The Stellaron Hunters' base underwent several short-range warps, veering off the star rail before finally descending upon a desolate, vacant planet.
Silverwing followed Elio off the spacecraft, a flicker of anticipation dancing in her heart.
She wanted to see for herself just what was going on with this Silver Wolf—the one who had supposedly reached the absolute pinnacle of mortality.
According to Elio, this Silver Wolf had carved a path through every obstacle, beating every faction she encountered into submission. It was an impressive feat, to say the least.
More importantly, she had reached the apex of the Path of Elation. She was but a single step away from becoming an Aeon.
Silverwing estimated that the girl's understanding of Elation was only a hair's breadth behind her own, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly where that missing piece lay.
After all, Silverwing herself had intentionally left 1% unmastered yet had still touched the level of an Aeon; Silver Wolf, despite being Level 999, had not.
Clearly, what Silver Wolf lacked was far more than just that 1%.
That being said, the upgraded version of Aether Editing that Silverwing had casually created should be something this Silver Wolf could break with a flick of her wrist. But it wasn't a problem.
Beyond Elation, Silverwing had plenty of other powers at her disposal.
"I'm going to go call for backup, meow~. I'll leave the rest to you."
"Go ahead. I'd like to see what Silver Wolf looks like when she's all grown up."
Though she hadn't been by her side every moment, Silverwing felt as if she had watched Silver Wolf grow into the person she was today.
Her attitude toward Silver Wolf was very much that of an elder relative, so she was genuinely looking forward to seeing this future version.
Suddenly, it happened.
Silverwing felt a surge of overwhelming Finality. She had felt it from Elio before, but never this intensely. This time, it was unmistakable.
Or rather, this Silver Wolf from the future had only managed to traverse time and manifest here by becoming the literal embodiment of Finality's power.
The moment that tall figure appeared, a pair of pitch-black claws lunged like a bolt of lightning toward Silverwing's throat.
The strike carried the momentum of someone intending to crush her windpipe with a single hand.
The speed and precision were far beyond that of an ordinary Emanator.
Even if Lord Ravager Phantylia were standing here, she would likely find herself throttled first before she could even think of a way to survive.
However, the person standing before her was no ordinary Emanator. Fine, shimmering scales flickered momentarily beneath the skin of Silverwing's neck.
She didn't move an inch—no dodge, no parry. She simply allowed those black claws to thrust toward her throat, and then—
Clang—!!!
The sharpest spear had met the most indestructible shield.
That throat, which looked fair and soft enough to snap with a pinch, felt like the divine body of the Amber Lord the moment the claws made contact.
An absolute, pure hardness neutralized the terrifying force—a force capable of easily crushing a planetary core—without letting a single drop of that power leak into the surroundings.
Silverwing looked at the stunned, older Silver Wolf and calmly raised her hand, grasping the girl's cold wrist.
In that instant, the attacking Silver Wolf realized something.
On the Path of Elation, this woman was absolutely her equal. And it didn't stop there.
That glimpse of fine scales and the sensation upon contact told her everything.
The power that had neutralized her probing attack undoubtedly came from Permanence—and a version of Permanence laced with Abundance and Propagation.
It was utterly ridiculous!
Silver Wolf's breathing grew ragged.
She had spent countless years and taken infinite risks to reach this stage, yet this woman had not only achieved it already but had also reached such profound heights in other Paths?
"...I have never heard of someone like you in my future. Who on earth are you?"
Judging by the strength of the person in front of her, she might actually be stronger than Silver Wolf herself.
Someone like this, even if they died halfway through their journey, would surely leave their name etched in the history of the cosmos. Yet, she had never seen her.
This could only mean one thing: in the history she came from, this person never existed.
As for the idea that she existed but never gained power, Silver Wolf didn't buy it for a second. With this level of skill, even at her absolute worst, she should at least be at the level of an Emanator.
Elio had said he found an unprecedented, massive variable capable of shaking the very end of the universe. At first, she hadn't believed him. But now, Silver Wolf was starting to.
This was too abnormal.
It was as if this person had just blinked into existence out of thin air.
Belief was one thing, but Elio's back-and-forth behavior—saying he didn't need her one moment and then calling for her the next—still made Silver Wolf irritable.
And the culprit was this woman who looked just like her. On top of that, this person seemed to have accomplished things she couldn't.
So, she intended to have a real fight.
But before Silver Wolf could make another move, Silverwing gripped her wrist and, with undeniable, raw strength, pulled the hand away from her neck.
Silver Wolf felt an invincible force not only suppress her body but also effortlessly dissolve the Aether Editing power she was trying to summon. She was completely powerless to resist.
Yet, despite that overwhelming power, Silverwing was merely looking at her with a gentle gaze, taking in this tall, grown-up LV999 Silver Wolf who had clearly weathered a lifetime of hardship.
She looked cool, and those world-weary eyes, full of stories, were quite charming.
