Rumble!!!—
The Herta Space Station shook violently several times.
The Aeons within the Simulated Universe were merely simulated entities composed of data.
Their divine power and the forces they controlled were also nothing more than code-based simulations within that universe.
Through precise data calibration, they were granted abilities identical to those in reality within the virtual world, making them convenient for research.
Under normal circumstances, events occurring inside the Simulated Universe would not interfere with the outside world.
However, just as Polka Kakamata could trace along causal lines to eliminate those attempting to probe her information—the power of the Suniaster was also capable of distorting reality, blurring the boundary between reality and simulation.
Bzzz...
Setsuna felt his field of vision stretch upward once again.
His power followed Akivili's perspective within the Simulated Universe, merging with the Path of Trailblaze.
Then it broke through the limitations of virtual space, reaching directly into the real plane.
Boom—
A pillar of light shot skyward from Herta Space Station as intense Imaginary energy spread outward.
In the blink of an eye, the entire station and the Azure Planet became the brightest beacon in the cosmos.
Even the light of stars paled to less than a fraction compared to this beam.
"Huh? That's Herta Space Station? The Commander's location?"
Whether on the Xianzhou Luofu, Pier Point, Penacony, or even farther away, everyone witnessed this astronomical phenomenon at the same moment.
They looked up at the starry sky, unsure of what had occurred.
At the apex of the universe and within higher-dimensional space, the Aeons who governed boundless Imaginary energy cast their gaze toward it.
At first, they believed a new Aeon was about to be born. But soon, those particularly sensitive to Imaginary fluctuations noticed something was wrong.
It wasn't that someone had "created" a Path—but that someone was "reclaiming" control over one.
Boom!!—
The power released by the Suniaster echoed across the cosmos. It interfered with the simulated universe and its virtual Paths—and also with the real universe.
Setsuna opened his eyes, now positioned within a high-dimensional space overlooking the cosmos.
With the Suniaster's power, he was able to touch and interact with abstract concepts—including the Path of Trailblaze.
"Heh. I only meant to run some experiments with you. Didn't expect a bonus like this."
Within the simulated world, he had been cosplaying Akivili.
Once his own power mixed in, it unexpectedly traced back to the real Path of Trailblaze, directly piercing the boundary between virtual and reality.
"Well, since it's an ownerless Path, I'll take it."
Paths were a part of the Imaginary—energies possessed by Aeons, composed purely of Imaginary power.
Akivili had long since fallen. No one currently controlled the Path of Trailblaze.
Although the Astral Express and the Nameless continued to walk the Trailblaze, the power they could wield was minimal.
He clenched his hand.
Shua—
The power of Dominance surged into the Path, assimilating the Imaginary energy into his own.
The power of a single Path was not enough to rival what Setsuna already possessed.
Thus, unlike ordinary beings who needed to ascend into an Aeon to control a Path, Setsuna simply treated it as energy to be used.
He felt a new force surge into his body.
The Imaginary energy of Trailblaze.
The assimilation proceeded smoothly. Firstly, he already possessed the ability to integrate powers from multiple worlds. Secondly, his compatibility with the concept of "Trailblaze" was extremely high.
Trailblaze meant endless exploration of the unknown—constantly pushing the boundaries of the universe.
Setsuna could accept this concept effortlessly. By the standards of this world, his exploration of the multiverse and conquest of other worlds was undoubtedly a form of Trailblaze.
Moreover, this multiversal exploration was conceptually broader and more grand than Akivili's original Trailblaze.
At the same time—
Whoosh—
Another tide of Imaginary energy surged across the cosmos.
Near the Starskiff dock.
The Astral Express crew and the Bulins were gathered around the train, busily carrying out modification work.
Pam, wearing the conductor's tall hat and resembling a fluffy mascot, was originally standing inside a carriage, nagging at the Bulins:
"How many weapons are you installing, pam?! This is the Astral Express, not an armed train, pam!!"
Suddenly, it sensed a familiar yet unfamiliar energy fluctuation.
"Akivili!! Are you still alive?!"
"Is it you?! Is it really you?! Waaah!!—"
Pam dropped the tool in its hand and burst into tears while looking into the distance.
"Hm?!"
Kiana sensed another presence within the spreading Imaginary energy.
"This is... the Commander?"
"Huh?!"
...
Inside Herta Space Station.
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Mobius, Ruan Mei, and the little girls involved in the experiment crawled out from a sealed compartment reduced to ruins.
The main control module, energy module, and computation module of the Simulated Universe had all exploded violently due to an energy overload.
The entire compartment was in shambles. Fortunately, the station's internal safety measures had protected them, and none of the participants were ordinary people.
After checking one another, they confirmed no one was injured.
"What just happened?!"
Everyone was completely bewildered.
"Let me think..."
Grey sat on the ground, rubbing her head.
"Herta, you had the Commander merge his power with Akivili's power inside the Simulated Universe..."
