"Nanook? Why is He the one who showed up?"
It wasn't just Kiana—even Herta on top of her head had been startled by this unexpected turn.
Back when Kiana's identity as a Lord Ravager had first come up, they had hoped to use that as a link to draw Nanook in.
But now they had clearly covered her in the aura of Erudition, hadn't they?
Herta soon calmed down.
Although everything inside the Simulated Universe was fake, within this virtual cosmos the Aeons it reproduced were indeed close enough to the real thing to be almost indistinguishable.
So it was hardly strange that He could see through the truth hidden beneath Kiana's disguise.
"Mm... so what are we supposed to do now?"
Kiana asked the question aloud.
Herta quickly came up with a response.
"Simple. Ask Him directly whether He knows anything about your aunt!"
Yes—after a brief bout of frantic thinking, that was the answer Herta had arrived at.
In past runs of the Simulated Universe, every time they encountered Nanook, that god of slaughter would wipe them out without a second thought.
But obviously, in Nanook's eyes, Kiana—as a Lord Ravager—was probably one of His own.
For whatever reason, Nanook had shown up on His own, but that didn't matter. Judging from the current situation, He didn't seem to bear any hostility toward Kiana.
And as an Aeon, Nanook naturally wouldn't be affected by Enigmata either.
Which meant that asking Nanook about Theresa and the erased history was, at the very least, a workable strategy.
Unfortunately, things did not go nearly that smoothly.
A wave of scorching heat erupted, and pain struck with violent force.
Herta was instantly killed by Nanook.
Ruan Mei suffered the same fate.
Only Kiana remained standing where she was, watching helplessly as the two little birds shattered into fragments and vanished.
Kiana: "…"
Nanook's gaze settled on her.
"Uh... hello?"
Kiana tried a tentative greeting.
With Herta gone for the moment, there was naturally no reason for her to keep asking about Theresa or Enigmata.
But now that only she and Nanook were left...
what exactly was she supposed to do?
Nanook did not answer.
He simply continued looking at Kiana in that same calm, inscrutable way, as though thinking about something.
Seeing that, Kiana gave up on pretending.
She tore away the layer of Erudition masking her and revealed the true essence beneath it—the nature of a Lord Ravager of Destruction.
She might have been a Lord Ravager who had appeared halfway out of nowhere rather than one personally chosen by Nanook.
But Paths did not lie.
She was, without question, an Emanator of Destruction.
Since Nanook had sought her out on His own and hadn't erased her the way He had Herta and Ruan Mei, He had clearly noticed that much already.
[Who are you?]
A vast, majestic voice resounded directly within Kiana's mind.
Clearly, Nanook was also confused—and curious—about this Lord Ravager who had not received His own blessing.
Unlike the Path of Nihility, where power could be drawn independently, the Emanators of Destruction could only be elevated by Nanook Himself.
And this unusual existence before Him was one He had absolutely no memory of.
At that moment, inspiration struck Kiana again.
In her earlier testing, she had already classified all her "power banks" into strict tiers.
At the very bottom were ordinary people—those who had never stepped onto a Path, or those who might as well not have stepped onto one at all.
Those types could provide Kiana with almost no points whatsoever; only when their numbers piled up could she squeeze even a little value out of them.
One tier above them were people like Asta—those with influence, wealth, or at least some measure of combat capability.
Those power banks were already good enough for Kiana to treat a little more favorably, but their long-term value was still lacking.
Only one level higher still—people like Herta—were the true main force behind Kiana's point farming.
So if that was the case...
what about Nanook?
What kind of level of power bank would Nanook count as?
Even as only a projection within the Simulated Universe, the level of existence He represented far surpassed that of an Emanator.
After all, He had just casually wiped out two geniuses.
Fortune favored the bold. Kiana decided she could try.
Besides, this was only the Simulated Universe. Even if she died here, she wouldn't really die.
"I am the next Aeon of Destruction—the one chosen by you."
The instant those words left her mouth, Nanook moved.
That vast, sky-covering figure lowered His head slightly. The massive wound across His torso still poured out golden blood, yet His gaze cut straight through every disguise Kiana possessed and fell directly onto the deepest part of her soul.
[You are not My Emanator.]
Of course not.
In Nanook's memory, He had never elevated such a Lord Ravager, nor had He ever chosen a successor to become the next Aeon of Destruction.
But instead of retreating, Kiana took another step forward.
"System. Exchange for the Judgment of Shamash."
She spoke inwardly.
[Ding. Confirm spending 50,000 Fabricated History Points to exchange for the weapon, Judgment of Shamash?]
"Confirm."
The moment the words fell, a blaze of fierce light exploded from Kiana's palm.
It was a conflagration capable of burning everything to ash—
Judgment of Shamash.
This Divine Key, crowned as the Key of Destruction, now rested quietly in her hands in the form of twin pistols.
Nanook's movement paused for the briefest instant.
But Kiana did not stop.
She crossed both hands, the twin guns spinning in her grip; in the next moment, the paired weapons fused into one, becoming a great sword wreathed in gold-red flames.
At that instant, the authority of the Herrscher of Flames merged perfectly with the power of the Judgment of Shamash. Kiana's aura surged higher and higher, to the point that she almost seemed capable of standing as Nanook's equal.
Of course—
that was only the appearance of it.
This was still the Simulated Universe. Nanook was only a projection, but He still possessed the rank of an Aeon.
Still, appearances were enough.
Kiana lifted her chin. Her eyes, gradually turning gold, now reflected only Nanook's figure.
"In reality, I am the next Aeon of Destruction, ordained by fate."
"I will destroy all things—including Destruction itself."
"Nanook, I have come to bring destruction to you."
Kiana raised the Judgment of Shamash.
"Heavenly Fire—draw!"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 150)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter95)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 55
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 45
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 32
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 31
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 31
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