A day later, the world had returned to tranquility after the war.
Celenova gazed at her new arm, its surface shimmering with a dust-like golden texture, and found it rather fascinating.
The power of Destruction wasn't just about instant regeneration— after all, her original arm had been utterly obliterated in Zulo's fury, leaving no possibility of reattachment.
Not that Celenova particularly minded, though.
It wasn't really her body to begin with.
La Mancha studied her expression and asked tentatively, "How does it feel? Any discomfort? I'm sorry—the output this prosthetic can handle is limited. It's the best mechanical arm I could source."
He recalled the way Celenova had wielded her blade; this prosthetic likely couldn't withstand that level of force.
After the battle with Zulo, Celenova had completely won over the ranks of the Galaxy Rangers.
Even though she was an Emanator of Destruction, and even if one day they were destined to become enemies, at this very moment, Celenova was their ally—their comrade!
And this comrade, in the final moments of the fight, had ensured their retreat at the cost of her own arm.
The thought left La Mancha with a complicated, unsettled feeling.
"It's quite good, actually. And you ought to be pleased, you know."
"Why's that?"
"Don't forget—I am an Emanator of Destruction. And by now, you should understand why I targeted Zulo."
Celenova smiled lightly at La Mancha, but the faint aura of an Emanator that clung to her made his hair stand on end, sending a chill down his spine.
"We may have fought well together this time, but one day, Celenova the Emanator will inevitably stand against justice and righteousness."
"..."
For some reason, La Mancha felt a strange dissonance in her words. He pondered it for a long while but couldn't pinpoint what exactly felt off.
After offering her warning, Celenova turned her curious gaze toward Tiernan.
"What is it?"
Noticing her sudden attention, Tiernan instinctively straightened his posture.
"That familiar scent on you… How exactly did you become a Pathstrider of Harmony?"
Aside from the puzzling silence of the other Emanators of Destruction, what intrigued Celenova most was that, after the final battle concluded, a number of Galaxy Rangers had begun walking the Path of Harmony.
Even more interesting—Tiernan was among them.
La Mancha had spoken of fellow travelers on the path, and even Celenova had stepped onto the Path of Harmony under Xipe's gaze.
But compared to the seasoned awakenings under Nanook, what Xipe offered was merely a sliver of Harmony's power.
Tiernan smiled faintly and replied, "Truth is, I'm not sure how it happened either. It was like… I began to understand that feeling of unity, of countless hearts beating as one for a shared goal. After the battle, I realized I could channel a bit of that power too."
"…Well then, I look forward to seeing you pull off large-scale Harmony without my help next time."
Celenova pictured it in her mind:
What if the Galaxy Rangers, influenced by her involvement, evolved into a faction that unleashed volleys of arrows at the slightest disagreement, united in purpose, initiating Harmony to summon infinite reinforcements to overwhelm their foes?
Who knew how much chaos such a group could avert.
Tiernan thought it over seriously, then shook his head with a resigned sigh.
"Maybe someday, but not yet. Besides, most of the time, we Rangers operate independently. A gathering on this scale… it's really quite rare."
The campaign against Zulo had truly been the largest mobilization since the Galaxy Rangers' founding.
Seeing that Tiernan had fallen silent, La Mancha turned to Celenova and asked, "Lady Celenova, where do you plan to go next?"
"What, trying to recruit me into the Galaxy Rangers?"
Celenova grinned at him, but La Mancha simply shook his head with a light laugh.
"Just a joke. I wouldn't dare hope to win over an Emanator of Destruction. Just curious, that's all."
Celenova nodded, not particularly concerned whether La Mancha was just making conversation.
She glanced at her own status panel:
--+--
[Role-Playing System]
[Name: Bai Ming (Celenova)]
[Lifespan: 100 years (Paused) * 20 days (Role-Play)]
[Transformable Characters: Big Herta (Charge: 55.2%), Acheron (Charge: 22.3%), Celenova]
[Available Draws: 0 (77.1%)]
--+--
She still had plenty of time.
And judging by the gains this time, it was clear that eliminating Zulo had yielded far more feedback than dealing with ordinary foes.
What's more, the charge for the Big Herta card had crossed the halfway mark.
At this rate, it wouldn't take many more encounters before she could activate that card again.
All things considered, Celenova felt she could truly afford to lay low for the next twenty days.
There was no need to stir up more trouble.
And even if she wanted to…nothing immediately came to mind.
Look for Amphoreus?
Without the technology of the Garden of Recollection, reaching that place was practically impossible.
And even if she found it, what could she do there?
She could hardly just smash that Scepter to pieces.
Dealing with Zulo was one thing—she could rationalize it as Nanook wanting to test the new Emanator.
But going after Amphoreus?
That would likely draw the attention of several other Emanators, and she had no desire to be lectured—or worse, ganged up on—by them.
Unless absolutely necessary, she had no intention of taking on multiple Emanators at once.
Celenova cast a sidelong glance at Tiernan.
Maybe she'd just plant a few seeds in Penacony and call it a day?
"Tiernan."
"Hm? Lady Celenova, is something the matter?"
"Do you wish to return to Penacony?"
"…Huh?"
Penacony.
The place Tiernan had always longed to return to, yet never could.
And Penacony under The Family, alongside the Astral Express—both were scenes that often haunted his nightmares.
The Family, having taken full control of Penacony, had repeatedly denied Tiernan's return.
He didn't even know if his comrades were still alive.
No—he felt sure Mikhail was still out there.
It was just that he never had a chance to see him again.
"I do. Of course I do."
"But now that you've become a Pathstrider of Harmony, who knows if your return would be for better or worse."
Who could have predicted that Tiernan would walk the Path of Harmony?
Faced with the intricate, volatile situation in Penacony, would the faint light he carried now be enough to endure?
Confronted with this choice, Tiernan knew: if he didn't take this chance to enter Penacony with Celenova's help, he might never get another opportunity.
After all, the Galaxy Rangers wouldn't mobilize an entire force to storm Penacony just on his word alone.
And he would never ask that of them.
"Of course, if you wish to go, I can take you there."
Truth be told, Celenova also wanted to see the Stellaron in Penacony for herself.
The Family's method of handling it was… intriguing.
To have maintained stable use of it for so many years—and if their secret hadn't been exposed, they could have continued indefinitely.
Since she was currently in the role of Celenova, it wouldn't hurt to study their approach, in case she ever encountered a Stellaron that left her stranded.
Besides, in the original timeline, Tiernan and Mikhail never got to meet—a true pity.
Well, since she was already here, it wouldn't hurt to spend a little time and see things through.
--+--