"Mm—"
The Herta puppet climbed up and dusted off her clothes.
"Then all the data started throwing errors, and the Simulated Universe's main control system was destroyed by the energy impact."
"Uh... that shouldn't be possible. He interfered with the real plane from within a virtual world?... How is that even possible?!"
Herta looked utterly puzzled.
While they were still trying to salvage data—
Shua—
Setsuna's figure appeared behind her, casually ruffling her hair.
"Nice work on the Simulated Universe. I'll cover the expenses."
"!!!"
Herta and Grey jumped in shock, and even Ruan Mei froze mid-action.
All eyes turned toward Setsuna.
Whoosh—
A strand of Imaginary energy ignited at his fingertips and spread outward.
"Ah!!!"
"Akivili!!!"
Herta became uncharacteristically excited.
"Commander, did you become an Aeon? How did you do it?!"
Grey looked confused.
"No, wait—where did you just go?!"
She felt that Setsuna didn't resemble an Aeon in the conventional sense.
Rather than becoming one, it felt more like the power of Trailblaze and Akivili had become part of him.
"No. I only took control of the power of Trailblaze. It's ownerless, so it was easy to manipulate."
Setsuna replied.
"I can now draw upon the Imaginary energy within the Path of Trailblaze and use its authority. But I don't intend to become the Aeon of Trailblaze for now."
Aeons were embodiments and collections of philosophical concepts.
If he wished, after taking control of the Path, ascending would not be difficult for him—his scale and strength were more than sufficient.
However, governing a single concept like Trailblaze alone felt somewhat limited.
"The virtual Aeons and real Paths are connected... no wonder..."
Ruan Mei murmured thoughtfully.
"Uh, so you've integrated and are controlling a new Path?"
The nanobot scratched her head.
"Congratulations. Though this turned out a bit differently from what I imagined... I also feel like being just the Aeon of Trailblaze wouldn't be enough for you..."
"Mm. I'm planning to take control of a few more Paths."
Setsuna thought for a moment.
After mastering the Path of Trailblaze, he realized this was far from his limit.
In theory, as long as a concept suited him, it could be controlled—whether it was an ownerless Path he seized or one he created himself.
At that point, narrower Paths could even be fused into broader concepts. Trailblaze might merely become material for future synthesis.
"???"
Herta, Ruan Mei, and the others were dumbfounded.
What was he saying? Take control of multiple Paths?
One Aeon corresponded to one concept—one Path. This was an absolute rule of the universe.
He wanted several?! Was that even possible?!
...Ah, right. Setsuna was from another universe.
"..."
Herta stared at him, thinking for a moment.
"The power of Trailblaze... Regardless, it's another worthwhile research subject."
"All in all, this Simulated Universe experiment was a success—though both the process and the result were quite different from what you expected."
...
Half an hour later.
Inside the main control compartment, Setsuna took a sip of tea, casually ate some of the snacks Ruan Mei had brought, and smiled at the group of geniuses from Herta Space Station.
"Ah!"
The Herta puppet and Ruan Mei fell into a long silence.
"Question: how did you interfere with the real plane from within the virtual Simulated Universe?"
"What did you do to the Path of Trailblaze? What did you see at that time? How did you manipulate the Imaginary energy of the Path?!"
Herta leaned in front of Setsuna like a curious child, firing off a barrage of questions.
In all her years of research, something this absurd had never happened before.
There existed an insurmountable gap between humans and Aeons. Even geniuses could only rely on methods like the Simulated Universe to glimpse a fraction of their secrets.
Being able to meet an Aeon three times was already an unprecedented honor. Even someone as powerful as Louis Fleming had only ever encountered the Aeon of Remembrance, Fuli.
And now, standing inside Herta Space Station, was a being who had just taken control of the Path of Trailblaze.
Theoretically, any existence capable of ruling over an entire Path would undoubtedly be an Aeon—but Setsuna was clearly different from a conventional one.
—At the very least, Herta didn't think an Aeon would sit in her space station drinking tea.
"You're asking too many questions."
Setsuna reached out and ruffled Herta's hair.
"Mm!"
Herta adjusted her hat.
Her gaze held confusion, a trace of reverence, and even more curiosity.
Setsuna lacked the aloof divinity typical of Aeons. He looked like a young human, and only through careful perception could one sense the vast, indescribable power contained within him.
"The virtual Aeons in the Simulated Universe are actually connected to real Paths. They can both be seen as manifestations of the same concept."
"Your simulation of Akivili was extremely realistic—real enough to pass as genuine. So I got an idea."
"I simply traced back to the Path of Trailblaze and took control of it. That's all."
As he spoke, a cluster of Imaginary energy gathered in his palm.
This was another power system he had mastered in this universe—the same energy used by Aeons.
With the experience of the Suniaster and the Simulated Universe, he had grasped it with little effort.
"Oh..."
