Of course, Aha didn't put it quite that bluntly, but in 'Cipher's' eyes, it was outrageous enough.
Not only had Aha shown up in person—
THEY had even drawn on the power of the entire Path, blasting her appearance and voice across nearly every corner of the cosmos.
Well. Not every single corner. There were still a few places THEIR influence couldn't quite seep into.
But to 'Cipher,' that hardly mattered, because Aha had already spread THEIR voice to almost ninety-nine percent of the universe.
"..."
'Cipher' felt a chill crawl up her spine. A bad premonition coiled in her chest. She had the distinct sense that Aha was about to stir up trouble.
Of course, she wasn't the only one thinking that.
General Xuanquan glanced at 'Cipher,' then up at Aha.
She had no proof—none at all—but she couldn't shake the feeling that whatever happened next might somehow involve her.
As for Ruan Mei, who knew a fragment of the inside story—
She stared at the Fool's Mask hanging in the sky and faintly pieced something together. Perhaps this entire spectacle had something to do with that strange equation 'Cipher' had obtained.
Otherwise, she simply couldn't imagine why an Aeon would make such a grand, universe-wide scene.
Of course, that was the kind of speculation unique to those on the Xianzhou Fanghu.
Those farther away—those who hadn't witnessed Aha first descend upon Fanghu before setting things in motion—had no way of grasping what he was planning.
Take the people of the other Xianzhou ships, for instance. They merely frowned up at Aha in the sky, silently wondering what this so-called Aeon of Elation was up to now.
--+--
At the Interastral Peace Corporation.
The moment branches across various star sectors reported sightings of the Aeon of Elation, Aha, the IPC headquarters finally realized in shock—
This time, the eccentric Aeon wasn't just making a local appearance.
THEY were broadcasting live to the entire universe.
The Board of Directors reacted almost instantly.
All personnel ranked above P45 across every department were ordered to prepare for possible engagement.
Sparkle, the Vice Director of the Strategic Investment Department and a Masked Fool, was naturally the first to be swept up in the tide.
Despite being a Vice Director without any real power, she found herself thrust right into the middle of the Board of Directors' meeting.
Diamond, the actual head of the department, found himself excluded from the session instead.
He glanced at Sparkle, who was sitting nearby, connected to the meeting. Then, he looked at the latest Interastral Peace Emergency News, which was currently broadcasting across the entire universe.
"...Why have the Aeons been making moves so frequently these past few years?"
Diamond reflected on the disturbances of the last few centuries. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were living through a "Season of Troubles."
Ever since the birth of that Aeon of Hope, traces of the Aeons had become far more common.
In the past, Aeons were supposed to be mysterious, untraceable beings—so elusive that many couldn't even distinguish if they truly existed.
But now, their movements were far too blatant.
Not long ago, there had even been sensitive incidents involving the potential resurrections of Tayzzyronth and Ena. This gave Diamond a profound sense of crisis.
Although the Chairman of the Interastral Peace Corporation was Qlipoth the Amber Lord, Diamond was starting to feel that being a mere Department Head didn't provide enough security.
The position was simply too far from the Amber Lord. He needed to be, at the very least, a member of the Board! Diamond felt that in such turbulent times, he had to pick up the pace.
--+--
Meanwhile, on the other side of the cosmos.
Herta was back at home, leisurely basking in the Light of Noa.
She lay in her chair with her eyes squinted, bathed in a radiance that felt as warm as spring water. The glow enveloped her, and a pleasant drowsiness began to settle in.
But right at that moment...
"HAHAHA! ALL EYES ON AHA—!!"
Aha's wild laughter and summons, accompanied by ripples of Imaginary Energy, swept rapidly through Herta City.
Ignoring every defensive measure the city had, the voice rang out clear as day across the entire domain. Only near the courtyard where Noa resided was the noise somewhat muffled by the surrounding light.
Even so, the sudden blast of noise nearly sent Herta tumbling off her seat in fright.
"...What the hell was that noise?! Aha has lost it!"
Herta flicked the hat off her face and looked up through the courtyard toward the depths of space.
A projection, cast from who-knows-how-many light-years away, sat there with that ridiculous giant mask of a face, grinning down at her.
Herta felt a surge of nameless irritation.
