"The work of creation is complete... The appointed day has arrived—the Embryo of Philosophy, reforging heaven and earth for us!"
A face as majestic as Order's Ena appeared before them all, radiating the oppressive weight of Divinity. Every heart present, save Lumina's, stirred with the reverence mortals instinctively feel for the divine.
"If your Paradise can save more souls, then sever my path with your own hands."
As Sunday spoke these words, golden ripples emanated from the halo behind his head, sending a tremor through the hearts of all but Lumina.
The Astral Express Crew and Robin exchanged grave looks.
"Hey... is this really an enemy we can defeat?" Feeling the oppressive weight of Divinity radiating from the Embryo of Philosophy, March 7th began to tremble involuntarily.
A treacherous thought surfaced: Maybe we should just give up... abandon our resistance against Sunday and immerse ourselves peacefully, joyfully, in this Sweet Dream...
"March, don't panic! This aura is influencing our minds," Himeko called out, immediately noticing March 7th's distress.
"Miss March 7th!" Seeing her distress, Robin, who was singing high above, swiftly invoked the power of Harmony to attune the energy disrupting March 7th's mind.
"Ugh... I can barely withstand one wisp of this aura. How are we supposed to fight against this?" March 7th muttered under her breath, her lips pursed in silent frustration.
Despite her grumbling, March 7th raised her bow and arrow, aiming squarely at Sunday. At the slightest signal, she would send an arrow straight through his head, whether he was Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday!
Overwhelmed by the "Divinity" aura radiating from the Embryo of Philosophy, the Astral Express Crew, who had initially held the upper hand against Sunday, were immediately forced into a defensive posture.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
"Didn't you give rings to Stelle and March 7th?" Herta asked Lumina, her voice devoid of emotion as she watched the battle unfold from a distance. "If they use the power in those rings, can they defeat Sunday?"
"Obviously not," Lumina replied truthfully, failing to notice the strange undertone in Herta's voice.
"The power in this ring is at best equivalent to a balanced Emanator, and it's only temporary. It's enough to contend with an average Emanator and escape right under their nose without much trouble."
"But defeating any Emanator is absolutely impossible."
"Let alone someone like Sunday, whose energy fluctuations far exceed those of a typical Emanator."
Lumina scrutinized Sunday, the Embryo of Philosophy, with intense curiosity, mentally comparing him to the Aeon of Abundance.
The conclusion was self-evident: even a fart from the Aeon of Abundance would generate greater energy fluctuations than Sunday could muster.
Yaoshi: ?
Rough language, but sound logic. Let the Aeon of Abundance be slightly offended—I'm praising you, not insulting you.
Lumina huffed inwardly, momentarily imagining herself as the Aeon of Abundance.
"I see..." Herta nodded thoughtfully. Then, pressing her hands firmly onto Lumina's shoulders, she asked with utmost seriousness, "Can you... defeat him?"
Herta's expression was so earnest, as if she were seeking the answer to something of vital importance.
As if this matter concerned Herta's future, her experimental results, her very legacy.
"Hey... Little Herta, do you really look down on me that much?" Lumina didn't pay much attention to Little Herta's expression, but she took particular offense to the remark, feeling a twinge of annoyance.
"A mere Sunday? I could obliterate him with a snap of my fingers!" Lumina declared proudly, hands on her hips, head tilted slightly upward, and chin jutting out toward Herta.
Her posture, tone, and words resembled those of a boyfriend boasting to his girlfriend—exaggerated praise that might not necessarily be true...
Yet Herta unconditionally believed Lumina's words.
"Impressive, impressive," Herta muttered casually, her eyes flashing with an inscrutable light.
Assuming Lumina's claim is true, and her fart alone exceeds Sunday's power... even if she hasn't reached the level of an Aeon, she's certainly surpassed the level of an Emanator.
But deep down, Herta had a hunch that Lumina's raw power might already place her at the Aeon level. This conclusion stemmed from Herta's comparison of Lumina to Nous, the Erudition.
To be honest, this comparison was a bit unfair. After all, Nous, the Erudition, used his brain—a colossal machine-head, no less—making it impossible to directly compare him to Lumina.
But there was no choice. Herta had personally witnessed only one Aeon in action: Nous, the Erudition... well, the ones in the Simulated Universe didn't count.
"..."
Aha might count as half an Aeon, but even he couldn't be compared to Lumina.
Though Lumina couldn't rival the Aeons themselves, Herta remained certain of one thing: Lumina's current energy fluctuations had already reached the level of an Aeon's descent, capable of affecting the entire Cosmos.
This was a conclusion Herta had personally observed, verified, and even manipulated.
So, what exactly was Lumina now? Human or god?
Lumina: ?
Meow meow meow?
Alright, she's a god.
A lunatic god...
Herta sighed inwardly, gazing at Lumina's adorably brainless demeanor. She no longer dwelled on the question of Lumina's nature.
Whether Lumina remained human, became a god, or even ascended further, as long as she remained Lumina, there was no reason for Herta to worry.
Herta thought this to herself, inwardly sighing in relief.
Though she didn't understand why she was so concerned about Lumina, her heart and subconscious couldn't help but want to care for her... Madam Herta could only attribute this to the fact that she had been spending so much time with Lumina lately.
"Were you just cursing me?" Lumina asked, her nose suddenly itching as she turned a suspicious gaze on Herta.
"Why would I curse you? Do you want me to curse you?" Herta retorted sharply.
Is this Little Lumina a dog? How can she hear me cursing her even when I'm just thinking it? Herta inwardly scoffed, speechless.
She can even hear my mental muttering about her being a psycho! If that's not a dog, what is?
"If Madam Herta is cursing me, then yes."
Herta: ...
After Herta spoke those words, Lumina fell into a brief silence. Her next sentence utterly silenced Madam Herta herself.
"Ahem, just kidding! I don't have any masochistic tendencies." Seeing Little Herta instantly clam up and fall silent, Lumina covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
"Someone without masochistic tendencies wouldn't even think about such things."
Hearing this, Herta seemed skeptical, giving Lumina a dismissive glance, her disdain utterly undisguised.
It was as if she were saying: Ew, Little Lumina, I never imagined you had such a twisted fetish.
"Hey, don't misunderstand! I really don't think like that," Lumina protested. Realizing Herta seemed serious, she knew she'd gone a little too far with her teasing.
Turning into a masochist in Herta's eyes? No way! Lumina thought frantically.
"Mhm, yeah, sure, ah, right, right, right," Herta replied, her tone utterly dismissive.
If you didn't have masochistic tendencies, would you even think of such things? Herta's unspoken question hung in the air.
Lumina: ...
Sensing Herta's unyielding skepticism, Lumina gave up trying to explain.
It's simple: I'm not masochistic. As long as I'm true to myself, what others think is irrelevant.
At that moment, Lumina completely forgot about her earlier encounter in the Reverie Hotel suite, where she had lain across Madam Herta's lap, letting the older woman do as she pleased...