A wish.
Every person holds a wish in their heart. This profound, inner driving force ignites a bright flame in the darkest night, guiding people forward, illuminating the rugged and uncertain path ahead, giving them a chance to press on through hardship...
The deep darkness of despair had gradually enveloped Jarilo-VI after the arrival of the Antimatter Legion, shrouding the once-thriving New Belobog.
But as this desperate night fell, the residents of New Belobog, guided by hope, clung tightly to the conviction of [Salvation].
The Belobog of old had weathered the wind and snow for over seven hundred years. In that frigid apocalypse, all hope had gradually crumbled under the erosion of time.
Everyone had lost their expectations for the future, eventually abandoning them entirely, living one day at a time...
They were like rats sealed in a deathly cold cave. Outside was the wind and snow, symbolizing death and ice. Inside was damp, cold, and cramped, without even enough food to sustain them.
Therefore, they were selfish, they were despicable... To survive, they would do anything, make any number of vile choices, no matter the cost.
Even if it only granted them a single night of peace.
That, at least, was a day's worth of warm sun.
In several past simulations, it was precisely because the people of Belobog held this attitude, completely devoid of any expectation that the planet frozen by the Stellaron could be saved, that they shortsightedly clung to the benefits right in front of them, unwilling to let go...
But now, the world was vastly different.
The old Belobog had trembled in the snowstorm, constantly encroached upon by the Fragmentum. The entire city teetered on the brink, never knowing when it would be completely eroded, transformed into a false creation, deconstructed and rebuilt within the Fragmentum's domain.
On that eternally frozen world, people could only barely survive within the city under the blessing of Qlipoth the Preservation...
The crisis of the Fragmentum surrounded the city, and the frozen soldiers of the Antimatter Legion blinked their eyes from within the ice, staring at Belobog with malicious intent, coveting the last bastion of civilization on this frozen planet.
When their very survival was a luxury, how could they dare to hope for a better life after conquering the Great Freeze?
But now, New Belobog had already defeated the cold.
The people had personally witnessed colossal steel giants plow through the snow, flatten mountains, and fill the deep seas. Everything as far as the eye could see was covered in steel. The planet had been thoroughly conquered by the people of New Belobog, and all disasters had become mere history etched into memory.
Seven hundred years of despair were overthrown in one fell swoop. It was as if a great stone weighing down their hearts had been shattered, once again granting them a clear, bright sky.
—When one has seen the dawn break on the horizon, who would be willing to return to the dark, cramped cave?
Since they have seen the light, they can no longer tolerate the darkness.
Belobog could no longer endure despair.
Even in this situation, facing these enemies, the hope in their hearts was still burning fiercely.
Burning, roaring, and then bursting into brilliant light!
---o---
Light flickered across the chaotic battlefield. Ron calmed himself, feeling the profound sense of freedom that permeated his entire being after being unshackled from "Fate." With his true self, he quietly reached out to the hazy yet resolute will coalescing over New Belobog.
He saw a light blooming before his eyes.
Ron saw a Silvermane Guard thousands of kilometers away. The guard stood before a little girl hugging a teddy bear, his longsword piercing the synthetic nanny who had raised a ceramic shard high above the child.
Machine oil dripped down his blade. He covered the little girl's eyes, softly urging her to go to a nearby safe zone.
Ron saw a guard stop a wheelchair that was skidding toward the roadside, comforting the panicked old man within it. Then, the guard turned with an icy expression. A sacred light flashed on his spear, and in an instant, it glowed red-hot and pierced through a stainless steel thermos hurtling toward him.
Then, the holy light bloomed, forming the vague shape of a sacred sword, which then slashed down, cleaving the frenzied synthetic caregiver in two.
Ron saw several guards surrounding an ambulance that had crashed by the road. The leading lieutenant tore open the vehicle's cabin door. He saw the pregnant woman inside, crudely bound and tears streaming down her face. Three colors swirled around his cold battle-axe.
An emerald hurricane accelerated the swing of the axe; azure ice formed a sharper blade; and a golden-white holy light represented his unwavering resolve...
The synthetic doctor, brandishing a scalpel, was smashed into the floor of the vehicle by the axe. The lieutenant took off his helmet, revealing a face that still looked somewhat young.
This Silvermane lieutenant was merely a young woman, but at this moment, she too had stepped onto the battlefield with a steadfast will.
She untied the tight bonds on the pregnant woman, gently patting her back and holding her in her arms, comforting the poor mother in her own still-youthful voice.
The holy light before him shone ever brighter, its color turning to a brilliant gold.
