He had merely intended to casually siphon off a little Path power from other Aeons, yet never imagined it would escalate to this. Mr. Jiang Qiao, as [Qingque], found the situation somewhat laughable and exasperating.
Of course… the Aeons likely had their own motivations.
Yaoshi, the Abundance, needed little explanation. As the Aeon embodying selflessness and altruism, THEY had always been incredibly generous when asked, especially since THEY held a rather favorable impression of [Qingque]… This girl genuinely carried a fragment of Abundance within her.
Aligning with THEIR Path and pleasing to THEIR eye, what harm was there in granting her full access?
Ultimately, full Path access was unimaginable for mortals but merely a 'whim' for an Aeon, no different from bestowing power upon a mortal to create an Emanator.
Of course, if one had to nitpick, the conditions for such full access were exceedingly strict.
Because ordinary beings simply couldn't wield the power of an entire Path. This wasn't due to an Aeon's lack of generosity, but because even if granted, a mortal's will was insufficient to command power on an Aeon scale.
Only other Aeons, or special avatars like Xipe's Emanator Avatars, could handle such power.
If someone could fully utilize an entire Path's power, it simply meant they already possessed the necessary qualifications, the requisite will.
Similar to Yaoshi, Xipe, the Harmony, also favored [Qingque], and by extension, Jiang Qiao.
Harmony was the Path of understanding, support, and cooperation. This made the great Mother of the Cluster of Stars equally generous towards those THEY approved of.
Simply because, at this moment, [she] needed this power.
As for the other Aeons, their generosity at this moment likely stemmed from their shared disgust towards the greedy gobbler, Voracity… At least, this was true for HooH, the Equilibrium. Having merged into the fabric of the universe, becoming like the Tao itself, THEY should theoretically be beyond good and evil, as those were mortal constructs.
Equilibrium could facilitate the birth of Emperor Rubert due to the conflict between the IPC and inorganic life, and THEY could also tolerate the Antimatter Legion's rampages across the cosmos.
Because it was all part of the universe's balance.
But Voracity was different.
Being both Primordial Beast and Aeon, THEIR nature was arguably even more detrimental to the cosmos than Nanook's.
Even though Oroboros wasn't as aggressively destructive as Nanook, THEIR very actions were the ultimate sabotage of the Paths pursued by other Aeons.
Civilizations preyed upon by the Swarm at least left behind fragmented memories. Those destroyed by the Denizens of Abundance or the Legion similarly left remnants.
But Voracity did not.
Anything consumed by THEM vanished without a trace.
Even Fuli, the Remembrance, found it difficult to track THEIR passage.
Fuli's willingness to help stemmed not only from the desire to witness and immortalize this grand event through the power of Memory but also from the inherent conflict between Voracity and Remembrance.
The motivations of the other Aeons were likely similar.
Under this confluence of wills, this miracle was created.
Hunt, Preservation, Elation, Propagation, Memory, Harmony, Abundance, Erudition, Enigmata, Trailblaze, Equilibrium, Permanence, and… Beauty.
Although Idrila had fallen, the Path of Beauty never vanished. That pure reflection of the heart, that pursuit of ultimate perfection, joined the symphony the moment [Qingque] began wielding this inhuman power.
Excluding Nihility, which would never respond and couldn't possibly harmonize with other Paths; Destruction, grievously wounded by the combined assault of the Amber Lord and the Wheelchair Lord (Lan); Order, subsumed by Harmony; Finality, which only manifested when a Path reached its end; and Voracity, represented by Oroboros before them.
The full power of thirteen Aeon Paths converged, at this moment, within [Qingque]'s grasp.
Thirteen Celestial Jade tiles, each emblazoned with the symbol of its Path, formed a circle, rotating leisurely around her.
Simultaneously, they draped the girl in new raiment.
Her flowing hair stirred without wind in the void of space. Her Xianzhou attire transformed, shimmering like a garment woven from starlight itself.
Stars' Favor, Power of the Gods Incarnate - Qingque.
"**Thirteen Orphans!**"
Following the ingrained habits of this body, [Qingque] gave this ultimate move a name perfectly suited to its original owner.
The thirteen Path tiles shot outwards, surrounding Oroboros, the Aeon of Voracity, and erupted with terrifying, unimaginable light.
