YESYESYES! Execute it quickly! Don't lag!"
Stella let out a silent roar in her heart, frantically poking the "Y" option on the system panel with her mind.
Facing this sudden and inexplicably powerful "Forced Overwrite Command," her intuition overwhelmed all doubts—she couldn't just let the Stellaron continue to plague Belobog, could she? Let's do it!
"Vrrr—!!!"
The moment the choice took effect, that indestructible Stellaron radiating terrifying fluctuations flickered violently like a popped balloon or a light bulb being switched off. It suddenly collapsed inward, turning into a golden speck of light, and with a "shoo," it plunged directly into Stella's chest!
"Ugh... Arghhhhh—!!!"
An indescribable pain instantly swept through Stella's entire body!
It wasn't physical pain; it felt more like a foreign object—huge, cold, and filled with crazed ravings—was being shoved into her soul!
Inside her chest, it felt as if a sun with an icy core was being born. Blinding golden light burst uncontrollably from her chest, illuminating her face distorted by agony. Even through her clothes, the silhouette of a violently throbbing ball of light was reflected!
"Boom—!!!"
With Stella as the center, an irresistible golden shockwave, a mix of extreme cold and chaotic energy, erupted!
[Jingliu] and the Golden Soul Reaper, being the closest, bore the brunt of it and were blown away. [Jingliu] twisted her body in mid-air to stabilize herself, while the golden automaton tumbled and became embedded in a distant ice wall.
Next were Dan Heng, Bronya, Seele, March 7th... everyone, including the High-Cloud Quintet who had just landed (except for [Bai Heng] and [Yingxing] who were hovering in the sky), was pushed back stumbling by this unreasonable shockwave, falling onto the cold snow.
"Stella!!"
Stelle was the first to struggle up from the snow. She saw Stella kneeling on the ground, hands clutching her chest tightly, letting out a painful roar. The golden light became increasingly unstable, as if it would tear her apart from the inside at any moment.
No hesitation, not even a thought.
Stelle's gaze swept across the ground and saw the Flame Lance that Stella had dropped earlier.
She rushed over to pick it up, held the spear across her body, and charged toward the center of the golden storm without hesitation!
"Sizzle, sizzle—!"
The Flame Lance rubbed violently against the dissipating golden energy, producing dazzling sparks and a piercing sound. The spear quickly became scalding hot, and even fine cracks appeared on it.
But Stelle gritted her teeth and, braving the chaotic energy currents capable of tearing steel apart, moved toward Stella's side step by step with great difficulty.
"Bang!"
She forcefully threw aside the severely damaged Flame Lance, which was almost falling apart; the spear disintegrated into several pieces in mid-air.
Then, she reached out with both hands, ignoring the terrifying sensation of intermingled heat and cold, and pressed them firmly against Stella's violently heaving chest, where the light was brightest!
"Ugh—!"
At the moment of contact, Stelle couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
That violent, misplaced Stellaron energy seemed to find a new outlet, surging frantically into her body through her arms!
The same intense pain, the same coldness and chaos, assaulted her consciousness, making her vision go dark.
But she did not let go. Instead, she hugged the nearly unconscious Stella even tighter, her fingers digging into her back, as if to nail the two of them together.
[Fools! Stupid ants!]
The Stellaron's malicious screech exploded in the consciousness of both girls, who were on the verge of collapse, filled with ecstasy and mockery.
[Digging your own graves! How dare you contain my great power with such fragile bodies! Now, I shall take these two bodies full of variables! As the price for your audacity—Huh?!]
The Stellaron's wild laughter came to an abrupt halt.
It was replaced by an extremely shocked, even... panicked probing fluctuation.
[Wait... What are these?! Inside your bodies... these locks... these lights... these... concepts?!]
[No! That's not right! You aren't ordinary lifeforms! You are—Aaaah! Don't come over! Get away from me!]
[Help! Help me—!! Someone... Ugh!]
In the shared, nearly blank conscious space of Stelle and Stella, they "heard" a series of hurried, terrified screams, mixed with some dull "thumping" sounds as if many people (or existences) were kicking something, and the Stellaron's increasingly shrill, gradually weakening wails.
It seemed like... something even more incredible had ganged up and beaten the Stellaron inside their bodies?
Before they could figure out this bizarre situation, an even deeper, more irresistible sense of exhaustion and darkness swept over them.
Everything went black before them, and they completely lost consciousness.
——————
An unknown amount of time passed, perhaps a moment, perhaps an eternity.
Stella and Stelle regained a faint sense of awareness almost simultaneously. The first thing they felt wasn't the cold ground, but an... indescribable emptiness and tranquility, as if they were in the primordial sea of the universe.
They slowly opened their eyes, and then—
They froze completely, almost forgetting to breathe.
They weren't lying on the snow of the Everwinter Plains.
Instead, they were floating in a boundless, strange space woven from countless starlights, data streams, and conceptual threads.
That wasn't even the most shocking part.
The most shocking part was that all around them—above, below, left, right, in every direction—stood majestic figures whose "forms" could not be accurately described in words, only their grand and unique "existence" could be sensed.
Their radiance was either blazing, cold, harmonious, or chaotic. Just by existing, they seemed to interpret some fundamental laws of the universe.
Stella's gaze turned like rusty gears, frame by frame:
His body burning with pitch-black flames, with only the will of termination and destruction in his golden eyes—the Aeon of Destruction, Nanook.