Ron saw Cocolia, leading her personal guard, gathering the scattered Silvermane Guards. Countless elite soldiers cleared obstacle after obstacle in the steel jungle. Crazed synthetics were torn apart by their weapons, reduced to scrap. But at the same time, the light of some guards was crushed and extinguished by AI-controlled Titan mechs.
He saw Bronya hastily grab a familiar rifle from the New Qlipoth Fort's armory. Her armor was crooked, even missing a pauldron, a clear sign of her rush.
But she still strode quickly onto the battlefield, gathering scattered guards. Wind-riding bullets, wreathed in holy light, tore through steel, clearing a safe space for the citizens of Belobog.
He saw Seele become a deep purple butterfly shadow in the chaotic city, reaping the AI chips of the automatons, her scythe already stained with machine oil that would be difficult to wash away.
He saw Natasha standing before a safe zone cleared by the guards, helping to gather civilians while her grenade launcher was fully loaded, ready to face the tide-like onslaught of the automaton legion.
He saw Serval summon lightning; he saw Pela calculating enemy telemetry for the guards; he saw Gepard slam his steel fist into the ground, a golden-white holy light flickering over layers of ice walls...
He saw the guards putting their lives on the line to join this war. Their wills were firm, and they did not flinch, placing their lives as stakes on the scales of victory.
Even though the other side of the scale was weighed down by a mountain of despair, and they were but mere feathers, they still resolutely wagered their lives, all for the flickering flame of hope in their hearts. Their unwavering will shone brilliantly...
Sacrifice, Preservation, Dedication, Salvation, at any cost.
Fervent, resolute, with no doubt in [Salvation].
All these beliefs related to [Salvation] merged at this moment, finally integrating into the grand wish of [Salvation], continuously knocking upon the sturdy door between the Imaginary Void and reality.
Ron responded to this grand wish of [Salvation]. The seven-hundred-year-old conviction of Belobog burned into a flame of hope, becoming the tiny spark that lit the fuse...
All the suffering in this sea of stars became that fuse. The fire of hope ignited it, burning it away, detonating the hope for the future and the expectation of "salvation" held by everyone in the cosmos, long suppressed under the weight of hardship.
In that instant, the grand wish of [Salvation], in response to Ron, was utterly detonated. It became a roar that shook the very foundations of the universe, completely blasting open the once-impenetrable boundary between the Imaginary Void and reality...
A phantom, unknowable, incomprehensible great tree had its roots in the endless Imaginary Void. The will of [Salvation] resonated strongly with the Tree of Existence, and the colossal entity that constituted the world merely rustled its branches in response.
A slender, tender branch, split from the main trunk of the Tree of Existence, accepted this powerful will. This delicate young branch pierced into the endless Imaginary Void. Its spatiotemporal vessels opened wide, greedily absorbing the infinite Imaginary energy within...
At that moment, a powerful resistance manifested, hindering Ron from constructing this channel of Imaginary energy, preventing him from completing the formation of the Path of [Salvation].
But the tiny sparks of hope in the hearts of everyone in the sea of stars gathered together, becoming specks of golden light that rose from every corner of the universe and surged toward Jarilo-VI.
These faint, weak hopes transformed into sincere expectations and power, merging into Ron's body, bit by bit...
As soil accumulates to form a mountain and water gathers to form a sea, even the faintest hope becomes an indispensable force on Ron's path to Aeonhood.
Countless wishes pushed Ron forward, tearing apart the Paths of numerous Aeons with all their might...
Ron took "salvation" from [Abundance], "sacrifice" from [Preservation], "assistance" from [Harmony], and "continuance" from [Remembrance]...
The concepts from various Paths related to [Salvation] were forcibly torn and assembled by Ron, building the solid steps for his ascension.
In the next moment, Ron fixed the driving force of the Path, embodied its will, and commanded this Path—constructed from the philosophies of countless Aeons—to travel upstream to its source, where he expertly took his seat upon the throne at the end of the Path of [Sal'vation]...
Endless power poured back from the Path of [Salvation], flooding into Ron's physical form.
His body began to crack under the strain of this limitless, unrestrained power, on the verge of collapsing, of being utterly destroyed in a great firework of Imaginary energy.
Hardship, sorrow, pain—all the inexplicable calamities fell before Ron. Familiar scenes from the simulation appeared in reality, yet they were so much more real...
A chant came from a distant place. The suffering of all living beings became a lament, coiling around Ron like a curse, echoing the aura of [Destruction] from the Antimatter Legion, pressing down with the weight of the world.
But feeling this curse and pressure, which had almost reached the level of an Aeon, the brilliant golden specks of light in Ron's pupils finally connected, forming a ring of flowing light, tracing a sacred sigil in his eyes.
Faint golden patterns flickered across his body. Golden blood, mixed with the now-fully-digested divine blood of Nanook the [Destruction], flowed through Ron's body, coursing through his mortal veins.