In that instant, the universe itself seemed to shudder and quake.
Back on the Xianzhou battlefield, the Generals felt the tremor, their faces filled with uncertainty.
"What… what was that?" Feixiao asked, astonished.
"…I don't know, but such a massive tremor… something extraordinary must be happening…"
"Elder Yan speaks truly. Recalling the earlier twang of the Reignbow Arbiter's bowstring, and the hammering sound of the Aeon of Preservation…" Jing Yuan murmured in agreement. Huaiyan sighed, glancing towards a certain direction, "I just hope that child, Qingque, is alright."
---||---
Back on the Luofu, Miss Qingque herself couldn't possibly have missed such a violent event.
"Eek! Eek! Eek! Is… is that an earthquake?!" Miss Qingque shrieked, clutching the leg of the Mahjong table in panic. But then she muttered, feeling something was off, "…Wait, how can there be an earthquake on the Xianzhou…"
For a navigable vessel like the Luofu, earthquakes were geological phenomena confined solely to academic textbooks.
"…Perhaps… a gas pipe exploded or something?" Eden wondered aloud.
Qingque waved her hand dismissively, finding the suggestion amusing yet frustrating, "Where would the Xianzhou get such outdated technology… Besides, even if something like that exploded, it wouldn't cause such a huge commotion… Hmm, something definitely blew up, probably…"
"But it's nothing to worry about." She glanced around Starskiff Haven, saw nothing out of the ordinary, and concluded thusly.
"…Are you sure it's okay?"
"Oh relax, the sky isn't falling. Besides, even if it did, isn't that guy there to hold it up?" Miss Qingque grumbled, her resentment towards Jiang Qiao flaring up.
"Come on, come on, let's continue playing! Seriously, all my tiles got messed up…"
"Could something have happened to Jiang Qiao?" Elysia asked worriedly.
"How could that be…" Qingque dismissed it nonchalantly, but then paused mid-sentence, realization dawning, her eyes lighting up.
A commotion like that definitely sounds like a major incident!
That guy is currently holding the fort at the Seat of Divine Foresight, overseeing the Xianzhou! For such a huge blunder, such a major disaster, to happen on his watch… This, this, this is definitely a huge screw-up, right?
When he gets back, the General will surely be disappointed! And then I might be able to… hehehe…
The thought instantly thrilled Miss Qingque beyond measure. She excitedly kicked her legs up, accidentally striking the table leg… and her face contorted in pain.
"Owowow… hurts, hurts, hurts!"
---||---
While Miss Qingque blissfully enjoyed her wonderful vacation, the Divine War that shook the entire universe had already reached its conclusion.
Although Oroboros sensed the danger and resisted with all THEIR might, even attempting to devour the combined power, the convergence of thirteen Paths proved ultimately overwhelming. Even if the power drawn from each individual Path wasn't used to the same extent as its respective Aeon could wield it, the combined force was simply too much for a single Aeon to withstand.
Voracity's colossal form was torn asunder… no, 'torn asunder' wasn't accurate anymore. This overwhelming force utterly obliterated THEM, along with the remaining fragments of Nanook, scattering their essence across the cosmos, vividly illustrating the meaning of being blown to smithereens.
However, unlike the relatively young newcomer Nanook, Oroboros was different.
Faced with the beatdown from elder Aeons, Destruction would only choose to go head-to-head, taking you down with THEM!
But Oroboros, a survivor from the Dusk Wars like Qlipoth, was far too experienced to go out so easily.
Or perhaps, for Aeons, unless they actively chose death or transgressed some fundamental cosmic taboo, even a brutal gladiatorial arena like a Divine War rarely resulted in the true death of an Aeon.
Propagation died only because THEY had no path left, forced to choose between death and abandoning THEIR Path – choices that, for an Aeon like Tayzzyronth, were practically indistinguishable… though the latter might have resulted in a faster, more agonizing end.
Unfortunately, Tayzzyronth wasn't exactly an Aeon known for wisdom; THEY acted primarily on instinct, leading to THEIR doom.
Oroboros was clearly different.
In a certain sense, symbolizing the undying serpent, THEY possessed vitality comparable to Yaoshi's.
Even with THEIR body shattered, even with THEIR Path grievously wounded, THEY still left behind 'seeds'.
