If it relies on influencing the Paths, then I can understand why I was controlled in an instant...
After all... the current Path of [Salvation] was incomplete. Though it was called [Salvation], the vast majority of it was actually the Path of [The Destruction]...
Even if the two Paths had completely merged, [The Destruction] was assimilated, not erased. The Path still existed, and it had bestowed its characteristics upon [Salvation].
So... considering that the philosophy and concept of [The Destruction] would almost certainly be encompassed by [The Finality], it wasn't entirely incomprehensible that Terminus could use the similarity between the Paths to completely control the 'him' in the simulation.
As Ron figured out what power [The Finality] Terminus had used to defeat the Aeons of this Star Ocean, the text on the screen before him gradually faded. The long-awaited simulation score interface unfolded:
[The rating for this Life Simulation is: Unable to Evaluate.]
[Holy Calendar Year 1800, July 1st. Mid-reign of the New Jarilo Empire.]
[The citizens of the Empire believe in [Salvation] Ron. An extremist faith has brainwashed the entire Star Ocean.]
[All technological progress came to a complete halt the moment the Church of the Sword of Salvation was established. The faith of [Salvation] terminated the search for truth. All seekers of knowledge would be reduced to cold ash under the harsh purges of the "Cleanup Protocol."]
[All cultural progress came to a complete halt the moment the Church of the Sword of Salvation was established. The entertainment industries of the past were almost entirely replaced by the Church. All cultural products were infused with the malevolence of the god, becoming a part of the ideological steel brand.]
[But prolonged oppression will eventually lead to a backlash—thinkers were born at the fringes of the Empire. They questioned the god, questioned the purity and justice of [Salvation], and denounced the god's heartlessness and evil...]
[They recreated the sculptures and paintings of the Old Amber Era, recompiled the illusory plays and virtual games of that time. The freedom and openness of the Old Amber Era became a weapon in the hands of these thinkers, used to wage war against the incredibly stubborn faith of [Salvation].]
[Over a thousand years of rule can root a faith deep in the hearts of the people, but it cannot wash away the memories and hatred carved into their bones...]
[Even though history was tampered with in the cathedrals of the Sword of Salvation, twisted into enlightening teachings and hymns within a holy scripture, the true history was still passed down by word of mouth. Eventually, pushed by the thinkers, a cultural wave swept across the entire observable universe.]
[The people attempted to revive the brilliant culture of the Old Amber Era, to spread the true, blood-soaked history buried beneath the Holy Scripture of [Salvation]...]
[The wave of this Renaissance swept across the entire Star Ocean. The people feigned a revival of the old culture, but what they truly wanted was to reclaim the freedom that should belong to civilization from under the harsh theocratic rule...]
[But while the grand wave engulfed the sea, a reef in its midst stood firm and unmoving against the colossal tide—]
[The Universal Metropolis · New Belobog. The interstellar mega-city where [Salvation] Ron had once ascended to godhood was now the Holy City of the Sword of Salvation. The knights of the Round Table Hall formed the core leadership of the Church, writing the Holy Scripture of [Salvation], interpreting the doctrine for the people... and fastening the shackles upon the world.]
[The tide of the Renaissance washed against New Belobog, but there was no clamor from the Round Table Hall. A symbolic bronze bell was struck by the longswords of the knights. The New Belobog expeditionary fleet set sail once more. Scorching particle streams spewed from the rear of the ships, pushing them into the depths of the Star Ocean.]
[Although over a thousand years had passed, the expeditionary fleet had not lost its former might. Under the protection of [Salvation], it was the only organization permitted to seek the truth...]
[Driven by a fanatical faith in [Salvation], they had continuously improved New Belobog's military weapons over the millennium. Every few years, new starship designs were put into production. Every few decades, there was a military-wide weapons revolution—]
[New Belobog's military power grew continuously over a thousand years. Although they no longer had an equal enemy to help them test the strength of their weapons in combat, over the long passage of time, they eventually obtained a power far greater than that of the original New Belobog expeditionary fleet...]
[And now, the fleet set sail once more, with more advanced weapons and an even more scorching Holy Light, aimed at unarmed, ordinary people—]
[Under the power of the Holy Scripture and the cannons, the wave that had swept the Star Ocean was brutally suppressed in an extremely bloody manner. All advanced thought and hope for revival were burned away by the Holy Light. The people once again fell under the "edification" of the countless doctrines in the scripture, once again turned into mediocre fools...]
[But this was just one cycle of many—the shackles of faith bound the minds of the people, but there would always be someone who remembered the blood shed by their ancestors, who pondered the correctness of the faith, and who, under heavy restraints, attempted to wash away the ignorance of the people and break through a destiny that was inevitably heading toward its end...]
[Rebellions like this, throughout the entire history of the Holy Calendar, were countless.]
[During the rule of the Church of the Sword of Salvation, a rebellion would inevitably arise every three hundred years or so, only to be utterly crushed by the New Belobog expeditionary fleet, falling once more into the fate of harsh restriction, passively walking toward the predetermined end...]
[Your Holy Light has eternally shrouded this sea of stars since the beginning of the Holy Calendar—the light shines, the divine authority is eternal.]
[This is you—[Salvation] Ron's scorching, divine might... that which melts everything into a predetermined fate.]
Reading the text on the screen, Ron felt himself losing his composure. He pressed a hand to his throbbing temple, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.
It was obvious he was furious.
He had to admit, what [The Finality] Terminus did had truly gotten under his skin... It had done almost everything he hated. Not only had it usurped his power and thrown the efforts of everyone striving for salvation to the wolves, but it had also completely sealed off the path of civilization's progress, trapping everyone in the shackles of a so-called "Holy Scripture," imprisoning the entire Star Ocean with a harsh theocracy that should never have existed.
Although this was just a simulation, Ron was extremely pissed off. It was like playing a game where your side has a massive advantage and is about to win even if you go AFK, but then you suddenly disconnect. After you reconnect a hundred turns later, you find that your character has been controlled by the enemy, who has systematically thrown away every advantage you had, using this cheap method to force a win...
To be fair, Ron didn't have a "massive advantage" in this simulation. Even if Terminus hadn't exploited a loophole to control him, he probably wouldn't have been able to defeat it.
But he absolutely shouldn't have lost so miserably, losing his entire foundation to Terminus and allowing it to use his authority to completely control the fate of the Star Ocean, effortlessly achieving its predetermined "Finality."
"Ah... forget it."
Ron pressed his temples, suppressing the anger in his heart and gradually calming down.
"It doesn't really matter... I've got the intelligence. At least now I know that to deal with Terminus, my Path's philosophy can't be similar to its, to avoid being assimilated. And I can't become an Aeon bound by a Path, to avoid being controlled by it through fate..."
"Thinking about it, this is like a super-boss that locks the player's level... but that's all it is."
Ron didn't feel too much pressure. Once he had enough information, he was completely relieved.
The arrival of Terminus was still very, very far away... Ron still had many opportunities to simulate, enough for multiple trial-and-error runs.
Killing an Aeon as a mortal was unimaginable, but it wasn't impossible. If the Annihilation Gang dared to dream it, why couldn't Ron?
With enough simulations for trial and error, anything was possible...
Ron thought to himself as the summary on the screen faded, and new evaluation text appeared:
[You have accomplished a feat unimaginable to ordinary people. Across this sea of stars, civilizations are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, and intelligent beings are countless, yet the seats of the Aeons are few. Only a handful sit upon them, wearing the crown of a Path's master, commanding the life and death of a Path, and observing the rise and fall of this Star Ocean.]
[And you, among the countless billions of intelligent beings, are the "one" who pioneered a new Path...]
[You pioneered the Path of [Salvation], became the Aeon of [Salvation], cleansed all calamities from this Star Ocean, and brought the Holy Light of [Salvation] to all civilizations in the observable universe.]
[You are worthy of the title of Aeon, and even more worthy of the name [Salvation]—if you had not fallen under the control of [The Finality] Terminus.]
[Your nobility and wisdom vanished completely after you fell under its control... The Star Ocean falling under the strict surveillance of the "Cleanup Protocol" was not your wish. The sins of all this were forged by the one who controlled you, but you must bear a portion of the blame.]
[The power of [Salvation] was simply too strong, and you were too deeply entangled with [The Destruction], causing your Path to be similar to that of [The Finality], giving it the possibility to control you completely. Without borrowing your power, even Terminus could never have dragged the entire Star Ocean into a dark age for over three thousand years until the final destruction arrived...]
[You are an undisputed, absolute hero, and also a pitiful soul who could only watch helplessly as the fruits of your labor were twisted and burned in the hands of another—]
[Your achievements are undeniable, but your power also became a necessary tool for Terminus to control everything. This complex entanglement constituted your life. If you had not lost to Terminus so decisively, perhaps everything would have been different...]
[Given the twisted and convoluted nature of this simulation and the observation of [The Finality] Terminus, the rating for this simulation cannot be evaluated.]
[Because the "Salvation" trait was upgraded to its maximum level in this simulation, you will be rewarded with the fixed trait: "The Way of Salvation (Rainbow)"]
[The Way of Salvation: You have pioneered the Path of [Salvation]. The concept of "Salvation" has truly become the crown upon your head—this crown can only be worn by you, and that lantern can only be lit by you.
In this entire Star Ocean, no one understands the path of "Salvation" better than you.
"The Star Ocean is dim and decaying, only the lantern in my hand still holds light... Quickly, crown me!" — [Salvation] Ron.
After loading this trait, you will be guaranteed to pioneer a Path based on the philosophy of "Salvation." You will command this Path and become its master.
However, the timing of this pioneering is up to you—you can attempt to broaden the philosophy of other Paths, merging their concepts all at once to pioneer a new Path with a broader scope, or you can use this trait to directly pioneer the Path of [Salvation].
The choice is yours. Use this Path wisely. Attempting to overlap and collide it with other Paths, using the power derived from combining multiple Paths, may be the best way to achieve victory.]