Upon sensing the danger, Aventurine did not arrogantly rely on the power of Preservation to tank the attack. Instead, his figure flickered as he dodged mid-air, effortlessly evading the incoming coin bullets.
After avoiding the bullets, Aventurine raised his head—but before he could even muster a triumphant expression, he caught a glimpse of Topaz's meaningful smile in the distance. Instantly, alarms blared in his mind, and he instinctively tried to dodge again.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Thud! Thud! Thud!...
The muffled sound of metal piercing flesh rang out one after another, as blood blossomed mournfully in the air before cascading downward under gravity's pull.
Behind his mask, Aventurine's face was frozen in shock. He couldn't understand—how could mere ordinary firearms, seemingly devoid of any Path energy, penetrate the Preservation barrier of his cornerstone and strike him directly?
"Tch… you really didn't hold back at all..."
The pain from his wounds surged through him. Bullet fragments ground against shattered bones in his joints, producing dull, grating noises. Alongside this, agony intense enough to knock out an ordinary person flooded Aventurine's mind, forcing even this man who had clawed his way out of death's grasp to suck in a sharp breath.
"Still want to continue?" Topaz's eyes remained indifferent, as if she hadn't been the one to reduce Aventurine to such a sorry state.
"Of course. I'm not one to surrender so easily!"
Channeling the full power of his cornerstone, Aventurine's body erupted in another spray of blood mist. As the power of Preservation surged through his veins and organs, the foreign bullet fragments were forcibly expelled from his flesh.
Gripping his twin blades, Aventurine closed the distance in an instant. Pale golden Path energy coiled around his swords as he thrust toward Topaz's shoulder and abdomen.
Perhaps because the "Inevitable Hit" causality effect had drained too much of her energy, Topaz made no move to evade Aventurine's all-or-nothing strike.
The blades flashed—and blood burst from the girl's shoulder and abdomen simultaneously.
"Y-you… why didn't you dodge?" The sudden turn of events made the onlookers frown. Even Numby, who had been watching from a distance, hopped up in agitation and began waddling toward Topaz on its stubby little legs.
Crimson blood splattered across Aventurine's body. Behind his eerie mask, the man's beautiful Sigonian eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief.
"Because… there was no need!"
Seizing the moment of Aventurine's brief distraction, Topaz struck his chest with her palm—bypassing the Preservation barrier entirely and directly impacting the Aventurine Stone within his body.
Instantly, a sharp pain and overwhelming fatigue assailed him. By the time he realized what had happened, Topaz was already holding the Aventurine Stone in her hand. Deprived of his cornerstone's power, Aventurine's vision swam as he plummeted toward the ground.
"Truly formidable power."
Diamond raised a hand slightly, summoning a force of Preservation far surpassing that of 'Bizarro Aventurine' to catch the falling man and gently lower him to the ground.
Seeing this, Topaz also dispelled the power of her Stellaron imprint, reverting to her original form.
"The wounds are completely gone… is this also the power of causality's authority?" Jade cradled her chin, her gaze lingering on Topaz's abdomen and shoulders. Only after confirming the injuries had truly vanished did she finally speak up.
"Mhm." Topaz didn't hide it, nodding slightly before explaining: "I used causality's authority to erase the cause of Aventurine's attack on me. Thus, the effect—the wounds—ceased to exist."
"If that's the case…" The expressions of everyone present shifted, as if they had just thought of something terrifying.
"Then theoretically, if this power were used to erase a person's direct ancestors… would that person…?"
Diamond's implication was clear—if one's parents were erased before they could conceive them, would that person still be born? Would the individual existing in the present simply vanish?
"Topaz, on behalf of the Board of Directors and the Ten Stonehearts, I hereby announce your promotion from P45 to P46. We hope you will utilize this power wisely to contribute to the future development of the Interastral Peace Corporation."
———————————
"Already tapping into the imprint's power? And for the sake of a spar with a colleague, no less—profiting from the IPC in the process? Hahaha, how clever of you, my little maid. No wonder you've climbed to such heights."
As the one who had bestowed this power, Yun Fan naturally sensed Topaz's actions and her invocation of causality's authority within the imprint.
There was no denying it—Topaz was a smart woman, a shrewd merchant. She knew how to leverage her assets and maximize their returns.
"But now, my dear Topaz, you must have noticed that the power I've granted you is finite, yes? Like wine in a glass, the more you drink, the less remains..."
In the Dreamjolt Troupe's hotel, Yun Fan swirled the red wine in his glass, occasionally glancing through its translucent surface at Sparkle, who sat across from him—far more intoxicating than any vintage.
"And what's more… the more you drink, the more intoxicated you become..."
Just as Yun Fan had anticipated, back on Pier Point, in Topaz's residence—
The newly promoted executive was far from overjoyed. On the contrary, her expression was rather grim.
After the battle, drenched in sweat, Topaz had returned home immediately following her debrief. After a soothing hot bath, she wrapped herself in a towel and began inspecting the state of her imprint.
Yet the moment she did, her heart nearly stopped.
In her perception, the once energy-rich imprint had suddenly lost nearly a tenth of its power.
"Calm down… maybe it's just because I used it earlier. The imprint's energy hasn't recovered yet. It'll be fine after a while."
Two system hours later, Topaz checked the imprint again—only for her face to darken further.
"No recovery at all. Even infusing it with pure Path energy does nothing..." She muttered to herself before Yun Fan's sunny, cheerful face flashed through her mind.
"That bastard… no wonder he suddenly nullified my contract and gave me an extra 'gift.' He was setting me up from the very beginning..."