"Outsider."
"Do you have any idea what you are doing?"
A woman with white hair and golden eyes, bearing a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to the Herrscher of Finality and with a red "Star of the Void" shimmering behind her, appeared on the floating island.
Her condescending tone did not cause the slightest ripple in Rin's state of mind. Instead, she began a perfectly earnest self-introduction:
"I am Rin, the [Eighth Apostle] under His Majesty, the Monarch."
"..."
Those few simple words instantly suppressed the other's aura. Poise and composure are often inseparable.
"I am the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles."
"The head of the 'Four Supreme Pillars,' the Regent of Space, Asmoday."
"Oh~"
The Four Supreme Pillars.
A title she had not heard before.
But if there were no surprises, this person should be the shadow of the "Heavenly Principles" Phanes, separated to wield the authority over space.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Asmoday."
"…#"
Asmoday was defeated by Rin's unconventional approach.
To make matters worse, her opponent was exceptionally powerful, meaning she couldn't just crush this disobedient individual as she normally would.
"I have no desire to meet you."
"Is that so?"
"What a pity."
If the two figures in the sky weren't recognized as major players by their respective sides, their conversation might have been mistaken for a pickup attempt.
---o---
"Outsider."
Asmoday clearly had no intention of bridging the gap between them.
She held back from attacking out of caution regarding her opponent's strength; Rin, likewise, refrained from acting out of consideration for the other three members of the "Four Supreme Pillars" mentioned earlier. The Asmoday before her was no match for her, but it was obvious the woman was not in her optimal state. Not only was her body, constructed of Imaginary energy, being corroded by quantum energy, but her own energy reserves were likely only at about one-third of their full capacity.
Not every civilization could ignore quantum energy. To be precise, for the vast majority of civilizations, quantum energy was a terrifying poison—and the higher their utilization rate of Imaginary energy, the more this was true.
The Empire could dash and weave through the Quantum Sea because they could rely on the power of His Majesty, the Emperor.
"You should not covet this power."
"The price to be paid for it…"
"With your level of attainment, you can surely see my current condition."
For opponents of the same caliber, some secrets were impossible to hide. The "Star of the Void" behind Asmoday should have been the pure gold of manifest Imaginary energy; its current appearance was largely due to the influence of quantum energy.
"Our creator, the 'Heavenly Principles,' constructed this barrier not to claim the 'Branch of the Imaginary Tree' for itself—although we do not deny that was the initial purpose upon our arrival—but to prevent the leakage of quantum energy."
"Once the quantum energy reaches a certain threshold and becomes an 'Anchor of the Sea'… not only will this civilization suffer a catastrophe, but even several surrounding star regions could be affected."
"You."
Asmoday spoke with sincerity.
"This star region is remarkably quiet. Your arrival here is no accident."
"If the erosion of the Quantum Sea spreads along the path you have opened… a civilization capable of traversing the sea of stars should be well aware of the consequences."
---o---
"Oh."
In response to Asmoday's heartfelt plea, Rin simply gave a slight nod to show she understood.
"You people—"
"Asmoday-chan."
Rin interrupted her opponent's burgeoning "anger."
"I'm afraid it's been a long time since you've dealt with an opponent of equal standing. Or perhaps, you've never had such an experience since you were born?"
"Whether it's been contaminated by quantum energy or not," Rin said, pointing to the tangled mess of Ley Lines beneath her feet.
"Anything that originates from the Imaginary Tree is a true, priceless treasure."
"If you want to send me away… no, no, no, using force would be a very unwise choice. In your current state, you are no match for me at all."
Seeing the starlight begin to flicker in Asmoday's palm, Rin cut off her "incantation" one step ahead.
"My sister did not come in here with me."
"She is merely studying Sky Island's 'escape strategy'."
Rin extended her index finger and tapped lightly twice toward the sky.
"If you truly wish to defeat me…"
"How about you call out your brothers and sisters?"
Without waiting for Asmoday's reply, Rin continued:
"Or perhaps Lord 'Heavenly Principles' would be willing to appear and display their might—after all, if my skills are inferior, I won't stubbornly fight to the death here."
---o---
"What will it take for you to leave?"
Rin's guess had been spot on. When power and status proved ineffective, the Asmoday before her was actually quite fragile. She sorely lacked experience in this kind of dialogue; concocting a lie that wasn't riddled with holes was the limit of her ability.
And for Rin, a master of the human heart, this simple response contained far too much information.
The most basic of which was:
The "Heavenly Principles" and the other three members of the "Four Supreme Pillars" were not just unwilling to appear, but were fundamentally unable to appear here!
"At the very least…"
"If I leave without Asmoday-chan telling me what exactly happened, it will be very difficult to report back."
She didn't specify to whom.
Asmoday had no idea who Rin had to "report back" to.
"Besides, we're all neighbors here."
When Rin lied, her expression didn't change in the slightest, and her mental world remained as calm as a placid lake, without the faintest ripple.
"If you're truly in some kind of trouble, perhaps we could even lend a hand, right?"
"..."
"No."
"I was not lying. While your strength is comparable to mine at my peak, a power of that level is of no help."
A flicker of sorrow crossed Asmoday's expression.
"Oh?"
"So 'my strength' is of no help, is it?"
Rin asked with a feigned sense of "doubt."
Asmoday failed to notice that from the moment their exchange began, her own posture had been growing progressively lower. This was not just the effect of words, but the power of the [Authority of Erosion]. Although Asmoday was in a weakened state, her spiritual power was no less than Rin's. However, due to the difference in the Authorities they commanded, coupled with the erosion from the quantum energy, she had unwittingly fallen for one of Rin's little "tricks."
Meanwhile, down below, the Demon Gods who had overheard the entire conversation between the two powerhouses were in a state of panic—especially the Hydro God and the others who were still loyal to the "Heavenly Principles." It didn't matter if their colleagues had surrendered. But from the looks of it, their own supreme leader might just spill all of their secrets before they did!?
This enemy leader's ability was truly too uncanny.
Yet even if they wanted to warn her… they had long been sealed tight by Rin, both physically and mentally.
"Asmoday-chan."
To Asmoday's ears, Rin's voice sounded increasingly gentle.
"Trust me, every problem has a solution."
"Where is the 'Heavenly Principles'?"
"What exactly happened to you and your friends?"