As for the appearance of yet another Lord Ravager...
What was Nanook's reaction?
Well, THEY felt like THEY were getting used to it by now.
Just how many was this already?
Although this particular Lord Ravager seemed a bit... lacking in purity.
Their power felt somewhat muddled, a little impure.
Nanook mused that THEY must truly be prospering these days, to have the leisure to critique such things.
But really, after witnessing top-tier contenders like Irontomb and Bai Ming recently, seeing this rather muddled one just felt underwhelming.
Such a patchwork of a Lord Ravager, the primary power blended into them belonged to the Path of Propagation—a path whose Aeon had long since fallen.
Considering the raw materials and the user, though, this odd Ravager was likely aimed at the Abundance.
Using Propagation to counter Abundance?
Seemed plausible.
But the Swarm as it stands today... is rather inadequate.
If Nanook were to truly follow that line of thinking, THEY probably wouldn't choose the existing Swarm anyway.
Whoever picked them would only try to resurrect the Swarm Emperor, not to destroy Abundance.
Maybe there's an advantage to being a hodgepodge. Hmm... better to assess their actual quality first.
If there's something worthwhile, then this plan can be kept as a backup.
That little Bai Ming is truly reliable.
Nanook really does like them.
Right then, Nanook noticed Lan's arrival.
So THEY didn't appear directly, choosing instead to observe from the shadows.
If Lan were to make a move, THEY would lend a hand.
But if Lan chose not to act, then for the time being, THEY would pretend THEY hadn't seen anything.
--+-
Meanwhile.
On an unfamiliar planet, 'Jingliu' and Ruan Mei held their breath, watching as the Hunt suddenly manifested.
The once comforting, colossal black figure of the Spiritus—the Lightning Lord—now offered no sense of security at all.
Lan's gaze swept over 'Jingliu', finally glancing at the Lightning Lord.
A vast tide of Imaginary energy rolled over the two of them.
And 'Jingliu' saw Lan's bow-hand twitch slightly.
Her heart leapt into her throat.
Fortunately, Lan was only observing the Lightning Lord, seemingly analyzing what had occurred with it.
Then, just like that, THEY departed.
Without doing a thing.
"Phew..."
'Jingliu' let out a sigh of relief.
The Hunt came and went swiftly.
To put it bluntly... this wasn't a gaze drawn by the Hunt's acknowledgment.
Not being struck down was already a stroke of luck.
For a moment there, she thought the Reignbow Arbiter was about to draw THEIR bow and smite her.
Must have been her imagination.
Ruan Mei tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her expression.
"Did it seem like the Hunt was about to do something just now? Or was that my imagination?"
"Uh... you felt it too?"
The relief 'Jingliu' just felt vanished, replaced by renewed tension.
Ruan Mei sensed it as well?
Oh no.
The Reignbow Arbiter really had wanted to smite her.
But for some reason, THEY didn't.
Probably thanks to Noa's blessing.
Seeing 'Jingliu's' suddenly timid demeanor, Ruan Mei offered a faint smile.
"I can vaguely sense that the power of Propagation is concentrated in the giant behind you."
"Right, that's correct. Most of the power resides within the Lightning Lord," 'Jingliu' nodded.
Now she was beginning to understand the situation of the Xianzhou Alliance's Generals.
As suspected, the bulk of the power lay with the summon.
Of course, the connection between the summon and the General was incredibly close, and the power within the summon could be drawn upon at will.
Though not much could be channeled directly.
It reminded her somewhat of the situation with that golden drop of blood from Nanook.
As a directly blessed individual, the power was perfectly matched to the person.
The first-generation Generals probably didn't even need to summon the Lightning Lord.
They could likely pick up a blade and cleave their way through everything single-handedly.
Maybe they even merged with the Lightning Lord, achieving some kind of human-machine unity combo.
But for later successors inheriting this power, using it so freely wasn't possible.
Even if the Reignbow Arbiter gave His nod, a successor wanting to channel that power into themselves still had to consider whether their body could withstand it.
After all, the Path of the Hunt is also renowned for its aggressiveness; wielding it is no easier than wielding Destruction.
