The incarnation of the Aeon of Harmony, Xipe—the Harmonious Choir, Dominicus—took a step toward The Blue's First University.
With a single stride, the energy of the Path of Harmony surged and resonated with the surrounding space. In an instant, Dominicus crossed countless distances and arrived at Herta's dormitory.
She expressed to Herta that spreading wisdom to all living beings across The Blue star system was an exceedingly beautiful symphony of intellect.
As long as Herta was willing to join the Family, she could establish a new lineage and become its head... even Xipe could share pieces of Harmony's puzzle with her...
Herman, who had been invited, raised his head and stared at Dominicus, surprise filling his eyes. He lifted a hand to his temple and asked the Fourth Mirror:
"The one meeting me this time—is it the incarnation of the Aeon of Harmony?"
"No... the one scheduled to meet you this time is a Self-Annihilator, Acheron," the Fourth Mirror replied seriously. "The incarnation of Harmony that has suddenly appeared in your room—Dominicus—did not make any appointment. This is an unexpected visitor... an intruder. Should Second Madam Herta expel the target before you?"
Herman shook his head inwardly and communicated with the Fourth Mirror through brainwaves: "The Harmonious Choir is an absolute powerhouse even among Emanators. With only the methods of the Super Herta Dark Plane Platform, you cannot drive Them away."
"Even if I took action myself, the chances of victory would be slim... After all, that is an incarnation of Harmony."
"In this world, the only one who could easily defeat Them and burn Them to ashes would probably be an Aeon."
"..."
The Fourth Mirror fell silent.
At this moment, Herman spoke to Dominicus: "Thank you for your invitation, but I have no intention of joining the Family for now. Compared to joining and creating a lineage of wisdom, I would rather conduct my research alone and solve the mysteries of the cosmos by myself."
"But by joining the Family, you would be able to use the collective wisdom of the Family," Dominicus said, a hint of seriousness appearing on that enormous face. "My true self—Harmony—can share that wisdom with you. Your research speed and efficiency would undoubtedly increase further."
Herman asked simply, "Can the collective wisdom of Harmony surpass the Droidhead?"
"..."
Dominicus fell silent.
They knew that even if Xipe Themself shared the wisdom of an Aeon, it would still be impossible to surpass that machine which had ascended from a computer into an Aeon within the domain of intellect and knowledge.
Seeing this, Herman chuckled. "Your silence is deafening... Clearly, the wisdom of all beings in Harmony cannot help me surpass the Droidhead."
Dominicus replied, "But relying on yourself alone, even if you spend your entire life researching, you still won't surpass the Droidhead."
Herman's voice was filled with confidence. "Then you underestimate me. I am Herta—I have no limits!"
He added silently in his heart:
With cheats, Herta has no limits... In the future, she can infinitely accumulate research points. One day, she will break through the shackles of mortals and become a super entity whose values surpass even Nous, the Aeon of Erudition.
More importantly, if Herta joined the Family, the chances of him—the system—being exposed would increase greatly. It might even be captured by Xipe and turned into one piece among Their countless puzzles.
At that point, The Herta's cheat would become one of Xipe's tiny puzzle pieces.
That was something Herman could never accept.
Meanwhile, Dominicus stood there, recalling Herta's declaration that she had no limits. They wanted to say that human wisdom could never surpass the Aeon of Erudition.
But when They thought of the many incredible technologies Herta had created—things that still appeared miraculous even from an Aeon's perspective—even Dominicus could not be certain whether Herta might truly surpass Nous through human intellect in the future...
After a long silence, Dominicus made a decision. "Since you are unwilling, then I will use the power of attunement to let you experience the beauty of Harmony, and then invite... invite... invite..."
Halfway through speaking, Dominicus' words began to stutter, as if the signal had been cut off—like a system freezing.
Herman, seated on the sofa, raised an eyebrow.
Dominicus was an incarnation of the Aeon of Harmony—essentially a part of Harmony itself.
If They had become abnormal, that meant that in a higher dimension, an Aeon had taken action because of Harmony's invitation!
With this thought, Herman looked up toward the ceiling.
...