Herta understood every word individually—but together, they sounded like pure fantasy.
Controlling a Path and breaking the boundary between reality and simulation—those were feats only gods could achieve.
"Strange. You're not like a typical god."
Ruan Mei's teal eyes fixed on Setsuna.
The geniuses had interacted with Aeons before. Aside from Aha and Akivili, most Aeons rarely engaged with humans.
"The power of Aeons and Paths is only a part of me. I won't be assimilated by them, nor will I become some emotionless conceptual entity. I'm still myself."
Setsuna replied.
"Oh..."
Herta's mind generated over a thousand new questions she wanted to ask.
She had once imagined questioning Nous directly—but meeting the Erudition Aeon required a heavy price.
Yet now, wasn't there a god right in front of her? And one far more approachable than most Aeons.
"Question—"
"Stop. Save your questions for later at the Starsea Empire."
Before she could continue, Grey interrupted her endless inquiry.
After checking data on the holographic interface, she glanced at Setsuna.
"Hmm..."
"Commander, since you can directly control the power of Paths, things should be much simpler for us going forward, right?"
"After all, it's not just Trailblaze—you can do the same with other Paths too, correct?"
"Mm."
Setsuna nodded.
"As long as the concept aligns with me, it's easy to master."
Paths were philosophical constructs formed from Imaginary energy. When Setsuna took control of Trailblaze, he found it effortless precisely because of his high compatibility with the concept.
In a sense, he was even more aligned with Trailblaze than Akivili, since his scope extended across countless worlds.
However, other Paths—such as Destruction or Elation—were at least understandable. But ones like Propagation or Voracity didn't suit him at all.
Even if he forcefully took control of them using higher-tier power, they likely wouldn't be easy to use.
"Then we'll just find a way to assimilate or absorb those weird Paths later using higher-level concepts."
Grey scratched her head.
Setsuna could control multiple Paths, while others in the Starsea Empire could take charge of or create additional ones.
At that point, the Starsea Empire could even form a new divine system—Aeons.
"Too bad your method can't be replicated. We'll have to rebuild the Simulated Universe from scratch."
Mobius sounded slightly regretful.
Originally, the Simulated Universe was meant to uncover the secrets of Aeon ascension for others to reference. But Setsuna had simply seized control using divine power.
Clearly, that brute-force method had little relevance for most people.
"Then we'll just have Ereshkigal, Elysia, and the others work harder. We'll figure out another method for them later."
Setsuna smiled.
"Mm. Then next, Commander, we'd like to observe the power of the Path of Trailblaze—"
Just as Herta and Grey were planning the next phase of research—
Suddenly—
"HAHAHAHAHAHA—"
From the distant depths of the cosmos came a manic burst of laughter.
The laughter was infectious, carrying an incomprehensible madness that made people instinctively want to laugh along.
Rumble!!—
The entire Herta Space Station was engulfed in a violent tide of Imaginary energy. Monitoring and experimental equipment began reporting errors frantically.
The surrounding starfield froze in an instant, transforming into a bizarre, chaotic scene.
Boom—Boom—
The station trembled violently, as if an overwhelmingly powerful existence were descending.
"Th-this is... Emanator-level energy? A Lord Ravager?!... No—it's an Aeon!!!"
Herta was shocked, and even the usually composed Ruan Mei showed surprise.
"Ahahahahahahaha!!!—"
"Akivili! Akivili!! Long time no see—I've missed you dearly!!!"
A mad voice descended from the sky, laughing wildly.
It manifested as a torrent of Imaginary energy, plunging down from higher-dimensional space.
Breaking through the station's defenses, it swirled like a hurricane before circling in front of everyone.
It was an indescribably bizarre existence—headless, clutching countless clown masks, with arms floating in midair. It looked both ridiculous and absurd.
It spun around Setsuna, greeting him enthusiastically.
"Akivili! Akivili! My dear friend!!!"
"You're back!! Hahaha!!! What have you experienced?! What have you encountered?! Why are you here?!"
"It really is you!! Ahahahaha!!"
Its voice was deranged, filled with uncontrollable joy.
"..."
Herta and Ruan Mei's expressions shifted from confusion to bewilderment—and then to unprecedented shock.
Everyone could sense the immense power emanating from this strange being.
The Aeon of Elation—Aha.
Among Aeons, They were one of the closest to "humanity." True to Their name, They delighted in toying with the emotions of intelligent beings, orchestrating dramatic twists of fate.
For Aha, nothing was more meaningful—or more entertaining—than having fun.
Although the Aeon of Elation didn't leave behind universe-shaking miracles like Preservation or The Hunt, no one could doubt Their overwhelming power.
If Aeons were ranked by strength, Aha would certainly be among the top.
"Is this a clone or projection of Aha?"
Mobius asked quietly.
"No!"
Aha turned one of the clown masks, revealing a radiant grin.
"I am Aha!"