To fully unleash the power of the Reignbow Arbiter's bestowed artifact, it's best to summon it and let the Lightning Lord do the cutting itself.
Actually, this situation is quite similar to Sparkle and Oswaldo Schneider now.
Power is channeled through a specific medium, an artifact, rather than being fully fused with one's own body.
But precisely because of this, all the power and side effects of Propagation have been shouldered by the Lightning Lord.
The proof is in the Lightning Lord turning pitch-black and sprouting wings.
The assimilating power of Propagation is just that potent.
If 'Jingliu' herself had absorbed this power, she'd be the one turning black and growing wings.
Then, if it clashed with the power of Abundance...whatever rationality 'Jingliu' had left would probably shatter on the spot.
And so, without turning herself into an insect, by leveraging the Xianzhou General's mechanism, she also gained the ability to control the Swarm.
A rather clever way to handle it.
--+--
Ruan Mei began studying the Lightning Lord with keen interest.
There were only seven of these things across the Xianzhou Alliance, and seeing one in daily life was near impossible, let alone researching it.
And this one was a special variant combining the Hunt and Propagation.
The source of the Propagation power was even the Emanator of an Aeon.
All the more worthy of study.
However, the more she studied it, the more Ruan Mei sensed a faint, peculiar dissonance.
This Propagation-infused Lightning Lord...why did it seem so much like something she would create?
This method of fusion bore her distinct personal style.
Could it be that in some worldline, this was something she collaborated with the Xianzhou Alliance to create?
It wasn't impossible.
If it were a project of this caliber, she would absolutely accept an invitation to participate.
Even so, Ruan Mei didn't stop her research.
Though it likely came from another version of herself in a different worldline, that self was clearly from the future.
At the very least, that self's understanding of the Path of Propagation far exceeded her current grasp.
However, this peaceful interlude didn't last long.
Just as 'Jingliu' was settling in to spend some time around Ruan Mei,
Baiheng sent her a message:
[Baiheng: Apologies for interrupting. There's some news you might find interesting.]
[Nameless: The Stellaron's handled? What's up?]
[Baiheng: Ms. Himeko came to assist. The Stellaron was contained ahead of schedule. I contacted you as soon as communications stabilized.]
[Baiheng: Celenova didn't reach the Halovian world. She changed course mid-way. Her target seems to be a gathering place of the Abominations of Abundance.]
[Nameless: The Abominations?? Something that made Celenova change her plans... Another Lord Ravager?]
[Baiheng: Unconfirmed. The Galaxy Rangers can only verify there's a mysterious entity among the Abominations plotting something. Specifics are unknown.]
[Baiheng: The Rangers have shared intel with the Xianzhou, advising them to prepare.]
[Nameless: Understood. By the way, how are things on your end?]
'Jingliu' certainly didn't expect this.
She had just drawn a new card related to the Xianzhou, and now the Xianzhou-related Abominations of Abundance were getting restless.
Speaking of which...
Could this mysterious entity be Phantylia?
Is the Third Abundance War about to kick off?
Is Celenova heading there to start mass-producing troops right on the battlefield?
She didn't even take the wreckage from Amphoreus, probably guarding against me.
But she must be seriously short on manpower right now.
Hmm, curiosity is definitely piqued.
Feels like going over to take a look.
And after finally crippling Celenova, letting her instantly rebuild her forces would render all previous efforts wasted.
[Baiheng: Progressing smoothly. Penacony is also assisting with relief efforts. Should be mostly done after clearing the Fragmentum zones.]
[Nameless: You all help with that too?]
[Baiheng: Of course! The Galaxy Rangers don't just do half the job and leave.]
[Nameless: Then I'll head over. We can discuss the Abominations of Abundance situation in detail then, alright?]
[Baiheng: Huh? Absolutely!]
[Baiheng: The leader from Penacony might even be someone you know. She's a senior who participated in the campaign against Zulo.]
Seeing the message, 'Jingliu' was momentarily taken aback.
From Penacony, only two individuals participated in the Zulo campaign, right?
To still be alive, kicking, and able to leave Penacony after centuries?
Their constitution must be exceptionally robust.
--+--