A reddish-gold, faintly reminiscent of molten rock, shimmered on Ron. The countless fine cracks on his body glowed with the bright hue of lava. The scorching radiance seeping from these cracks exuded an aura that intertwined [Destruction] and [Salvation]. Another concept squeezed its way into Ron's still-unstable Path—
The "rebirth" that slowly emerges from the embers... after all things have reached their end.
Star Howler's prediction was correct. Ron was indeed prime material for the Path of Destruction. His understanding of [Destruction] was most similar to Nanook's own; both knew that after destruction comes new life.
But Nanook the [Destruction] saw everything in the world as an error that should not exist, sapient civilizations as nothing more than cancers proliferating across the cosmos. He valued the process of [Destruction], the collapse of civilizations, the long-burning calamitous fires...
Ron, however, focused on what came after destruction, on the rebirth of civilization and life among the ruins and embers. For him, it was the tender sprout growing from the ashes. If Ron had walked the Path of Destruction, this would have been his aesthetic.
And now, He no longer needed to care about Star Howler's threatening invitation.
He now had the possibility of fully realizing his own aesthetic of "destruction"...
To destroy all that is evil, and save all that is good;
To destroy all that is vile, and save all that is noble;
To destroy all who wish to destroy others, and save all who wish to save others—
This was the "destruction" that must be wielded for the sake of [Salvation], a destruction that brings hope. This was Ron's unique aesthetic of "destruction"!
A searing white light erupted from his body. Countless golden specks of light gathered behind Ron. Sacred gold and white, mingled with a trace of crimson, intertwined and finally formed a pair of gigantic wings of gold and white that seemed to cover the entire sea of stars.
On these ethereal yet real wings, every single feather held a resolute wish. The wings sheltered the entire cosmos. All who were suffering from disaster and calamity but still held hope in their hearts felt a resonance with the Path of [Salvation], and were sheltered by Ron's wings...
Red-gold divine blood flowed from the cracks in Ron's hands, tracing the shape of a familiar longsword like molten metal. Ron reached out and grasped the two-handed sword. The grand wish of [Salvation] was now inscribed upon its blade, forming fine patterns.
On the spine of this holy sword was embedded a crimson gem. It was as if blood swirled within it, seething with the righteous fury of [Salvation], ready to bring merciless destruction to all calamities...
Ron raised the holy sword high. A searing white radiance shone from its brilliant silver blade.
Sacred, brilliant gold flowed within this light, and for a moment, it seemed to illuminate the entire universe...
At this moment, everyone—from the exultant Herta to the panicked Star Howler and Iron Tomb—stared with wide eyes, struck silent by the shock...
At the same time, even on the chaotic and desperate battlefield of New Belobog, everyone looked up at the humanoid figure in the sky, a figure formed from gathering points of light.
Even the completely controlled automatons, which possessed no humanity of their own, froze their processing cores. Overloaded circuits stilled for an instant under the light's embrace as they followed their inorganic directives to look toward the horizon, at the being who now represented all the hope in the world and the very concept of [Salvation] itself.
The swirling emerald vortex in Bronya's hand ceased...
She had been leading a team of guards to clear the commercial street in New Belobog's main city, trying to eliminate the crazed service robots, pushing her authority to its limits.
But in this instant, she subconsciously stopped her power.
It wasn't because she had given up resistance, nor because she had lost hope.
It was because she looked at the horizon. A reassuring warmth enveloped her. In what should have been a dim evening, under the cover of thick, dark clouds, she saw a new dawn for Belobog.
Because of Ron.
He had become the light.
---o---
The image on the light screen faded, and new text appeared.
[The blessing bestowed by Aha the [Elation] has shielded you from "Fate" and provided you with the power to summon a miracle.]
[You have utilized this Divine Authority, responding with all your heart to the hope in the hearts of New Belobog's Silvermane Guard soldiers, responding to their expectation of [Salvation].]
[The grand wish of [Salvation] has stirred the faint "hope" in the hearts of all beings across the universe who are currently facing world-ending calamities and hardships but still hold onto the expectation of salvation...]
[Grains of sand form a pagoda, bits of fur make a robe—these tiny hopes have aggregated into the true grand wish of [Salvation] for the entire sea of stars.]
[With the hope that mortals refused to abandon even in dire straits, you have successfully pierced the barrier between the Imaginary Void and the real world, activating a tender branch of the Tree of Existence.]
[Relying on the countless tiny hopes and powers gathered together, you have torn apart the Paths of many Aeons, using their Path philosophies as puzzle pieces to successfully construct your own unique Path—[Salvation].]