Carrying the Astral Longbow, his gaze sharp as an arrow, as if always chasing prey—the Aeon of The Hunt, Lan.
Holding a scale, with absolute balance and tranquil brilliance flowing around him—the Aeon of Equilibrium, HooH.
Wearing a crown of branches and leaves, radiating infinite vitality and compassion—the aeon of abundance, Yaoshi.
Ever-changing in form, as if composed of countless masks and laughter, radiating an aura of pure joy (and punchability)—The Aeon of Elation, Aha.
Like an immovable mountain from ancient times, his body composed of the hardest substances, silently hammering and forging—the Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth.
Composed of countless machines and beams of wisdom, like a collection of universal knowledge—the Aeon of Erudition, Nous.
Changing like a kaleidoscope, recording all light, shadow, and memories—the Aeon of Remembrance, Fuli.
Multiple independent individuals resonating in Harmony, converging into a perfect and unified movement—the Aeon of Harmony, Xipe.
A mass of silence, nothingness, a giant shadow unresponsive to anything—the Aeon of Nihility, IX (the nickname "Big Boss Black" flashed through Stella's mind).
Shrouded in mist and paradox, whose very existence is a mystery—the Aeon of Enigmata, Mythus.
Symbolizing infinite propagation and the torrent of life, with a constantly proliferating form—the Aeon of The Propagation, Tayzzyronth.
Representing pure aesthetics and ideal forms, with a dazzling brilliance—the Aeon of Beauty, Idrila.
Like a greedy, bottomless black hole, radiating an aura that devours all things—the Aeon of Voracity, Oroboros.
Majestic in dragon form, with an endless body, representing immortality and inheritance—the immortal aeon, Long.
Surrounded by chains of Order, constructing absolute rules and structures—the Aeon of Order, Ena.
Carrying an aura of trailblazing and adventure, as if ready to run toward the unknown at any time—the Aeon of Trailblaze, Akivili.
And, standing at the end of time and destiny, silently gazing at the beginning of everything—the Aeon of Finality, Terminus.
All Aeons—known, unknown, active, silent, even those who had fallen in the "normal timeline"...
At this moment, all gathered here, surrounding the two newly awakened gray-haired girls, casting "gazes" of ambiguous meaning.
"Holy... crap..."
Stella felt her brain's CPU had completely overloaded and burned out. Thousands of words eventually converged into these two simple syllables that best expressed her current shock and bewilderment.
The laurel crown on her head was so startled it tilted to the side of her ear.
And Stelle, after her initial daze, her eyes instantly turned into stars, staring straight at one of the Aeons, praising from the bottom of her heart:
"So... such a beautiful big sister!!!"
Her gaze was firmly locked on the aeon of abundance, Yaoshi, who radiated a gentle aura of life and possessed a sacred and perfect countenance.
On Yaoshi's seemingly eternally compassionate face, there was an imperceptible movement, as if a very faint smile had truly appeared.
She gently raised her hand, which seemed to be composed of the purest life energy. Soft green light seemed to linger around her fingertips as she slowly pointed toward Stelle's forehead, as if to give some kind of blessing... or a head pat?
"Ahem."
A light cough sounded, carrying no discernible emotion but an unquestionable tone of restraint.
Lan, the Aeon of The Hunt, swept his sharp, arrow-like gaze over. He reached out and grabbed Yaoshi's wrist, shaking his head imperceptibly. His eyes were filled with the message: "Don't just give blessings to people of unknown origin, especially the summoner next to her who looks like she can cause a lot of trouble."
Yaoshi's movements paused. She looked at Lan, then at Stelle, who was full of pure expectation and even seemed to want to lean in. She seemed to sigh softly with a hint of regret, withdrew her hand, and returned to her tranquil posture of compassion for all living beings.
"Hahahaha! Interesting! So interesting! Little Stella! Scared silly, aren't you? Did you think you were having a nightmare? Hahahaha!"
Aha's signature, demonic laughter suddenly erupted. One of his avatars even leaned in front of Stella and made an exaggerated grimace with distorted light and shadow.
But the next second—
"Bang!"
A muffled sound.
Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, didn't even change his posture. Only the flames burning on his arm fluctuated slightly, and Aha's avatar that had approached was sent flying like a swatted ball, screaming as it turned into a comical stream of light and flew off to who knows where, leaving behind a series of receding "Hahaha... ouch!"
"Click."
A soft sound.
Beside Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance, countless light and shadow fragments quickly converged and condensed, forming a materialized, exquisite "Light Cone" with the power of memory flowing around its edges.
The front of the Light Cone clearly reflected the current scene—eighteen (counting the swatted Aha?) Aeons symbolizing the supreme Paths of the universe, gathered in a circle as if observing rare animals, with two gray-haired girls in slightly tattered clothes in the middle.
On the back of the Light Cone, a line of elegant cursive text appeared: [Peak Moment of Life (?)].
Stella watched Fuli "take a photo to commemorate" and "make merchandise" on the spot, feeling her worldview shattered into pieces.
Her eyes were glazed as she muttered to herself, her voice drifting like a sleep-talker:
"Good grief... system panel... your backing... is just... way too ridiculously strong..."
She now seriously suspected that her seemingly unintelligent system panel, which scammed her out of stellar jades all day, might, probably, perhaps... have a little bit of energy... enough to make all the Aeons in the universe "go online" for a meeting?
The question now is—what do these big shots want to do surrounding the two of them? Hold a commendation ceremony? Or... a tribunal?