When Zero said those words, Akivili was drawn to the fireworks outside. Unable to hold back his excitement, he hurriedly left the bar counter and began searching around the Star-Destroyer battleship for the best viewing spot.
Akivili was always very mindful of personal boundaries, so he didn't ask Aha or his close friend to come along, he just quietly and considerately left on his own.
As for Zero, he had always been a man who kept his promises, someone willing to help others, even gods, fulfill their wishes.
Now, how could he fulfill his promise to Aha, to "kill a Aeon for fun"?
And how could he return that useless piece of trash Aha had given him when they first met?
Oh, right, he almost forgot. There was also the "Erudition" Aeon, who was about to become his close friend.
To be honest, Zero didn't dislike the Aeon of Erudition, nor did he care much about that god's evaluations of him.
Whoever judged him, it went in one ear and out the other.
Zero was never affected, not even slightly, by what others thought of him. Like those rumors saying he gave his subordinates performance targets involving "destroying entire planets"…
He had never done such things, so he didn't care at all.
As for the things he had done, well, what's done is done. Why would he regret them?
His conscience was clear. There was nothing for him to feel guilty about.
He didn't care about the "Erudition" Aeon's opinions, but that one kept interfering in the Xianzhou's affairs, and even tried to sow discord between him and Lan.
Those two things, Zero couldn't tolerate.
But considering that god would soon become his close friend, what could he do? Of course, he could only smile and forgive them.
For those close to him, mortal or divine, Zero had always been generous. No matter the grudges, once they were settled, they could still be friends.
Long ago, when he learned that the Aeon of Erudition was staying in some remote, uninhabited star system, and that the SSR had developed a new technology for remotely controlling warships, he came up with an idea.
He could use it to clean up disasters and "trash," and at the same time, settle things with "Erudition," while also fulfilling his promise to Aha, to "kill a Aeon for fun."
Zero returned that mask containing one-tenth of divine power to its rightful owner, letting Aha control it personally.
With that weapon capable of blowing up multiple star systems, he could bomb "Erudition", and the cosmic calamities that had been cornered by his fleet.
This time, it couldn't even be called a win-win-win situation anymore.
"Erudition," true to their name, gained Zero as a friend; Aha regained a tenth of his divine power and found something entertaining; and Zero got rid of the disasters and cleared things up with "Erudition."
In short, everyone won big.
Of course, Zero never actually expected the junk Aha gave him to really kill "Erudition."
And as for all the different weapons of the Xianzhou… he naturally wouldn't use them.
Why? Because they cost too many credit points.
Fighting a high-level NPC with expensive gear was like throwing dumplings at a dog, they wouldn't come back.
Besides, personal grudges are personal, this was between him, "Erudition," and Aha. There was no need to use Xianzhou resources for it.
He could freeload on the intelligent machines' ships, why would he pay out of pocket?
Also, if high-level NPCs could be easily destroyed with simple items, wouldn't that make them look too weak? At least let him max out his intimidation level and bring out some god-slaying weapon first.
Zero thought this plan was absolutely perfect.
The mask belonged to Aha, the warships to the machines, and he merely borrowed SSR's technology to make Aha a one-to-one "realistic" minigame. He was a man who kept his promises, after all.
In the game, the player just had to attack the calamities, fighting all the way to the final boss, "Erudition."
Throughout the entire process, no one and no planets were harmed, aside from the calamities and the boss.
It's just that Aha's gaming skills were too bad, and the items he provided were too weak, that's why "Erudition" didn't die.
So really, none of this had anything to do with Zero. Even if someone were to deduct merit points, it wouldn't be from him.
If Zero didn't have his system, Aha's explosion would have killed the entire Yaoking star system along with everyone in it. He was actually helping Aha gain merit!
Now, rounding things up, he'd basically helped Aha use divine power to eliminate the calamities. That definitely added merit.
Zero had painstakingly helped a god gain merit, yet the one being helped, Aha, looked completely baffled.
Aha, confused, "What?"
Zero tried to hold it in, but he couldn't help laughing.
"Killing a Aeon, of course! Too bad your gaming skills weren't good enough, you didn't manage to kill him."