[The divine blood of Nanook the [Destruction] has integrated into your Path as a core philosophy, slightly broadening it and granting you a formidable power you never obtained when you ascended to Aeonhood in the Simulated Universe.]
[You have obtained the Divine Authority: "Hope Manifest" and the Divine Authority: "Sword of Salvation".]
[Hope Manifest: No matter how small the hope, when ignited, it will surely illuminate the entire sea of stars... Under the light of hope, all darkness shall be vanquished!
With this authority, when you make a choice, you can fix a future that you desire.]
[Sword of Salvation: If one wishes to welcome the dawn of salvation, one must first bring forth merciless destruction. Without the ability to resist calamity, how can one save the world they cherish?
[Destruction] and calamity are merely cancers quietly rising in this sea of stars. They greedily and mercilessly devour civilizations. Only by utterly destroying those who love destruction can the shadow of calamity be swept from the cosmos and the dawn of [Salvation] be brought forth.
In the eyes of these calamities, conflict is the only language sapient life understands... These fiends deserve death. If they want conflict, then we shall give them conflict!
Only by utterly destroying all threats can a true dawn be brought to this sea of stars!
This authority is a passive one. While possessing it, Pathstriders who believe in Ron of [Salvation] will invariably form the faction: "Sword of Salvation".
Furthermore, because you have obtained the Divine Authority of the "Sword of Salvation," even as a nascent Aeon, you will have the ability to forcibly command your Path and bestow the authority of [Salvation] upon one sapient being.
You may now actively grant a blessing. Number of times an Emanator can be blessed: 1.]*
After the descriptions of these two Divine Authorities, a notification appeared on the screen.
[Please Note! The Sword of Salvation is an extreme tendency of the Path of [Salvation]. Each time you unlock an extreme tendency of your Path, you will successfully broaden and explore an uncharted part of it, gaining control over that area, increasing your power, and obtaining a new Divine Authority.
Every extreme tendency of a Path can give rise to an Emanator. Please make good use of this opportunity to bless an Emanator...
Sometimes, in this sea of stars, an Emanator is actually freer... and more useful than an Aeon.]
Reading the text on the screen, Ron was slightly taken aback and fell into deep thought.
This ascension to Aeonhood within the reality of the Life Simulation Game was clearly a much grander affair than his ascensions in the Simulated Universe.
The Aeons in the Simulated Universe were indeed just facsimiles. Although the Simulated Universe felt no different from the real one, at the level of an Aeon, there seemed to be a small but crucial distinction.
Ron couldn't quite put his finger on what this difference was. Perhaps it was just his imagination. Maybe the reason his real-world ascension was so much more spectacular was simply that he was tearing apart the Paths of other Aeons, and nothing more.
Regardless, Ron had gained far more in reality than he ever did in the simulation. Both the broadening of his Path by absorbing the philosophy of [Destruction] and the Divine Authorities he gained from it were unexpected and welcome surprises.
"But... isn't the power of an Aeon determined by the breadth of their Path?"
Ron stroked his chin thoughtfully. This situation wasn't entirely outside his expectations.
After all, the original game text had used Lan the [Hunt] as an example. Welt Yang believed that Lan's Path was narrow, and that Lan might not be a very strong Aeon. Yet, Lan was able to relentlessly hunt Yaoshi the [Abundance], whose Path was clearly extremely broad.
Furthermore, the Xianzhou Alliance frequently reported victories in their wars against the Denizens of Abundance, and Lan the [Hunt] always showed his might, proving that his strength was not that different from Yaoshi's.
"If an Aeon's strength is based on the degree to which they've developed their Path, then everything makes sense..."
After all, there was no telling how many Aeons with narrow Paths existed in the cosmos. Aha the [Elation]'s Path philosophy was, on the surface, just about the laughter of living beings, which seemed incredibly narrow. But his power was absolutely top-tier among the Aeons.
After a moment of careful thought, a flash of insight struck Ron, and he figured out how to compare the strength of Aeons.
"Based on the rewards from the Life Simulation Game, each extreme tendency of a Path represents a Divine Authority, and also represents one Emanator for that Path..."
"We know that the degree of exploration and development of a Path itself represents the Aeon's own power. And defining an extreme tendency of a Path means having perfectly defined an extreme aspect of it, which indirectly reflects how much that Aeon has developed their Path..."
After thinking for a moment, Ron was slightly stunned.
"In that case, Nanook the [Destruction] and Lan the [Hunt] both have seven Emanators, meaning they've both defined seven extreme tendencies. Their strengths are probably comparable..."
"The Genius Society has eighty-four members. Does that mean Nous the [Erudition] has a whopping eighty-four Emanators, has defined eighty-four extreme tendencies of the Path of [Erudition], and is countless times stronger than other Aeons?"
