Chapter 199: Nanook: Want to Steal from Me? Get Lost.
[Aeon Chat Group]
Aha: "Wow~ Congratulations to our dear Lan, the Hunt! His Emanator successfully repelled one of Destruction's lackeys! How wonderful, how wonderful!"
Aha: [Aha_setting_off_fireworks.jpg]
Nous: "[Light Cone Record: Victory of The Hunt]"
Nous: [March_7th_taking_a_photo.jpg]
Lan: "@Nanook What do you have to say for yourself?"
Nanook: "..."
Nanook: "The defeat of ants does not diminish the glory of Destruction."
Nanook: "However... Lan. That Emanator under your command has quite the sharp tongue."
A cold snort echoed through the conceptual space of the chat group. Phantylia's failure had indeed displeased Nanook. It wasn't the defeat itself—victory and loss were common currency in the grand theatre of the universe.
No, it was the stage upon which this defeat had unfolded. It happened in full view of everyone, a public humiliation at the hands of an Emanator of The Hunt, a Path he held in utter contempt. Just moments ago, he had been openly mocking the weakness of Lan's followers. In the blink of an eye, his own Lord Ravager's avatar was dismantled by a mere general under his rival's command.
He knew, of course, that it was but one of Phantylia's myriad incarnations. He knew the body she had fashioned from the Ambrosial Arbor was a freshly-made, unstable vessel. Still, the outcome left a bitter taste.
As for her greed for the remnants of Abundance, or her pathetic fear of self-annihilation... how could Nanook not know? The moment he elevated Phantylia to the rank of Emanator, he had seen the impurities clouding her heart of Destruction.
But he never cared. The domain of Destruction was a great furnace, one that welcomed all forms of madness and could temper a thousand different obsessions. So long as all paths eventually led to the Return to Ruin, the journey itself was irrelevant.
Nous: "Data analysis intervening. Based on Phantylia's past behavioral patterns, her alignment with the 'Pure Destruction' concept has decreased from an initial 89.7% to the current 51.3%."
Nous: "Key deviation point identified: When executing tasks related to the concept of 'Abundance,' her energy consumption exceeds the Destruction baseline by 423%."
Aha: "Oh my~ Look, everyone, Nanook is angry!"
Aha: [Rolling_around_happily.gif]
Aha: "Do you want little old Aha to help you catch Phantylia? I can bring her back and turn her into a tap-dancing Voidranger for you!"
Qlipoth: "..."
Qlipoth: "Focus on building the wall. Do not discuss conflicts."
Lan: "Why not let me handle it for you?"
Lan: "The arrows of The Hunt will naturally cleanse an impure alliance."
A cold light flashed in Lan's conceptual eyes. In the void, an unseen bowstring tightened, and his gaze seemed to pierce through the sea of stars, locking onto a specific, distant point in the cosmos.
Yaoshi: "Alas... what crime has life committed to deserve such strife?"
A gentle sigh spread through the group, soft and pervasive as creeping vines.
Yaoshi: "If she truly longs for permanence... I can grant her the embrace of Abundance."
Nous: "Supplementary deduction: If Yaoshi bestows a blessing, the probability of Phantylia transforming into an 'Abundance-Phantylia' hybrid form is 97.5%."
Nanook: "Hmph."
Nanook: "My Emanator... does not require your concern."
He had no intention of destroying Phantylia. He had known from the very beginning that her commitment to Destruction was not pure. But then, which of his Lord Ravagers truly belonged to a single, unadulterated Path? Weren't they all 'recruited' from elsewhere, their loyalties a mix of past lives and broken ideals?
If he were to punish Phantylia just because these few goaded him, wouldn't that play right into Yaoshi's hands? It would give the Aeon of Abundance a perfectly logical pretense to 'take' the wayward Emanator.
Nanook had no doubt that if he so much as gestured toward punishing Phantylia, Aha would leap out in the next second to sow chaos, and Yaoshi would graciously offer a 'helping hand' in the ensuing mess.
He was quite fond of snatching the Emanators of others, but he had absolutely no desire for his own to be stolen from him—especially not an Emanator with the dual potential of both Destruction and Abundance.
Scalegorge Waterscape · The Aftermath
"Thanks to everyone's help, Phantylia, who was intrinsically linked to the Ambrosial Arbor, was severely injured. More, her corrupting influence over the Arbor has been severed," Jing Yuan explained, his wrist resting in Bailu's small hands as she checked his pulse.
"The General's pulse is weak, but your foundation isn't damaged," Bailu announced, withdrawing her hand and planting both on her hips with an air of authority. "But for the next three months, you must take one dose of my special medicinal cuisine every single day to recuperate!"
"Then I will be troubling you, Lady Bailu," Jing Yuan agreed with a weary but genuine smile.
"So that's how it was..." Caelus clapped his hands together, realization finally dawning. "When the three of them pointed their weapons at you at the same time, you actually had me scared for a second!"
"Is that Phantylia... still alive?" Stelle asked, her curiosity piqued. Phantylia had dissipated into nothing with a mere wave of Jing Yuan's hand. Could she really be... gone?
"Regrettably," Jing Yuan shook his head, "an Emanator of Destruction is not so easily 'destroyed'." He explained that what they fought was but one of Phantylia's countless incarnations. The real entity was far more formidable than the avatar they had faced.
"However, Phantylia should be unable to stir up any more trouble for some time," Welt added, pushing his glasses up his nose in a calm, analytical gesture. "And we need not worry about her attempting to meddle with the Ambrosial Arbor again."
"As for the trivial matter of resealing the Stellaron..." Jing Yuan chuckled, his gaze seeming to drift toward Leon's direction. "I'll leave that headache to Master Diviner Fu Xuan."
The crisis of the Lord Ravager had, for the moment, come to an end. But now, Jing Yuan's thoughts turned to the five Aeons who had gathered over the Luofu for reasons unknown, and to the mysterious man who had remained a spectator throughout. For now, the Aeons seemed content to observe, otherwise they wouldn't have remained hidden.
And the figure who had been 'watching the show' the entire time was now looking down at his own palm, seemingly examining something. Jing Yuan's brow twitched as he watched Leon quietly tuck a wisp of golden light from his palm into his sleeve.
"By the way, Phantylia's gone, but what about that huge Ambrosial Arbor body she made? Did it disappear too?" March 7th asked, looking around the now-empty space, her face a mask of confusion. "Such a massive thing... after it was broken apart, not even a single piece of wreckage was left?"
"Indeed... that is a bit suspicious." Jingliu's sharp gaze fell squarely on Leon.
Though the Ambrosial Arbor body Phantylia had molded was shattered, it was impossible for not even a shred of debris to remain. The only person capable of such a feat... her intuition screamed it was related to him.
"Alright, I admit it." Leon shrugged, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "That body of Phantylia's is with me."
"No way! You're actually interested in the body Phantylia made..." March 7th's entire body trembled with shock.
Could it be... her previous guess was correct? He really did have some strange, unspeakable hobbies!
"What on earth are you thinking about in that little head of yours all day!" Leon sighed, reaching out and giving her forehead a light flick.
"Ow!"
"What are you guys talking about? Why don't I understand?" Stelle blinked, her face a picture of pure confusion.
Damn it, when did Leon and March start having 'encrypted conversations' that she wasn't privy to? It's fading, she thought with a pout. Our bond is fading.
"It's nothing..." Leon chuckled. "Anyway, Phantylia's remains are with me. I'd like to take them away. You guys don't mind, right?"
He spread his hands again, and this time, something materialized above his open palm. A miniature 'Phantylia Ambrosial Arbor,' no bigger than his hand, floated quietly in the air. It was as small as a palm-sized sculpture, yet so exquisitely detailed it seemed to be a living, breathing thing.
"Wow... it became so small!" March gasped.
"How did such a huge body shrink down like this?" Caelus leaned in for a closer look, his face filled with wonder.
"Since Mr. Leon intends to take it, then please, be my guest," Jing Yuan agreed with a gracious smile, his tone completely natural.
Reasonably, this body, molded from the sacred Ambrosial Arbor, should be handed over to the Cloud Knights for study and disposal. But given the... special circumstances, and the man involved, he had no intention of pressing the matter.
"Well, since I've taken this Ambrosial Arbor body, I should naturally give something back in return..." Leon smiled and beckoned to the small Vidyadhara. "Bailu, come here for a moment."
"Aiyo, what are you doing?" Bailu yelped, startled by the sudden attention.
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