This sector of space was as barren as it got; the only residents were her and Noa. Aha was clearly targeting them!
Was this guy mentally ill? Just showing up out of nowhere to scream in her ear for no reason.
However, reports from her puppets soon made her realize that Aha hadn't just spooked her. That maniac had terrified the entire universe!
"It's even on the IPC Emergency News... THEY appeared all over the cosmos. What on earth are THEY trying to do?" Herta stared up at Aha, a look of genuine confusion crossing her face.
--+--
In Amphoreus, Cipher dragged Aglaea to the highest point of Okhema, looking up at the faint figure visible in the sky.
"Whoa, so that's Aha, the Aeon of Elation? Why does he look shorter than Terravox?"
"Hey—watch your mouth! I'm way more handsome than that guy in the sky!" a Dromas barked back. "Mask-face! If you've got the guts, come down here and let's see who's better looking!"
The rest of the Chrysos Heirs also looked toward the sky, curious about what was happening now.
--+--
Even in Penacony, within the Twelve Hours of the Synesthesia Dreamscape, Aha's laughter pierced the boundary between dream and reality, echoing throughout the Planet of Festivities.
Little Robin had been practicing her singing for her brother.
She wasn't singing those abstract, strange tunes, but rather a few melodies Bai Ming had sent her later on. But the young girl's tender voice was cut short.
The laughter drifting through the window seemed to possess a magical pull, drawing the two children to the sill to peer outside.
--+--
Elsewhere, Phantylia—hiding in some unknown world, pondering how to trigger a civilization's self-destruction—looked up.
Celenova, busy optimizing the Legion and churning out more troops, paused.
Asat Pramad, pursuing its strange path, turned its gaze toward the Aeon of Elation, wondering what the prankster intended.
Even Acheron, reaching out from the borders of IX the Nihility, widened her eyes.
She watched as the projection and voice of Elation forced its way in, using a massive amount of Imaginary Energy to pierce through the erosion of Nihility.
The power of "Existence" spread across the border like a drop of water hitting boiling oil, making the dead world suddenly seethe with activity.
Disregarding her own imbalance, Acheron hurriedly tucked away the Memory Bubble world Bai Ming had given her to prevent it from being damaged.
She looked toward the horizon, her face clouded with doubt.
"Aha? To go as far as projecting through the borders of Nihility... what are THEY doing?"
Countless people across countless worlds, separated by vast distances and perhaps even vast stretches of time, all witnessed the visage of the Aeon at that same moment.
At this moment, Aha noticed that it wasn't just mortals watching.
Several other Aeons had turned their gaze THEIR way as well.
After all, the scene of Aha sharing the power and authority of THEIR Path with Bai Ming without reservation was, for the Aeons, as clear as day.
To attempt to establish an existence on THEIR own Path who stood on equal footing with THEMSELF...
Leaving aside the fact that the success rate was incredibly slim, what if it actually worked? If they both represented the Path and a disagreement arose, what then?
Two Aeons sharing one Path—if one decided to trip the other up, wouldn't things go south during a fight? Even for an Aeon, this behavior was beyond bizarre.
Some Aeons thought Aha had truly overplayed THEIR hand this time.
The last time THEY had tried something like this, it was with a worm, but that worm obviously lacked the potential for Aeonhood.
The moment it touched that power, it saw things it wasn't meant to see, and it died an unspeakable death the second the power vanished.
But this time, that peculiar human hadn't repeated that mistake.
She had actually caught what Aha threw at her.
It was miraculous.
Generally speaking, a human shouldn't be able to do that.
Even Herta only succeeded because Nous had left a specific interface for her and filtered out the overwhelming information.
Naturally, the more curious Aeons watched Aha to see THEIR next move. Of course, others remained entirely uninterested, buried in their own affairs, oblivious to the world.
As for Aha, what THEY wanted was simple.
Bai Ming was clearly so suited for the Path of Elation, yet she was always so resistant. That simply wouldn't do.
Aha could see that she was the type of person who said one thing but meant another. She'd claim she was unwilling, but when the food was brought to her lips, she'd eat it while grumbling.
Aha decided that with people like her, "forced love" was the only way.
So, Aha took a deep breath.