Ron thought for a moment and immediately overturned his own idea.
"No... that's not right. Not all eighty-four members of the Genius Society are still alive."
"That number represents all the Emanators of [Erudition] since Nous's birth. It's likely that many of those Emanators actually represent the same extreme tendency of [Erudition]."
"But even so, that's still too many Emanators for [Erudition]. Is Nous really that strong?"
"No, that's not right either..."
"Qlipoth the [Preservation] is so ancient, definitely one of the strongest Aeons, but I've barely heard of any Emanators of [Preservation]. Even the Interastral Peace Corporation has very few. That can't mean Qlipoth's development of the Path of [Preservation] is low..."
Ron tapped the table in front of him thoughtfully.
"It's just that Nous the [Erudition] is constantly searching the universe for geniuses, sending out invitations to the Genius Society to every worthy candidate, and elevating those who respond to the status of Emanator..."
"Meanwhile, Qlipoth the [Preservation] is solely focused on building the wall at the edge of the universe, ignoring everything else. Even if his development of the Path is extremely high, he probably has no interest in casually elevating someone to Emanator. Instead, he quietly and persistently builds his wall alone, guarding against the great enemy destined to devour the universe, Oroboros the [Voracity]."
"This method of calculation can't perfectly gauge an Aeon's true strength; it's not a flawless comparison. You often need to consider the Aeon's personal tendencies. But as a rough reference, it's not bad..."
At the very least, Ron could use this method to accurately gauge where his own current strength ranked among the Aeons.
Then he made the sad discovery that he was definitely one of the weakest.
But that wasn't unexpected.
Ron had only just become the Aeon of [Salvation], ascended to the pinnacle of the Path, and donned the crown of godhood. His development of the Path naturally couldn't compare to those beings who had been Aeons for much longer.
The fact that he could define an extreme tendency of his Path the moment he became an Aeon was already a sign of great talent. Given enough time, Ron could probably develop his Path to a point where he could hold his own against most other Aeons.
Unfortunately... he clearly didn't have that chance now.
He had just ripped apart the Paths of who-knows-how-many Aeons.
Even though Aeons generally acted only in accordance with their Path, and often lacked significant humanity, that didn't mean all of them were irrational madmen.
Having become an Aeon, Ron knew these limitations came from "Fate"...
Right now, Fate's gaze was diverted by Aha the [Elation]'s fool's play, but that would only last for a minute.
Within this minute, Ron was completely safe.
But after this minute, a "Fate" that had come to its senses would surely arrange an even more terrifying calamity for Ron.
Those Aeons whose Paths Ron had torn would certainly not mind tacitly approving of "Fate's" little arrangement to patch up their own Paths. Even a generous Aeon like Yaoshi the [Abundance] couldn't possibly be so magnanimous as to let a "thief" like Ron get away with stealing their Path philosophy.
After all... generosity has its limits. Yaoshi could mercifully bestow her gifts upon those who prayed, but that didn't mean she would sit idly by while someone dismembered her Path.
If her Path were to be torn apart time and time again, and eventually devoured, how could she fulfill her obsession with healing "death"?
To heal death, one must first escape it. The fate of an Aeon whose Path is devoured by another is clear: they end up as food to supplement the other Path.
Yaoshi herself was a pioneer in this regard, having once split the Path philosophy of Long the [Permanence].
And if even a generous and gentle Aeon like Yaoshi wouldn't let this slide, it was obvious what the others would do.
But even so, Ron didn't really care. He had long anticipated that he would face such a desperate situation after becoming an Aeon.
After all, the concept of [Salvation] was simply too broad. Becoming an Aeon with this philosophy was bound to tear apart existing Paths.
But even if the simulated Ron was about to be torn apart by countless Aeons in one minute, there was still so much he could do.
After all... Ron was an Aeon now.
With Nanook the [Destruction] tied up by Aha the [Elation], Ron, as an Aeon, facing the Antimatter Legion of [Destruction], could unleash what could only be described as a one-sided slaughter.
The gulf between an Aeon and an Emanator was simply too vast. Even if Star Howler and Iron Tomb were among the best of the Emanators, before an Aeon, they were still ants that could be crushed with a flick of a finger.
The current Ron could resolve the crisis facing New Belobog in an instant. This problem, which the previous Ron had racked his brain to solve, was no longer important.
What was important now was how to ensure New Belobog's continued survival after he dealt with the threat of the Antimatter Legion.
Ron had realized that in every previous simulation, the ultimate reason Belobog would fall to ruin for various reasons, even after he had given his all and risked his life to solve their greatest problems, was the lack of an outstanding leader and sufficient power to sustain the civilization's progress.
Although Bronya, Cocolia, Seele, and Natasha were all capable of governing Belobog under normal circumstances, the trials facing the city were simply too numerous and too great.
Most of these trials were things that a civilization recovering from a Stellaron crisis was bound to experience. For a Belobog that had just recovered from the Great Freeze, the difficulty of these trials was far too high.
Belobog did not have enough power to protect its own civilization. Every time before, it had to rely on Ron. So after Ron's death, Belobog had no way to move forward.
So, if he could just provide Belobog with a sufficiently outstanding leader and leave behind enough power, perhaps this civilization wouldn't just be a fleeting meteor in the cosmos, vanishing without a trace, its flame extinguished.
And now... the Divine Authority "Sword of Salvation" that Ron had just obtained might be perfect for this...
After carefully considering his next steps in the simulation, Ron organized his plan and let the simulation continue.
---o---
The text on the light screen faded, and a new scene appeared.
In the scene, Ron, standing proudly in the sky, opened his eyes. A very human-like will flashed within them.
After using Aha's blessing to shield himself from Fate's influence, Ron had also successfully broken free from its shackles, temporarily becoming an Aeon not tightly bound by the driving force of his Path.
This power to break through Fate was truly worthy of Aha's authority. The reason this freewheeling Aeon could act so humanly all the time might well be because his own authority could shield him from "Fate."
And now, this freedom was also upon Ron.
An extremely dense divinity enveloped Him, yet it couldn't seem to wash away the humanity in his eyes...
He looked at the astonished Star Howler and Iron Tomb before him and spoke softly...
A grand, layered voice, like echoes reverberating inside a bronze bell, filled with a lofty divinity, resounded in the ears of Star Howler and Iron Tomb.
"You think my aura is similar to Nanook's? Correct. I am indeed similar to Him, for I too wield 'destruction.' Within my Path, you can also smell the smoke of 'destruction'..."
"But my 'destruction' is for the sake of hope... I focus on the rebirth after all is destroyed, on the struggle of civilizations before their ruin, on the unextinguished hope and resolve in the hearts of all saviors when facing calamity..."
"And I will respond to them, answer their grand wish of [Salvation], destroy the world-ending disaster, and bestow the dawn of hope. This is a kind of destruction that a madman like Nanook will never understand, an aesthetic he is utterly incapable of appreciating."
As Ron spoke, he slowly pointed his two-handed sword at Iron Tomb and Star Howler. His tone was calm, yet it delivered a harsh judgment upon them.
"You have defied my will, sowing the destruction you seek upon this planet... But have you ever considered that a nascent civilization can also have sharp fangs? That a madman who seeks to destroy others will eventually meet their own utter annihilation?"
Looking at Ron, who was shining with holy light, Star Howler felt an extremely violent premonition of danger screaming in her heart. She knew that if she didn't escape now, she would surely be completely destroyed...
As an Emanator of [Destruction], she was naturally extremely sensitive to the aura of destruction.
But even though she tried with all her might, wanting to escape the very first moment she saw Ron, wanting to leave this star system and hide in a corner of the universe, cloaking herself in the dark colors of disguise, she found she could not move her feet at all.
It wasn't just her. Iron Tomb beside her was also "frozen" in place...
An endless sense of panic welled up in their hearts. They had only been glanced at by Ron. No power of a Path had been used to restrain them, yet they were so utterly terrified that they couldn't even take a step to flee for their lives.
"Thinking of escaping? But my attitude towards destruction has always been to eradicate it completely... Since you dared to invade this planet, you must be swept away like dust."
As Ron spoke, an unimaginable surge of Imaginary energy pulsed from his holy sword. A searing white light began to glow. The power brought by an extreme tendency of [Salvation] appeared for the first time in this sea of stars.
"Now, I shall pass down the judgment and destruction of [Salvation] upon you—"
"So... for the great cause of [Salvation], offer up your lives."
And in the next moment, Ron gently swung the two-handed sword in his hands.
The brilliant silver holy sword instantly slashed a golden-white arc. At the edge of this arc, a deep red light, like molten lava, flickered, exuding a ferocious aura of [Destruction]...
On the spine of the holy sword, the red gem that looked as if it were filled with blood flashed, and the sword qi suddenly expanded to an unimaginable breadth, sweeping across the entire planet in an instant.
Star Howler and Iron Tomb, the two Lord Ravagers, didn't even have time to react. They just saw a flash of white before their eyes, and then their consciousness was utterly destroyed. They were completely and totally annihilated, not even a speck of ash remaining...
At the same time, all Antimatter Legion forces and all rebellious automatons on Jarilo-VI were completely eliminated, turned into annihilated dust, leaving no possibility of inflicting further destruction upon New Belobog.
The scene on the light screen faded, and a new text box appeared.