While her chest had certainly filled out more, she still couldn't quite compare to Bronya Zaychik. Is the scale of Bronya Zaychik really because of Seele's influence?
Ahem...
Silverwing's mind wandered for a split second before she pulled herself back.
In her eyes, that look in Silver Wolf's eyes could only mean one thing.
"It looks like you've been through a lot. It must have been very hard on you."
"Tsk, what's with that look? Are you my mom or something?"
Silver Wolf felt a shiver run straight to the top of her head. The way this woman was looking at her was just too weird.
From the sidelines, Elio's cat head popped out with a "meow" and said, "The current Silver Wolf is essentially under her care, so she's treating you like a child, too."
"..."
Silver Wolf was so angry she almost laughed. She had seen everything in her time, but today's encounter was truly unexpected.
"Disgusting! The past me was really that weak, huh? No wonder I haven't maxed out Aether Editing yet."
Silver Wolf sneered. The young Silver Wolf of this era wasn't even Level 99 yet. At that age, she had long since reached the cap. If Aha hadn't arrived so late, her level back then would have been even higher.
Activating Aether Editing, Silver Wolf broke free from the woman's grasp and instantly transformed the entire planet into a domain she could manipulate at will.
Then, the Aether Editing coalesced into a massive pixelated sword, carrying code designed to delete reality, and came crashing down toward Silverwing.
With the code embedded in that blade, a single strike could reduce a star's mass to zero and obliterate an entire solar system in an instant.
However, the essence of Aether Editing was still Elation. Silverwing saw through the power of the strike clearly. She raised her hand, and a slender, elegant silver longsword grew from her palm.
With a simple upward parry, she effortlessly neutralized the massive pixelated blade.
Silverwing then flickered, appearing directly in front of Silver Wolf.
"Children should enjoy their lives. With me protecting her, why would she need so much power?"
Silverwing admitted that because of her intervention, the current Silver Wolf might be more skilled at hacking but was perhaps a bit lacking in raw combat strength compared to the original timeline.
But she didn't care. As long as she was there to protect her, there was no need for a teenager to force herself to chase endless power.
She was still young; there was nothing wrong with taking things one step at a time.
What was wrong with a child playing a bit and wasting some time?
She intended to shelter Silver Wolf for a lifetime, until she grew into someone who no longer needed protection.
Immediately following her words, a giant Pac-Man descended from the sky, opening its void-like maw to swallow Silverwing whole. Silver Wolf threw her arms wide, mocking her without mercy.
"Ridiculous! What use is your protection? Can you protect her forever? Look at the IPC, look at Polka Kakamond. In the end, if you don't have power, you'll still be crushed."
Boom!
The Pac-Man slammed into the ground with the force of its momentum. Its cavernous mouth swallowed an entire mountain range, and its massive frame bored deep into the earth, reaching all the way to the core.
But soon, the giant Pac-Man seemed to be hit by a data-deletion command of its own, dissolving into a stream of glowing particles.
Amidst the ruins, Silverwing remained standing tall and unruffled.
"Why wouldn't I? And not just her. Since you've appeared before me, I'll take you along to see the future you desire as well."
"Absurd!"
Silver Wolf wasn't discouraged. She rallied her strength once more and charged at Silverwing.
However, no matter what methods she used, it was all in vain against Silverwing. As they clashed, Silverwing realized something else.
Even at Level 999, this Silver Wolf's understanding of Elation was still a notch below her own.
Though she wasn't sure of the exact detail, that single missing link allowed Silverwing to completely suppress her.
That gap was like a natural chasm. No matter how hard Silver Wolf tried, she couldn't cross it even by an inch.
No matter how exaggerated her attacks were—destroying star systems, extinguishing suns, or whipping up terrifying tides of Imaginary energy—every strike that landed on Silverwing failed to cause even a ripple.
Silverwing took every attack from the Level 999 girl head-on, yet she neutralized every shred of energy with perfect precision.
The result was that while Silver Wolf's offensives looked world-shaking, they couldn't even crumble a small hill.
The greatest damage done to the planet was still the deep tunnel to the core carved by that initial Pac-Man.
Silverwing barely attacked, mostly defending. After a long stalemate, she finally felt she understood Silver Wolf's combat style.
Meanwhile, Silver Wolf's patience was being ground to dust by these futile attempts.
"Are you looking down on me?! Since you said you'd take me to see a future without limits, then come and kill me!! Do it!!"
The Level 999 Silver Wolf had come here with the intent to die. She was prepared to discard all her power to serve as "food" for her opponent.
However, she would also preserve her consciousness, dwelling within a game cartridge to witness the things Elio had promised her.
Now, she had seen the strength of this unexpected woman. But she could not stand the fact that the woman hadn't even made a serious attempt to attack her from start to finish.
This infuriated the true "Lone Wolf of the Universe" beyond measure.
"Get serious! Let me see just how far your strength truly goes!"
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL