...
Frequency.
That was the foundation of everything in Solaris.
Every flower, every blade of grass, every living creature possessed its own unique frequency. But when a frequency fell into chaos and lost its natural order, it would degenerate into a monster known as a Tacet Discord.
Born from dissonance, these creatures instinctively devoured the frequencies of other beings to stabilize or evolve themselves. In simpler terms, they attacked and consumed any life they encountered.
Tacet Discords were the sworn enemy of civilization.
Left unchecked, they would eventually swallow the world whole.
At that very moment, deep within Yunling Valley at a place called Yulong Terrace, three Murmurer-type Discords quietly spawned into existence, like mobs respawning on a game map.
Two were humanoid, their arms shaped like scythes.
The third towered several meters tall, a hulking giant.
Two Lightwave-class.One Tidal-class.
An enemy lineup that required at least a seasoned Resonator to handle, and even then, casualties weren't out of the question.
The Tidal-class Netherguard roared, its voice shaking the air.
The two Lightwave-class Judicators screeched hungrily.
They were eager to feed, to tear into living frequencies—
But before they could even choose a target—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two Swiftblades sliced through the air and pierced straight through the foreheads of the Judicators, killing them instantly.
A heartbeat later, Aegon and the female Rover rushed forward, closing the distance to the remaining Netherguard.
Both clenched their fists and punched forward with full force.
Boom!
The massive Netherguard, as large as a city wall, was blasted backward like a fired cannonball. Judging by the impact alone, its "health bar" had probably dropped to less than a third.
"Big body, sure," Aegon remarked casually. "But not very sturdy."
"Good thing we held back," the female Rover added. "Otherwise it'd already be gone."
They dusted off their hands, then walked over and pulled their Swiftblades from the Judicators' skulls. Turns out their combat habits were eerily similar. Throw the blade first, delete the trash mobs, then clean up the rest.
The only issue was that each of them only had one weapon. Once thrown, they were unarmed. Sure, their fists were powerful enough, but it still felt careless.
"…We should carry ten spare blades next time." x2
They muttered in perfect unison, then looked at each other and laughed.
They were getting used to this synchronization.
Still, there was one small problem.
"There's only one left," Aegon said. "Not enough to split."
Their eyes landed on the wobbling Netherguard that had just barely hauled itself upright.
Technically Tidal-class. In reality? Still cannon fodder.
They hadn't killed it outright because they wanted a test subject.
The Netherguard instinctively trembled under their gaze, even though it was born of chaotic frequency.
It took a cautious step back.
"Forget it," Aegon shrugged. "Let's hit it together."
"Sounds good."
As they spoke, both tightened their right fists.
Memory might be gone, but combat knowledge was carved into their bones. Including how to use their abilities.
Golden light flickered in their eyes.
"Echo—resonate here!"
"Echo—resonate here!"
The Sound Marks on the backs of their hands flared to life. Golden light gathered around their clenched fists.
But this wasn't ordinary light.
It was time.
The Netherguard froze mid-motion. Its enormous body locked in place, suspended in complete stillness.
Three.
Two.
One.
Crack—
A sound like shattering glass rang out.
Time resumed.
And in that instant, compressed energy detonated outward. There was no traditional explosion, no roaring blast, yet the entire Yunling Valley trembled as if struck by a massive quake.
As for the Netherguard—
Under an attack powerful enough to shake a valley, a mere Tidal-class Discord stood no chance.
It was erased completely.
Not even dust remained.
"Uh… was that a bit overkill?" x2
They stared blankly at the aftermath.
A massive crater more than ten meters wide gaped before them.
That was when Aegon truly understood.
He hadn't entered a game.
The game had become reality.
In Wuthering Waves, no matter how flashy the ultimate was, it wouldn't punch a hole in the map.
But this was real.
The strength of a powerful Resonator was no longer a string of damage numbers.
It had physical consequences.
"We need to use that more carefully next time," Aegon muttered.
"Yeah. Should've controlled it better," the female Rover agreed.
Time stop plus detonation. Crowd control and burst damage in one.
And they hadn't even gone all out.
Just then, two stunned voices echoed behind them.
"You defeated a Tidal-class Netherguard in one strike?!"
"You two are insane!"
Yangyang covered her mouth in shock. Chixia's jaw practically hit the floor.
That was a Netherguard. Even elite Resonators approached those with caution. The Midnight Rangers would dispatch a squad to deal with one safely.
And these two had erased it in a single move.
Chixia was simply impressed.
Yangyang, however, realized something deeper.
The two Rovers she'd met today were absolutely not ordinary Resonators.
Strength like that would make them formidable anywhere in Solaris.
"It was fine," Aegon said lightly. "I had her with me."
"Even without me, you'd have handled it," the female Rover replied.
He flicked his Swiftblade in a neat flourish before sheathing it. She spun hers behind her back in the exact same crisp motion.
Yangyang and Chixia couldn't help smiling.
They really are alike.
After collecting the three Low-Frequency Murmur Cores dropped by the Judicators and Netherguard, Aegon finally noticed something nearby.
A massive statue.
A dragon.
An unmistakably Eastern dragon.
It looked as if the entire mountain had been carved into its shape. The craftsmanship was breathtaking. Aegon almost reached for his phone out of habit, wanting to snap a photo and maybe make a wish.
Then—
The world around him and the female Rover went dark.
A deep dragon's roar reverberated through the void.
"?!" x2
Yangyang and Chixia were gone.
The dragon statue came to life.
Golden, branch-like antlers. Black scales. Flowing white whiskers. A serpentine body that stretched at least a hundred meters long.
It radiated an overwhelming aura of nobility and divinity.
Unlike Aegon, who knew the story, the female Rover was stunned.
The colossal azure dragon looked back and forth between the two of them in clear surprise.
Then—
It lowered its head.
In welcome. In joy. In reverence.
Two Arbiters? What in the world is going on… Forget it. I need to notify Jinxi at once.
The presence vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
The darkness dissolved. The scene returned to Yulong Terrace. Yangyang and Chixia stood before them, waving their hands worriedly.
"Aegon? Rover? Are you alright?"
"Hm? Did something happen?" Aegon asked.
"You both froze in front of the Sentinel's statue," Chixia said, pointing to the dragon carving behind her. "We called out to you, but you didn't respond at all."
They looked up at the statue again.
Even though it was a masterpiece, it paled in comparison to the real being they had just seen.
That dragon had surpassed the limits of mortal creatures. It felt like a living myth.
Aegon wasn't confused.
But the female Rover recounted what she had witnessed.
Yangyang and Chixia were stunned once more.
"You saw the real Sentinel?!" Yangyang gasped.
"Wait," Aegon asked, feigning ignorance. "What's a Sentinel?"
"Wherever there is civilization and history, there is a Sentinel," Yangyang said reverently, gazing at the statue. "They are like gods, guiding and protecting our people. The statue here commemorates Jinzhou's Sentinel—Jue."
Even Chixia's usual lively expression turned solemn.
"In different regions, views may vary," Yangyang continued, her voice filled with devotion. "But here in Jinzhou, Sentinel Jue is unquestionable divinity.
He commands the power of time. He knows Jinzhou's past, present, and future. Time flows beside him like a river. To him, the vastness of ages is nothing more than a shallow mire, fully within his grasp."
Chixia nodded vigorously in agreement.
The female Rover scratched her cheek awkwardly.
She was suddenly very glad she hadn't told them everything.
Because if Yangyang and Chixia learned that the revered Sentinel Jue had just lowered his head to her and Aegon—
Well.
That would have been quite the reaction.