"Human, I can tolerate noise from the outer universe—provided you do not disrupt the Balance of this cosmos."
A voice devoid of any emotional warmth entered Sylvester's mind along with a ripple of intent.
THEY did not follow Sylvester's line of argument to debate laws or regulations.
A god does not bow to explain THEIR actions to mortals.
"Return. Balance must not be shaken."
HooH had no interest in how Sylvester had appeared here in an instant. Based on earlier probing, Sylvester's strength was merely that of an outstanding Emanator.
Such power was nearly invincible among humans—but compared to an Aeon, it was an insult to divinity.
With a shift of intent—
A white halo manifested out of thin air, enclosing Sylvester within it. In the next instant, he would be restrained and teleported back to Exalting Sanctum.
But Sylvester did not oblige.
With a casual flick of his hand, the white halo shattered on the spot.
The gesture was so effortless it was as though he were brushing dust from his sleeve.
He shook his head helplessly and muttered to himself, "Local Aeons really have no manners—throwing people out with brute force. This makes it hard to negotiate compensation properly."
"...Mortal. You are strong."
HooH's voice echoed again, this time tinged with unmistakable irritation.
A majestic sound rang out from all directions, crashing down like a bronze bell upon Sylvester's ears.
"But! Human power has limits. You should cherish the strength you have gained with such difficulty. The Path of Equilibrium is not incapable of killing!"
Sylvester breaking free of the white halo had indeed exceeded THEIR expectations.
But HooH had no intention of believing that the human before THEM could truly stand on equal footing.
At this moment, HooH no longer regarded Sylvester as a negligible intruder—but as an obstacle upon the Path of Equilibrium, one that must be eliminated to prevent future calamity.
The gentle white glow vanished. From HooH's body, an overwhelming black presence erupted forth.
In an instant, all light within the star region disappeared, and true darkness descended.
This was HooH's authority as an Aeon. THEIR black and white forces maintained the Balance of the starry sea—but if the black power were wielded alone, it could annihilate all things.
Though the goal of "Equilibrium" was gentle, that did not mean HooH was a weak god.
On the contrary—only by not being weak could THEY restrain extreme Paths such as Destruction.
Though THEY had rarely acted, gods and even many mortals knew well:
After Tayzzyronth was devoured by Xipe, it was HooH who "returned the sun," preserving order in the universe and preventing total collapse.
Now, the power once used against THEIR own kind was unfurled, forming a terrifying attack aimed squarely at Sylvester.
Against challengers to "Equilibrium," THEY never used restraint to display divine mercy.
The black domain rapidly compressed. Once it shrank down upon a human body, Sylvester would be erased—leaving no trace in the sea of stars.
Facing this devastating force, Sylvester merely smiled.
Straightening up, he spread his hands. "As expected, getting an Aeon to talk things through with a human is impossible. Defending one's rights and collecting compensation is always a thankless job."
Then his expression sharpened.
The playful mirth vanished like ripples settling on a still lake, as if it had never existed.
His gaze cut toward HooH like a blade, mockery curling at the corners of his lips.
"But this sort of thing is actually pretty easy to deal with."
He raised one hand. Black-and-white power of the same origin as HooH's burned within his palm.
Small—yet incomparably intense.
Sylvester grinned. "No matter the species, once you beat them up, they suddenly become reasonable!"
Before HooH's black power reached him, blue light enveloped Sylvester's body. The authority of [One Who Transcends Spacetime] allowed him to appear anywhere at will.
When he vanished and reappeared, it was directly in front of HooH.
He did not seek positional advantage for a calculated strike.
He intended to punch THEM in the face.
To make THEM understand—by the most direct and undeniable means—what tone THEY should use when speaking to humans.
"!"
Faced with Sylvester's sudden close approach, panic rippled through HooH's emitted thoughts.
And to respond to this human strike—
The Aeon retreated.
THEIR indistinct body churned spatial turbulence, and this simple motion alone caused hundreds of planets to be annihilated.
But Sylvester's spatial conceptual power far surpassed HooH's mobility. Though THEIR power was immense, THEY could not shake him off.
Sylvester threw a punch.
HooH made one final struggle. White power surged to its absolute limit, forming a halo brighter than the sun itself between THEM and Sylvester.
This was THEIR strongest defensive technique—one that even Nanook could not shatter with a single blow!
If it held, the black power surging from behind would still obliterate this human in one strike!
Facing the pincer attack of two divine forces, Sylvester's expression remained unchanged.
"This black-and-white power," he said calmly, "on the Luofu, we call it yin and yang—strongest at dawn and dusk. And as for countering it… that's not hard at all."
His right hand shifted from a fist to an open palm, transforming into pure black force.
His left hand erupted with blazing white energy.
Both palms formed seals as the two forces merged.
Sylvester raised his head, a trace of a smile in his sharp eyes.
"HooH! Take this—!"
Human and god collided.
A palm so small it was nearly invisible slammed into a body vast as a celestial mass.
Twin-colored light exploded, engulfing both figures. A terrifying blast echoed across the universe—enough to shatter sanity itself.
When sight returned, the black domain had vanished.
The starry sky regained its former brilliance.
The god remained frozen at the point of impact. THEIR body—formed of black-and-white energy—was visibly destabilized, clearly suffering heavy damage.
Within HooH's consciousness, disbelief surged at extreme frequency. Were any human present, their brain would have burst under the torrent of thought.
The Aeon's shock was simple and pure.
THEY… was injured like this by a human? And he's completely unharmed?!
"Hah—" Sylvester stood where he was, irritated as he brushed at his sleeves. "Didn't plan on fighting when I came out. What a waste of freshly washed clothes."
HooH's awareness fixed upon him. A state of mind THEY had never experienced before took root.
At that moment, the innately exalted god finally understood what humiliation was.
Sylvester glanced around, took in the undamaged sea of stars, and nodded with satisfaction. "Looks like that move works pretty well."
This was a technique derived using [Weapon Arts Simulation, Profound Mastery] from his first exclusive bucket—though he wasn't sure whether it had also incidentally strengthened HooH's own power.
Looking back at the motionless Aeon, he smiled. "So? Ready to talk properly now?"
"...Yes."
Hearing that concise reply, Sylvester felt that within the calm ripple of intent, there was something else mixed in—
Almost… obedient.
===BREAK===
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