In truth, his guess was entirely correct. In a higher dimension:
The Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth, had already swung Their hammer, forging a firewall of consciousness that severed the connection between Xipe and Dominicus. They spoke to Xipe with solemnity:
"Herta, like Akivili, represents possibility within this universe. If she joins the Family and becomes part of you, her fate will be fixed. This is something the cosmos cannot accept."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Flames surged as boundless light and heat erupted. The Aeon of Destruction, Nanook, appeared, gazing coldly at Xipe without speaking.
Yet that cold gaze said everything: if Xipe forcibly pulled Herta into the Family, stripping her of freedom—of that precious possibility akin to Akivili—
Then They would act again, using the flames of Destruction to burn the incarnation of Harmony, Dominicus, to ashes. Just as in the past, They had incinerated an incarnation of Harmony and ultimately shaped it into Celenova, a Lord Ravager who commands the Antimatter Legion.
Preservation and Destruction—two Aeons walking opposing Paths—had, because of Herta, temporarily formed an alliance and stood on the same side.
In the higher dimension, more than just these two Aeons appeared.
Aha of Elation, though not in perfect condition, still manifested:
"Herta represents greater possibilities in the cosmos—like another Akivili. Her fate must remain free."
Nous, the Aeon of Erudition, also appeared. Though They did not speak, Their presence alone made Their stance clear.
Even more Aeon consciousnesses emerged—the Aeon of Enigmata, Terminus from the future... Together, they represented the will of most Aeons:
Herta must remain free.
Seeing this scene, Xipe could not help but feel a trace of sorrow.
They had only wished for Herta to join the Family, to gather the wisdom of all beings and conduct research more effectively.
Yet so many Aeons stood in opposition.
Under such circumstances, They could only abandon the attempt to recruit Herta. Although Xipe had fused with the authority of the long-dead Aeon of Order, Ena, in a true conflict, They would not be a match for so many Aeons.
However, while they could no longer forcibly invite her into the Family, they could still guide her onto the Path of Harmony.
After all, what Herta had done in The Blue star system was highly aligned with the Path of Harmony...
After pondering for a long time, Xipe of Harmony expressed Their stance to the many Aeons: They would no longer use the power of an Aeon to attune and forcibly make Herta join the Family.
"Remember what you said."
Qlipoth of Preservation spoke thus and withdrew Their hammer.
Nanook said nothing, merely retracting the ultimate flames of Destruction.
Nous of Erudition withdrew Their projection.
Mythus concealed Their traces.
...
Herta City, Herta's dormitory.
The incarnation of Harmony, Dominicus, looked deeply at Herta and said, "I will not forcefully invite you to join the Family, but I still hope you will carefully consider my previous proposal... Remember, the Family's invitation is permanently valid. As long as you join, you will gain the wisdom of the Harmony Family."
Seeing Dominicus change Their tone, Herman understood that in a higher dimension, an unseen conflict had already taken place—a clash among gods.
He did not know who had won or lost, but he knew that Xipe had not emerged victorious...
"I will consider it," Herman said. At that moment, he suddenly realized he had stepped onto another Path—or more precisely, the Path of Harmony itself was actively approaching him, ultimately causing him to tread upon it.
What was going on?
Had Xipe taken a liking to him and become reluctant to let go... refusing to give up?
As this thought arose in Herman's mind, he heard Dominicus' voice: "You have spread wisdom across a domain—this is extremely aligned with the Path of Harmony. You are naturally suited to join the Family... The fact that you have now stepped onto the Path of Harmony is the best proof!"
"Believe me, once you join the Family, you will understand just how inclusive it truly is—it is the ultimate form of embracing all things..."
Herman's lips twitched slightly. "Can Harmony really embrace everything?"
Dominicus replied with confidence, "Of course."
"Then can you embrace her?"
Herman raised his hand and pointed toward the dormitory door.
Dominicus turned Their head and looked toward the entrance, where They saw a tall woman with black-purple hair. A blade was slung across her back, and an aura of Nihility emanated from her—like a humanoid black hole.
With a single glance, Dominicus confirmed that she was a Self-Annihilator, a being destined to fall into Nihility.
Wait... this was no ordinary Self-Annihilator, but one who had gone extremely deep along the Path of Nihility and completed her own self-coronation—an Emanator of Nihility!
Herta was asking Harmony to accept something like this?!
Impossible—absolutely impossible. If such a person joined Harmony and became a member of the Family, Harmony would be contaminated by Nihility. The Stellaron disasters would become even more terrifying, and it would signify that the future of the cosmos was fated to move toward the Four Apocalypses represented by Harmony...
After thinking this through, Dominicus slowly said, "Perhaps you should choose someone else. Harmony does not accept just anyone..."
???
Acheron, who had just stepped into the dormitory, heard this and a confused expression appeared on her usually blank face, question marks practically popping up over her head.
After the confusion, Acheron carefully observed Dominicus and gripped the Blade of Nothingness. She had already confirmed that the being before her—this anomaly—was no weaker than herself.
At that moment, Herman spoke. "Dominicus, in the future I will certainly research Nihility and unravel its mysteries... If you cannot accept Self-Annihilators walking the Path of Nihility as members of the Family, then I will absolutely not join the Family."
Hearing this, Dominicus' enormous face stiffened completely.
Research Nihility!
What could They say? Herta truly was bold. But then again, since her birth she had never encountered a research problem she couldn't solve. Every challenge had been easily overcome. Now that she dared to set her sights on Nihility itself, it seemed only natural.
But that also meant that Herta's future path would either lead her to become a doctor of chaos—or a Self-Annihilator...
In that case, should They still invite her to join the Family?
Forget it... best to leave for now.
Having reached this conclusion, Dominicus slowly said to Herta, "We will meet again. Do not forget what I told you before."
With that, Dominicus teleported away without sparing Acheron even a glance.
Acheron blinked, unable to stop herself from thinking:
Was she... disliked?
Herta, sitting on the sofa, noticed the change in Acheron's expression and said, "It's not your problem. It's the problem of that incarnation of Harmony."
?!
Even someone as expressionless as Acheron showed a shift in her face upon hearing this. "That was an incarnation of the Aeon of Harmony?!"
"Yes. The Harmonious Choir, Dominicus. An incarnation typically summoned only after the Family holds a grand Harmony ceremony," Herta said before taking a sip of water. "Acheron, have a seat."
Acheron nodded lightly, walked forward, sat on the sofa, and let out a long breath. "Then it seems my earlier estimation—that I had a fifty percent chance of winning against Them—was overly optimistic."
"No, perhaps your perception wasn't wrong... After all, that was merely an incarnation. An Aeon's true body and Their incarnation are not the same," Herman explained as if listing facts. "In the past, Nanook merely made a casual move and killed an incarnation of Harmony—the Eternal Centurion, Aelenev."
"Let me give a simple analogy. If Xipe is composed of countless puzzle pieces, then Dominicus or Aelenev are just a single piece among them."
After saying this, Herta looked up and stared at Acheron. "So, what is your purpose in coming to see me?"
"I want to ask you to resolve the issue of Self-Annihilators... gradually moving toward Nihility." Acheron raised her hand and placed it over her chest.
"In the past, I believed this condition had no cure. Walking the Path of Nihility, I would only continue to lose things—taste, the five senses, memories, emotions... But after passing through the worlds of The Blue star system, my thoughts underwent a complete transformation."
"I can feel that after arriving here, my intelligence has increased. This is a fundamental change." As she spoke, Acheron fixed her burning gaze on Herta. "Therefore, I believe that you, Miss Herta, can cure my condition."
Herman fell into thought upon hearing this.
Curing a Self-Annihilator's condition... It sounded extremely difficult. More importantly, Acheron was not an ordinary Self-Annihilator but an Emanator of Nihility who had completed her coronation and reached a profound depth on that Path.
That would make the treatment even harder.
Should he accept Acheron's request?
The moment this question flashed through Herman's mind, Herta's consciousness rose up, emerging from the Simulated Laboratory as she spoke calmly, "Of course we'll take it. After all, this is a problem delivered right to our doorstep."
Herta's tone was filled with delight.
Herman noticed this and felt a sudden realization.
Of course—what Herta desired most was research, solving problems... Now that she was faced with Acheron's issue, she was naturally interested and eager to resolve it.
But the Path of Nihility was extremely dangerous...