Aha, "..."
Zero kindly added, "It was 'Erudition,' by the way."
Aha's divine life was full of variety, he was always looking for fun across countless planets. So, for a moment, he couldn't recall what Zero had said before.
He thought hard, and finally fished that line out from some corner of his memory.
Back then, Zero had said to him, "Wanna find something new and fun to do together?"
Aha had been shocked, asking what kind of "fun" he meant.
Then, the perfectly ordinary-looking human before him, who, for some reason, hadn't died, replied in the most casual tone, "For example… killing a Aeon for fun?"
That was something Zero had said to him hundreds or maybe even thousands of years ago, offhandedly.
Aha had waited for a long, long time, but the man never actually went through with it. He'd assumed the human was just boasting, someone amusing enough to be called a friend, someone he'd visit when he was bored.
After all, that was a human who wouldn't die easily, and could even move objects from afar, hiding countless secrets.
Until the day Aha unsuspectingly ate that real stinger worm can and heard him talk about "going to a more real world," Aha finally realized, this friend had countless secrets and knew things no ordinary being could.
That was when he truly began to see Zero as a friend.
Now, Aha was genuinely puzzled.
'Wait a minute, my friend, do you even understand what a promise means?'
Aha burst out laughing.
Zero didn't look at him, he muted the nearby high-level NPC's noise and instead focused on the system's progress bar slowly advancing.
Thanks to the junk Aha provided, progress had gone up by two percent.
[Current Progress: 97%]
As for the remaining calamities, he'd leave them to humanity to handle.
Just as Zero was lost in thought, Aha suddenly asked, "How'd you do it?"
Zero thought, 'Why aren't you still laughing?'
He lazily replied, "Your mask."
Aha, 'What mask?'
He thought long and hard before finally remembering that mask, the one that could destroy multiple star systems, that he'd left behind when he first met that human.
Aha, "…That's hilarious. Absolutely hilarious."
'Friend, you really hold grudges, huh?'
Aha laughed, shaking his head.
In the distance, Akivili blinked in confusion.
He instinctively turned his head, seeing Aha doubled over in laughter at the bar counter, almost falling off his chair, while his friend calmly muted the noise and poured champagne.
Everything seemed perfectly normal, the fleet's cannons still aimed at the calamities, every planet and department running as usual, and humanity still lost in their own joys and sorrows.
As if nothing was wrong.
Yet, in the seemingly calm sea of stars, in some corner of a distant galaxy, a tremendous power stirred, one only a Aeon could possibly sense.
It was a force spanning multiple star systems, capable of obliterating countless planets in an instant.
As a Aeon, Akivili sensed something amiss.
That location, the edge of the star ocean, had long been occupied by disasters. It was where the insect swarm and the rogue machines had first appeared.
And that power, it belonged to the Aeon of "Joy."
Akivili scratched his head. Seeing that Aha himself wasn't reacting much, still smiling as usual, he figured, maybe his friend had persuaded Aha to lend a hand?
Satisfied with that conclusion, Akivili turned his gaze back toward the miracles created by humanity.
He genuinely felt happy for them.
The insect swarms left behind by the Aeon of "Propagation," and the machines corrupted by Rubert's "Anti-Life Program" that targeted all organic life…
Neither of them were easy foes.
But humanity, with their wisdom and courage, had saved countless lives and pushed back against disaster bit by bit.
And today, they could finally wipe it out completely.
Akivili was still marveling at them when Zero's battleship received an unknown signal.
He instinctively looked at his friend.
Zero held two glasses of champagne, he handed one to Akivili, then turned his gaze toward the incoming signal.
[Signal Connection Established]
[Warning!]
[Evil Organic Being]
[Immediately self-destruct and apologize for your crimes]
Zero, "..."
Seeing the dying, desperate machines still trying to threaten humanity, he didn't feel angry, he found it funny.
Funny how ugly enemies became when pushed to the brink.
Ignoring the message, Zero chatted casually with Akivili, occasionally sipping his champagne and glancing at the mission progress.
[Current Progress: 99%]
Then, the rogue machines sent another message.
[You will pay for your crimes]
Zero didn't bother replying, he just cut off the transmission.
