[Your sanity has finally reached the brink of collapse.]
Ron blinked, the light of awareness gradually returning to his eyes. He shook his head, forcing himself to become sober.
He looked at the glowing screen that had popped up before him, at the lines of text displayed on it, and only then did he realize with a start that he had returned to reality. He was no longer inside the simulation, personally directing his simulated self.
"That was truly... a less-than-pleasant experience."
Ron murmured to himself, a bitter smile touching the corners of his mouth.
Although entering the simulation to take direct control was what he had wanted most—what Sampo had done in this run was simply too outrageous, leaving Ron furious and eager to beat the man to a pulp with his own hands.
But only after truly entering the simulation could he feel the price he had paid to obtain the power necessary to crush an Emanator of The Elation like Sampo...
The blessing of The Apothecary was not something an ordinary person could withstand, let alone a blessing of such overwhelming generosity.
From the moment he entered the simulation, Ron was being ravaged by The Apothecary's gift. An infinite torrent of Imaginary energy was ceaselessly rewriting his body, transforming every cell into a new and powerful form.
Even with the Stellaron's suppression, Ron was still constantly undergoing minor transformations... While this process was making his body better, it didn't mean it was comfortable.
The Apothecary's blessing was no gentle change. Perhaps some minor boons were, but after consecrating an unknown number of star systems into a single blessing, even the gentlest of gifts would bring about a change that would shed one's mortal coil.
This was a literal shedding of the mortal coil... not a metaphor. His very flesh and bone were being stripped away under the blessing's power. His muscles melted under extreme heat, only for new ones to generate and attach themselves to bones that had been shattered and reforged into something harder.
Just now, inside the simulation, Ron had been experiencing this unimaginable agony.
All the changes Sampo had witnessed—the scales sprouting on his body, the tentacles, the pupils that held a sea of stars, the heat that rivaled a sun—were all alterations that appeared only after Ron had endured indescribable pain.
A hellish magma burned his body. Those tentacles were the unconscious growth of his tissues, tearing through his skin as they emerged, like thousands of steel needles piercing his flesh, running through every inch of him.
Only after experiencing all of this in the simulation did Ron understand why his simulated self had lost his sanity after receiving the blessing...
The torture alone was enough to destroy a person's every shred of reason. Not to mention, accompanying these changes were the instinctual desires of countless creatures, crowding his mind, causing all his rationality to fall into a chasm of desire, making him lose control of himself completely.
But, it was fine. Although he ultimately lost his reason, he still dealt with Sampo. The objective was successfully completed...
Ron stared at the screen and thought silently. Sampo had been swallowed into his body. Given the state he was in after receiving such a blessing from The Apothecary of The Abundance, there should be no possibility of Sampo surviving...
As if in answer to his hopes, new text appeared on the screen:
[You have killed and devoured Sampo Koski, Emanator of The Elation.]
[Relying on the generous blessing of The Apothecary of The Abundance, you have forcibly digested the body of an Emanator.]
[The infinite Imaginary energy that permeated his body has been consumed by you. The blessing bestowed upon him by Aha, The Elation, has likewise been devoured and transferred to you.]
[Due to your "Seed of the Stars" trait, the Stellaron within you attempted to accommodate the blessing of Aha, The Elation. However, its power was far from sufficient to contain the blessing. Its attempt has failed.]
Reading the text on the screen, Ron couldn't help but frown, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
What... was this situation?
This development was completely beyond his expectations.
He had considered all sorts of outcomes in his fight against Sampo, the Emanator of The Elation. It could have been his failure or his victory; it could have come at a great cost, or perhaps killing Sampo would drop some loot and yield some benefits.
All of those scenarios would have been reasonable. But this current situation... this should have been utterly impossible.
Devouring Sampo was just a whim. He simply felt that in his simulated state, the thread of his sanity was about to snap at any moment, so only the quickest method of killing could eliminate that bastard.
So he acted on his impulse, transforming his arm into a gaping maw and swallowing Sampo whole, using his body—which, under the influence of The Apothecary's blessing, was as terrifying as a stellar furnace—to burn Sampo's remains to ash.
But he never imagined he could actually obtain the blessing of The Elation that was on Sampo... Even if his digestive abilities as an Emanator were incredibly strong, it should have been impossible.
Because who becomes an Emanator is entirely up to the Aeon... The Aeon bestows a gift, and the one who receives it becomes the Aeon's Emanator, walking the cosmos. That power is given by the Aeon. Even if the Emanator dies, that power doesn't vanish; it simply returns to the Path.
But now, the blessing of The Elation had come to him... This meant that Aha, The Elation, had tacitly approved of this blessing being given to Ron. It hadn't taken the blessing back!
At this thought, Ron's brows furrowed. Although this simulation run was a wash and there was no point in continuing, Aha's reaction was something he couldn't ignore.
Among the currently living Aeons, It was the one most human-like, and Its Path had the fewest constraints. There had to be a reason for Its actions...
What was It thinking, giving the blessing to him?
Ron was completely baffled. He looked at the screen before him, where new text materialized:
[Because you have obtained the blessing of Aha, The Elation, you have acquired a new trait: Reckless Laughter (Red).]
[Reckless Laughter: A blessing from Aha, the Aeon of The Elation. One who possesses this blessing will become an Emanator of The Elation... under normal circumstances. Aha, The Elation, has closed the entrance to the Path of The Elation to you. While you possess this trait, you are forcibly prevented from entering the Path of The Elation and cannot draw any power from it. Its gaze is now upon you, watching with great interest as it awaits your end.]
[Due to the "Reckless Laughter" trait, the generous blessing you received from The Apothecary of The Abundance has been slightly suppressed... Now, under the combined suppression of the Stellaron and "Reckless Laughter," you have partially recovered a small amount of your sanity.]
Staring at the text, Ron was slightly stunned.
Aha wanted to see his end in this simulation... Could it be that to Aha, the feud between him and Sampo, his forced transformation into an Emanator of The Abundance, and his acceptance of the Abundance's blessing were all nothing more than an interesting play?
Could it be that right now, Aha was watching the entire story of this simulation unfold, like reading a novel, observing his choices, and laughing with abandon from some unknown corner of the universe...
The thought sent a slight chill down his spine, and a bitter smile returned to his lips.
Truly worthy of Aha, The Elation... even Its own Emanator was just part of the fun. It couldn't even be bothered to intervene and save him, instead waiting with great interest for Ron's finale.
However, despite his slight fear of Aha's actions, Ron had to admit he had received an unexpected boon from It.
After all... although Aha was treating him as a source of amusement, It also respected his choice, giving him the possibility to choose—
Aha had granted Ron a certain degree of sanity, allowing him to barely make a decision at the end of this simulation.
Because, even though this run was a wash for Ron, it didn't mean the simulation had reached its absolute end...
In the final moments, Ron had already slaughtered all the infected and eliminated Sampo, the mastermind behind it all... In truth, the Jarilo-VI Second Empire still had a chance to rebuild.
If he were completely devoid of reason, Ron certainly couldn't have changed anything. He could only have watched as his simulated self turned into one of the most terrifying monsters in the universe, devouring the entire empire, and perhaps even all of Jarilo-VI.
But now, he had a choice...
As Ron thought this, a new set of options timely appeared on the screen:
[Because you have regained a certain degree of sanity, you can temporarily control your actions.]
[An infinite power is surging within your body. The blessing of The Apothecary of The Abundance has granted you unimaginable strength. Although you suppressed it before, it is now on the verge of erupting.]
[Your body is mutating at an ever-increasing rate. At this pace, if you do nothing to stop it, you will fully evolve into an unspeakable, incomprehensible, star-sized leviathan in just five minutes, becoming an ultimate lifeform the universe has never seen before...]
[Faced with the current situation, you must make a choice—]
[1. "For Natasha's sake, I will give the empire one last chance..." Your remaining sanity tells you that everything on Jarilo-VI might still have a chance to be saved. You decide to use all your strength to suppress your evolution, hand over the position of Emperor of the Jarilo-VI Second Empire to Natasha, and leave Jarilo-VI yourself to avoid destroying this world.]
[2. "I, Ron, have wronged no one in this world!" Your remaining sanity reflects on all you have done, and you find that your conscience is clear; you have not wronged anyone in the empire. You decide to stop caring about it all. In your final moments of lucidity, you wish to rest and await your end. You will calmly accept your evolution and will not struggle to change anything.]
Looking at the options on the screen, Ron fell into deep thought.
Should he leave the empire one last chance, or should he unleash his fury upon the collapsing nation?
Based on his previous state of mind, Ron would have chosen to let it all burn without a second thought, allowing his simulated self to become a monster and destroy all of Jarilo-VI.
But now, after killing Sampo and venting his rage, he felt it didn't have to go that far.
After all... the biggest culprit behind all this was Sampo. The rest were the insatiably greedy infected who consumed the Seed of Calamity.
As for the people still alive, their greatest sin was merely being swayed by the infected's honeyed words while the empire's army fought them. And since that deception came from the methods of an Emanator of The Elation, it was perfectly normal for them to be deceived...
Although Ron didn't see these people as victims—their skepticism while the imperial army bled was enough to make him utterly disgusted with them—he still had to consider one thing...
He had to consider Natasha's feelings.
In this simulation, the only one he had wronged was Natasha... because he had broken the vow they made together. He had gone back on his word.
He had once told Natasha that they would save this world together, allowing everyone to walk safely under the blue sky, to take back the entire world...
Now, he was about to be forced into the form of a terrifying monster, losing all reason. But should he destroy Jarilo-VI for that, and in doing so, rob Natasha of the chance to fulfill her dream?
Natasha was still alive, after all... Although she was just an NPC, Ron thought it over and decided he should respect her wishes. Let her give it a try.
Ron didn't often break his promises... consider this his compensation for breaking his word to Natasha.
With this thought in his heart, Ron tapped the first option on the screen.
The option box faded, and new text appeared in its place:
[For Natasha's sake, you have decided to give the empire one last chance.]
[You forcefully suppress your evolution and dispel the vine barrier. The infinite vines instantly wither and dissipate, revealing everything within the Quarantine Zone to the eyes of all.]
---o---
[The vines enveloping the Quarantine Zone wither and vanish, revealing everything within to your eyes.]
[You see Ron standing at the entrance to the Quarantine Zone, draped in a magnificent, colorful aura, shimmering with a brilliance like that of the scorching sun...]
[You see Ron, and he looks like a god.]