With a grinning face turned toward Bai Ming—who clearly sensed something was wrong—THEY announced loudly:
"HEHEHE! I, Aha, the FIRST Aeon of Elation, hereby declare—Bai Ming, the SECOND Aeon of Elation, shall ascend at this VERY moment!"
Before THEIR voice even faded, everyone walking the Path of Elation felt a tremor ripple through the entire Path.
It was as if the Path itself was cheering to welcome a new deity.
But only 'Cipher' knew better. This is just a special effect Aha rigged on purpose!!!
A Path usually only reacts when an Aeon is born or withers when one dies. Aha was perfectly fine; even if THEY shared THEIR power with 'Cipher', it shouldn't cause the Path to shake like this.
That guy!! To sell the lie, THEY were personally shaking the Path to make it look official.
Hearing Aha's speech, 'Cipher' felt her world go dark. But soon, things got even worse.
To make the performance complete, Aha used the power of Elation to mimic the exaggerated tide of Imaginary Energy that accompanies a god's ascension.
THEY sent it crashing down toward 'Cipher's' location right in front of the Xianzhou Fanghu.
Not only that, but Aha manually crafted a physical shell for Bai Ming that was the same size as THEIR own! Then, amidst that tide of energy, THEY scooped up Bai Ming and stuffed her right into that shell.
And just like that, the familiar image of the white-haired woman appeared beside Aha.
Even with a mask covering the upper half of her face, to those who knew her, it was as effective as burying one's head in the sand.
Ruan Mei lost her usual composure. She looked up at the suddenly "ascended" Bai Ming in total shock.
"This..." She opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words.
Bai Ming was an Aeon now? And what was this "Second Aeon of Elation"? Could a single Path even have two Aeons?
She had never heard of such a thing. A flood of questions raced through her mind, but considering the time and place, Ruan Mei forced herself to stay quiet.
Beside her, Xuanquan didn't recognize the face, but she knew Aha had come specifically for 'Cipher'.
Now that THEY had called her out by name, there was no mistaking it. Her expression was even more frantic than Ruan Mei's.
As for the other Xianzhou ships, though they weren't on the scene like Xuanquan, the name "Bai Ming" was burned into their memories.
Now that this name had suddenly resurfaced, the entire Xianzhou Alliance was stunned. Even Jing Yuan accidentally crushed his desk. The news was simply too staggering.
Clatter!
Her chair was violently pushed back, hitting the floor. Herta snapped to her feet, her eyes wide as she stared at the figure appearing beside Aha.
"Wait, what?! Has someone dragged me into a hallucination?!"
Herta lost it too.
If she remembered correctly, Bai Ming and Ruan Mei had gone to the Fanghu to study Permanence, hadn't they? How did it turn into this?
Even Noa's flickering light began to pulse rapidly.
Trapped within the crystal, Noa was starting to panic.
No, no, no—this is a disaster!
That's my Creator!! I've spent years splashing around and marking my territory; you can't just kidnap her like this!
Future me, hurry up and log into that Remembrance account and fly back to punch that masked freak!!
In a remote star system, Jingliu and Kafka watched the white-haired woman and Aha wandering through the stars through a viewport. Both wore subtle smiles.
Kafka tilted her head toward Jingliu.
"Elio says there's still a gap between her and a true Aeon, but looking at this commotion, there's no practical difference. Now, your benefactor is going to be the target of the entire universe."
"Elio also said Bai Ming's strength is second only to the Aeons," Jingliu countered. "You should worry about yourself. If anyone finds out I have a history with her, you won't be escaping either."
"Heh... that's what makes it interesting, isn't it? Besides, I believe your benefactor will definitely come to your rescue." Kafka's face showed nothing but anticipation and curiosity.
Within the IPC, no one knew the real Bai Ming except for Sparkle.
However, they immediately connected the Bai Ming who had pioneered the Aeon of Hope centuries ago with this current figure.
The Corporation figured that among all the "Bai Mings" in the world, only this one had the qualifications and the odds to ascend.
Then again, what the hell was a "Second Aeon"?
No one had ever heard of such a rank. What was it—a Vice-Aeon? An Envoy a step above an Emanator?
She couldn't actually be an equal to an Aeon, right?
Haha... surely not...
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL