to him.
Especially...
'Where are you going?'
A voice suddenly asked this question in Sunday's mind.
This sudden change made him freeze in place.
'Why turn and leave?'
What was this? Was this place haunted?
The voice spoke again, and this time Sunday felt a certain horror.
Because the voice in his mind was his own.
The place the voice came from...
His head turned bit by bit as if it had been wound up, until at last he looked at the sealing device behind him, the one Dan Heng was watching.
And at this moment, the voice in his mind spoke once again.
'Embryo of Philosophy, do you not wish to continue creating the dream of ORDER that will satisfy all living beings?'
The moment he heard those words, Sunday seemed to suddenly understand something.
This Stellaron was not Penacony's Stellaron.
This was...
The Stellaron left behind after DESTRUDOS devoured the Embryo of Philosophy.
In that timeline, Sunday had been devoured and wrung dry, becoming a dried corpse.
And this Stellaron wanted to tempt Sunday into touching it once again.
When he had already abandoned the dream of his past, the past entangled him once more!
What choice would Sunday make this time?
---
T/N: Oh sora... you absolute fool
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