[After becoming an Aeon, you easily used your power to erase all enemies who dared to invade Jarilo-VI.]
[You have eliminated all current threats to New Belobog. Two Lord Ravagers of the Antimatter Legion have been completely erased by you, and an extremely powerful legion has been annihilated at your hands.]
[Your gaze penetrates countless light-years, looking towards the two Aeons fighting at the edge of the universe.]
[The Fool brandishes a world-shattering rapier, dodging left and right, striking at every opportunity... like an elusive fish in a pond, or a fleeting shooting star.]
[The slender tip of the sword once again opens a wound on the madman's body. Divine blood flows out unceasingly. The Fool laughs heartily, gives you a thumbs-up, then puts on a mask and disappears into the shadows, his laughter echoing as he vanishes into the sea of stars.]
[Leaving the supreme executioner of [Destruction] utterly defeated, scattering drops of golden blood across the cosmos, summoning tens of thousands of Voidrangers to flock to him as he returns to his forge to recuperate his divine body.]
[You now clearly understand one fact—Nanook the [Destruction] has been thoroughly defeated this time. Both the Antimatter Legion and He himself have suffered grievous wounds and will certainly be unable to pose a threat for a long time.]
[The fool's play from [Elation] is still protecting you, but you know this protection will fade in a few dozen seconds... It's time to put all your arrangements in place.]
The text on the light screen faded, and a new option box appeared.
[So, although there are only a few dozen seconds left, as an Aeon, you still have ample time to make your arrangements.]
[A few dozen seconds is enough for you to bless an Emanator, and also enough for you to issue the will of a god...]
[What arrangements do you plan to make?]
Below these lines, a blank text box appeared, waiting for Ron to input his plan.
But this time, Ron really didn't have much to arrange...
In the past, when he knew exactly what crisis was coming, Ron could easily make all sorts of detailed plans for Belobog's future. But now, he didn't know what the future held.
The Antimatter Legion and Nanook the [Destruction] had been beaten into a massive slump in this war, suffering true, heavy damage. They probably wouldn't be a threat to New Belobog for a long time, so there was no need to plan against them.
As for the rest, thanks to Ron's extensive cooperation in this simulation, the Interastral Peace Corporation now had a very good relationship with New Belobog. Cooperation and aid were the mainstream of their interactions. The Corporation would no longer be a threat...
At least, not until the legacy Ron left behind in this simulation was completely exhausted.
And beyond that, New Belobog didn't really have any deep connections with other civilizations. Although Ron had torn the Paths of many Aeons in his ascension, these Aeons were unlikely to become enemies of New Belobog.
Thanks to the fact that the Path philosophy of [Salvation] was extremely biased towards the positive, apart from Nanook the [Destruction], whose philosophy Ron had forcibly ripped away, the other Aeons, based on their actions, at least leaned towards the good alignment...
Yaoshi the [Abundance] and Qlipoth the [Preservation] would come after Ron to reclaim their stolen Path fragments, but they would absolutely not harm New Belobog...
The Amber Lord simply didn't care and would certainly return to his wall-building immediately.
Yaoshi might even bestow a blessing upon New Belobog if someone there prayed...
Although Yaoshi's blessings could be terrifying, New Belobog would now have at least one of Ron's own Emanators watching over it, so such a blessing wouldn't be an unsolvable threat.
As for [Remembrance] and [Harmony], [Remembrance] itself was incredibly mysterious and had always stayed out of everything. The Garden of Recollection had never been heard of doing anything completely hostile to other civilizations. The greatest harm they caused was the "Incinerators" forcibly stealing memories, but this was a serious crime even within the Garden, and would only be done in secret, posing no real threat to New Belobog.
Only Xipe the [Harmony] was a bit more sinister and might pose a threat... But no matter how sinister [Harmony] was, its Path limited it from ever causing a major disaster.
Its greatest threat was actually to the simulated Ron himself; it might try to devour Ron of [Salvation] just as it devoured Tayzzyronth of [Order]. Towards New Belobog, the most it would do is send "The Family" to demand that New Belobog be incorporated into the Harmony's celestial worlds and join "The Family"...
A New Belobog protected by an Emanator would have the strength to refuse to join "The Family" and wouldn't need to worry too much.
So... after thinking it over, it seemed like New Belobog really had no dangers in its future?
Ron stroked his chin, feeling a little unaccustomed to it.
He was used to solving one problem only for another to appear. He never thought that this time he would actually solve almost all the problems, just that he couldn't save his own life...
Could it be that this time, Belobog was truly going to be saved?
Ron couldn't predict the future... but he could make the present as perfect as possible.
There wasn't much he could do. Thinking carefully, blessing an Emanator and ordering the establishment of a faction was basically all he could accomplish now.