He didn't even need to give any more orders.
After all, anyone who had personally witnessed the planets destroyed by calamities, and the humans who had suffered, would not show mercy again.
They would finish the job themselves.
Zero and Akivili waited together, waiting to witness the moment humanity finally defeated the disasters once and for all.
The man and the god both ignored the rummaging, locust-like Aha nearby, and clinked their champagne glasses.
The vast fleet, enough to block countless suns, cleansed the calamities.
When they reached the last planet occupied by the rogue machines, they bombarded it with orbital cannons. When its damage reached fifty percent, the machines chose to self-destruct.
Thanks to their battle experience, the fleet had already predicted that move and pulled back in advance.
[Current Progress: 100%]
[Victory Achieved!]
Zero immediately turned to Akivili and said softly, "It's over."
Akivili excitedly raised his glass, and Aha joined in on the toast too.
Zero smiled faintly, multitasking as he watched both Aeons and the endless stream of system messages.
[Their fleet's strength is as insignificant as ants compared to the Xianzhou.]
[Their economy is as insignificant as ants compared to the Xianzhou.]
[Their technology is as insignificant as ants compared to the Xianzhou.]
Zero ignored the common material drops and looked straight at the special ones.
[Special Material: Independent Correction Core]
[A master core from the mechanical planet. Greatly increases efficiency when building robots or large structures.]
Zero found it kind of useless, not worth using but too good to throw away.
The Xianzhou had suffered a rebellion by golden automatons before; he didn't want to deploy robots widely again.
Oh, and there was the employment issue. Robots replacing human labor would hurt job rates, which in turn would lower living standards.
If the people weren't doing well, satisfaction levels would drop.
Better to haul it back to the Xianzhou fleet later and stick it in a museum as a display piece.
[Special Material: Insect Queen]
[Can be tamed through special techniques and bred on a massive scale.]
Zero, "..."
'What the hell?'
Just reading the description felt disgusting,'Blow it up, blow it up.'
He ignored the rest of the junk, lost interest, and turned his attention to the fleet instead.
He thought it over and decided he should probably say something to the Cloud Cavalry and his teammates.
He definitely couldn't show his face, just say a few words.
He glanced at Akivili, then subtly at Aha.
Akivili understood and quickly restrained Aha.
Satisfied, Zero sent a one-way communication signal to all fleets.
He took a deep breath and said quietly, "Everyone, thank you for your hard work. I'll keep this brief."
"You left your homes for the battlefield, took up arms, and fought for the peace of all humanity, and the entire universe."
"You endured hardships, protected humanity, and gave your all to defeat the enemy. Now, it's time to rest."
"Go see the peace you've helped create."
After finishing, Zero ended the communication and turned to the two high-level NPCs.
Akivili and Aha were playfully wrestling like schoolkids. When they noticed Zero looking, Akivili struggled to free one hand and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Well said, my friend!"
Zero sighed. "Don't tease me. I'm really not good at that kind of thing."
Aha raised his hand eagerly. "I can help you, friend!"
Zero, "..."
Help him? What, help him get publicly humiliated across the whole universe? Tell everyone they met when Aha was being... by a teacher?
Zero silently turned on the broadcast and switched to the Interstellar Peace Company's news channel.
A sweet female voice was reporting the latest updates across the cosmos.
"Recently, police forces across many star systems have received overwhelming evidence against the 'Masked Fools.' Thanks to the help of good citizens, they've been arrested one after another. Faced with the evidence, the 'Masked Fools' confesses...."
"'The Masked Fools,' followers of the Aeon of Elation, while pursuing their god's path, a small portion of them crossed the line of the law. As a reminder to everyone, do not break the law. Crime will be punished, "
Aha, "..."
He went silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Zero, expression unchanged, turned up the volume until the news completely drowned out Aha's laughter.
Then, a male voice took over the broadcast, "According to insiders, this group of righteous heroes came from the Genius Society. But why would the geniuses of the Genius Society clash with the 'Masked Fools'?
"Well, we don't know the truth, but surely it's not because the Aeon of Joy randomly decided to blow up the Aeon of Erudition, right?"
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