Some fragments escaped beyond the sub-spatial crystal walls, while others scattered throughout the myriad worlds within.
This marked a fundamental difference from Nanook.
Even if both might one day return.
By then.
Oroboros would still be Oroboros, but Nanook… it would be difficult to say if THEY would still be the same Nanook.
The other Aeons witnessed this, each lost in their own thoughts.
The girl gazed into the void… Time itself seemed to freeze in that moment.
Then, it flowed into [Qingque]'s hands.
Fuli, the Remembrance, radiating a chilling aura, like an emperor surveying their domain, said nothing, completed this act, and vanished.
The former examined the captured light and shadow in her hands. Amidst the dazzling starry backdrop, the brown-haired girl looked up, her turquoise eyes reflecting the scattered debris, the fading echoes of Aeons, time flowing like a stream within them, eternally remembering.
"Alright, my work here is done. I'll be taking my leave now."
Gathering the remnants, the girl casually slung the somewhat battered-looking dark-blue-haired young man (Dan Heng) over her shoulder and announced her departure.
Aha, however, sounded rather disappointed, unsatisfied: "Ooh hoo hoo~ The fun is over~ No more fun~ Aha must go find new fun~ Heehee~"
"Maybe it's not over yet, you know."
"Eh? Where, where? Where's more fun~ Aha loves fun the most~"
"Hmm… Whatever makes you happy."
Facing the girl's meaningful gaze, Aha looked puzzled, but the next moment… sensing something, HE turned HIS head. The vast shadow looming in the distance promised that the thunderous hammering resonating across the universe would soon begin a new chapter in the Amber Era.
---||---
Nanook's fall, while not signifying the end of the Path of Destruction, undoubtedly sent shockwaves through it. As intrinsically linked entities, Nanook's demise caused the Path of Destruction itself to weaken, much like Propagation after the fall of the Swarm King.
Coupled with the self-destructive confrontation against Preservation and Hunt during the Divine War, the Path of Destruction instantly plummeted, becoming even weaker than Propagation had been in its diminished state.
And this became the final straw that broke the Legion's back.
"Impossible! Lord Nanook!" Celenova, sensing the change, roared in shock and fury.
Although the Legion was already routed on the main battlefield, with Celenova and Iron Tomb besieged by multiple Emanators, as seasoned combatants, they could still stall for time. Battles at this level, even with a significant advantage, rarely ended quickly.
However, temporary defeat hadn't truly concerned them.
After all, in their minds, since Lord Nanook THEMSELF had arrived, destruction was the only possible outcome for the Xianzhou.
That little brat who used some despicable trick to ambush Lord Nanook couldn't possibly stop THEM… nor could the subsequent arrival of Lan, the Aeon of the Hunt. As for the hammering sound symbolizing Qlipoth… Lord Nanook was invincible!
Clinging to this belief, Celenova and Iron Tomb had desperately held on, stalling against the combined assault of three Xianzhou Generals, a Preservation Emanator, and a host of other powerful warriors just below the Emanator level. Just wait until Lord Nanook deals with the enemies over there, everything will be alright!
Instead…
What arrived was the news of Nanook's death… No, it couldn't be death! The Lord Ravagers, never having witnessed the true death of an Aeon, vehemently denied it.
Yet, the undeniable shift within the Path of Destruction made one thing clear, regardless of their denial… Lord Nanook, even if not truly dead, was certainly in no good state.
This realization instantly shattered the faith of Celenova, Iron Tomb, and Zephyro on the other front.
And for followers of a Path, such a shattering of conviction was utterly fatal.
Losing faith in their Path made it nearly impossible to command the vast Imaginary energies associated with it.
The severe weakening of the Path also directly impacted the Lord Ravagers' ability to wield its power.
Jing Yuan, naturally, didn't fail to notice this dramatic shift. Although unconnected to the Path of Destruction and unable to feel the change as directly as the Lord Ravagers, it didn't stop him from seizing the opportune moment.
Raising his glaive high, the glaive that symbolized his duty, he proclaimed loudly:
"The Legion is at its end! Everyone, follow me and strike down these lackeys of The Blemished One!"
"**Radiant Spirit Invocation, Heed My Command, Sunder the Wicked!**"
"**Soaring Flight Unbroken! Ten Thousand Years Victorious!**"
"**All, for the Amber Lord!**"