The faction was already set in stone by the Divine Authority, and Ron was very satisfied with the philosophy of the Sword of Salvation. A faction with such a fierce and combat-oriented style was exactly what the power-deficient New Belobog needed. He just needed to leave his will within the Path and let his followers establish the Sword of Salvation.
Therefore, who to choose as the Emanator became the most crucial decision...
First, one thing had to be clear: after an Aeon dies, the power of their blessed Emanator is greatly diminished.
One only had to look at the cold-faced little blue dragon still traveling on the Astral Express to understand this. As the High Elder of the Luofu, Dan Heng inherited the power blessed by Long the [Permanence]. When Long was alive, this power was likely at the Emanator level.
However, after Long's complete demise, his Path was completely fragmented. The Path of [Permanence] no longer exists today, with probably only a remnant of it left. Therefore, the power Dan Heng possesses cannot reach the level of a true Emanator; at most, he's half an Emanator.
This was evident from the fact that he could participate in the battle between Jing Yuan and Phantylia and be a decisive factor, yet was unable to face Phantylia directly...
So the Emanator Ron blessed would ultimately not have the strength of a normal Emanator.
When facing ordinary dangers, this Emanator of [Salvation] would surely be able to handle them with ease. But if the danger reached the level of a true Emanator, and involved entanglement with the real first-rate civilizations of the cosmos...
Then the blessing Ron left behind would be far from enough.
Ron was initially quite satisfied with Cocolia's performance in this simulation and felt that with this power, she might be able to lead New Belobog forward... But he ultimately abandoned this idea.
Although Cocolia's ability to govern a civilization might be sufficient, her power was not. If they were to inexplicably encounter an Emanator-level problem, New Belobog would still be doomed.
So...
A flash of inspiration struck Ron's mind, and a brilliant idea was born.
Why not bestow this power upon Herta?
In this simulation, if one were to say who helped Ron the most, apart from the out-of-spec god Aha the [Elation], Herta was the undisputed number one...
Although interacting with Herta at the beginning was a bit annoying due to her personality, after getting to know her better, this Emanator of [Erudition], with her clear goals and who always kept her word, was a truly good friend, extremely reliable...
If Ron gave the blessing of the Emanator of [Salvation] to Herta, then Herta would become a dual-Path Emanator of [Erudition] and [Salvation], just like Phantylia who usurped the Ambrosial Arbor on the Luofu. She would be far stronger than a normal Emanator...
And Herta, having received Ron's favor, would never just leave Jarilo-VI aside. She would clearly see New Belobog as her own private reserve, just like the Blue Planet, and would never let anyone else touch it, protecting and guiding its civilizational development.
As an Emanator of [Erudition], one could also completely trust Herta's planning abilities... If one were to make a comparison, Herta's ability alone was worth the entire Belobog.
...This plan was feasible.
After a simple review of his idea, Ron nodded in satisfaction and wrote down his plan in the text box.
---o---
The option box on the light screen faded, and new text appeared.
[You have confirmed your idea and made arrangements for New Belobog's future.]
[You have left your will within the Path. All who adhere to the will of [Salvation], as they advance on the remnant Path of [Salvation], will have the chance to comprehend the extreme philosophy of the "Sword of Salvation".]
[These individuals will autonomously form the Aeon faction "Sword of Salvation," becoming the most loyal Pathstriders to the philosophy of [Salvation], perfectly embodying its principles.]
[You turn to Herta beside you and bestow upon her the blessing of an Emanator.]
[She is somewhat bewildered and apprehensive about this. In her own view, everything she has done was simply part of her previous deal with you.]
[She was only trying her best to fulfill her end of the deal and didn't actually do much more. There was really no reason for her to receive such a gift.]
[But you tell her that your false glory is about to end... You cannot let go of New Belobog, and for this civilization to survive, you must arrange a way out for it.]
[You wish to make another deal with her. You sign a contract, clarifying the terms, requiring Herta to protect and guide New Belobog, to do her best to ensure this civilization's survival.]
[You tell Herta that this Emanator-level blessing is your advance payment for the deal... She doesn't understand what you mean by "false glory," but she nods and fully accepts the deal with you.]
[But soon, she will understand what you meant by "false glory."]
[After you have completely finished all your arrangements, the few dozen seconds pass in a blur...]
[The fool's play that shielded your destiny has vanished.]
[You suddenly feel an extremely heavy pressure on your body. The dark "Fate" has bound you. Under the constraints of "Fate," you will become an ordinary Aeon...]
[At the same time, from beyond the vast borders of the universe, several gazes instantly turn to you.]
[The Aeons... are coming.]
tl/ps- another one of the biggest chapter i have translated so far.. so tired 😔