As this thought arose, Herman immediately refuted himself.
Dangerous? So what? No matter what, Herta was under his protection. With him here, even if she researched Nihility, nothing could go wrong.
Thinking this, Herman immediately asked Herta's consciousness how to resolve the problem of Nihility—the Self-Annihilator condition.
With as many as three thousand research points, The Herta only needed a brief moment of thought before forming an idea:
"Introduce large amounts of positive or negative emotions from the Warp dimension, and use those emotions to stimulate Acheron's brain consciousness. Through this method, it may be possible to awaken the emotional perception she has lost within her soul."
Hearing this, Herman felt it was a good idea—but not enough. So he proposed another suggestion:
"Why not collaborate with Ruan Mei and Screwllum to use the Solitary Waves Theory to construct a prototype Simulated Universe? We can introduce fragments of Acheron's memories along with large amounts of emotional energy, allowing her core consciousness to relive her life. Through this process, we can stimulate her awareness and help her recover her lost emotions and memories."
"A good idea." Herta became interested. "I'll discuss this with Screwllum and Ruan Mei shortly."
Herman thought of something else and asked seriously, "By the way, how is the research on psychic modification technology progressing?"
"Perfectly successful, of course. As long as the procedure is completed, a puppet will become a psychic Herta puppet, gaining extraordinary psychic aptitude and connecting to my soul projection—the black sun!"
"Moreover, all the Hertas that undergo psychic modification can extract emotional energy in reality and open the gates to the Warp in worlds where it does not exist, allowing Warp energy to enter those worlds."
Herta's tone was filled with pride. "You could say that in the future, psychic Herta Puppets will completely become spatial beacons for Herta. Once a psychic Herta puppet opens a Warp gate, it becomes a beacon itself, allowing me to arrive rapidly through Warp transmission."
Herman couldn't help but recall something reminiscent of another universe.
Psychic surgery... the Emperor's angels.
More importantly, once Herta fully mastered psychic modification and created true psychic Herta Puppets, she would indirectly gain the ability to move rapidly through the Warp and deploy forces across the cosmos at incredible speed.
At that point, if Herta wished... she could become a calamity, releasing vast numbers of Honkai Beasts throughout the universe.
But given Herta's personality, she would never do such a thing.
After all, Herta was a research fanatic—a genius who sought problems and solved them.
Not a war maniac...
Thinking this, Herman raised his head and said to Acheron, "I do have a preliminary idea for curing the Self-Annihilator condition. You're familiar with the Warp, right?"
Acheron nodded nervously. "I am. It is the new dimension you opened... These eyes of mine can see beyond the surface of reality into two other dimensions. In one of them, there is a black sun and many strange energies."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Herman's lips. "Good. One of the key elements in my solution relies on the nearly infinite emotional energy within the Warp."
Acheron's spirit lifted. "You mean to use emotional stimulation to help me recover my past feelings?"
"Not just that. I also have a new project—the Simulated Universe: Nihility—Izumo. The project will be based on your memories, allowing your core soul to enter it and relive your past. Through this method, you can recover your lost emotions and memories... Of course, implementing this project will take some time."
"The Izumo Simulated Universe project?" Acheron blinked. Though she could not fully understand Herta's explanation, she understood that Herta already had a plan to cure her—she only needed to wait.
Ever since Izumo and Takamagahara were destroyed and she left the domain covered by the Aeon of Nihility, IX, this was the first time she had seen the possibility of curing the Shadow of Nihility.
And as long as part of the Self-Annihilator condition could be cured, she would be able to maintain a better state and walk further along the Path of Nihility. In the future, she might even gain the possibility of ending Them...
Thinking this, Acheron clenched her fist. "Miss Herta, I will wait for the day you complete the Simulated Universe. Until then, I will remain in The Blue star system, in Herta City."
"By the way, Miss Herta, there is one more matter... When I arrived here, I noticed that war had broken out on another part of the planet. Do you need me to suppress it?"
As her words fell, Acheron had already gripped her long blade. Her hair turned white, and crimson spider lily patterns spread across her skin. A terrifying killing intent radiated from her—a blood-soaked aura born from slaughtering all life on Takamagahara and Izumo...
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