[Flawless Melody, Eternal Garden]
Upon activating her Ultimate, Lumina's radiant Character Portrait appeared on the screen. The words "Flawless Melody, Eternal Garden" materialized in the lower right corner, presumably the name of her Ultimate.
With the Ultimate activated, the game's focus shifted to Lumina. Her eyes were closed as she sat on a green swing that had materialized out of thin air, a faint smile gracing her lips. Her Staff had vanished, and several butterflies of varying colors fluttered around her. The ground beneath her feet was covered by a small patch of lawn garden, where a rabbit nestled on her lap, occasionally hopping across the grass.
When the Ultimate was fully unleashed with another click, Lumina slowly opened her eyes, her emerald-green irises shimmering with radiant light. Gazing at the butterflies, the lawn, the flowers, and the small creatures around her, she smiled softly, a warmth spreading across her face.
A round, core-like object appeared in Lumina's hand. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that this was the magical core from her ornate staff.
With a gentle smile, Lumina cast the core onto the ground. In an instant, verdant grass began to spread rapidly, transforming the entire battlefield into an Eternal Garden...
Within this enchanted garden, flowers never withered, their lush greenery remaining eternally vibrant. Every leaf and petal seemed to pulse with boundless vitality.
Towering trees stood tall and verdant, their branches adorned with crystalline dewdrops that never evaporated, forever shimmering with the light of life. Multicolored blossoms bloomed in endless profusion, yet showed no signs of decay, each flower maintaining its fullest, most vibrant form, emitting an unceasing fragrance that drifted on the gentle breeze, carrying waves of sweet scent across the air.
The garden teemed with carefree animals, infusing this already flawless paradise with endless vitality.
The setting sun cast its final rays across the sky, gently caressing every living thing in the garden with a soft, golden light, bathing them in warmth.
In this garden, time seemed to lose all meaning, each day an eternal present, each moment brimming with wonder and beauty. Birds perched on branches sang joyfully, their crisp, melodic voices weaving an everlasting symphony of life, love, and hope.
At the very heart of the garden, a white figure sat on a swing, swaying gently in the breeze—the mistress of this Eternal Garden.
(Lumina's Ultimate has two forms: the daytime garden and the nighttime garden, changing according to the real-world time. The daytime garden appears from 6 AM to 6 PM, while the nighttime garden appears from 6 PM to 6 AM. There are no special effects; it's just a cool dual-form design! o(* ̄▽ ̄*)ブ)
[Holy... Holy shit!]
[Holy shit! Seele, don't look! This is a sci-fi movie!]
[Okay, okay, okay, have the special effects really become this extravagant? Changing the battle scene is one thing, but even the combat music?! (Laughing and crying)]
[I want to call out one character specifically here. I've forgotten everything about them except that their skill effects were extremely simple and unadorned. I can't remember their faction, Path, or even their name...]
[Hiss... Is this the treatment reserved for Emanator-level beings? Utterly terrifying!]
As Lumina unleashed her Ultimate, the comment section instantly flooded with the words "Holy shit!"
Although leaks had previously hinted that Lumina's skill effects would be incredibly dazzling, viewers still came prepared to some extent when watching this video.
But even with those preparations, witnessing the actual effects still left them more or less stunned...
After all, for the primitive players of Version 1.0, concepts like changing battle arenas or altering combat sound effects were far too advanced... As a result, these players never even considered such possibilities.
In the video, after Lumina's Ultimate demonstration concluded, it began looping endlessly, offering nothing new to see.
"Excellent, excellent! I'm very satisfied, very satisfied." Lumina beamed, her face radiant with contentment as she savored the spectacle of her Ultimate's effects. Her mood instantly soared.
Jing Yuan, Herta, did you see that? Did you see? This is the true standard of an Emanator!
Gazing at the dazzling effects, Lumina couldn't help but feel smug, even subtly belittling Jing Yuan, the Emanator of The Hunt, and Herta, the Emanator of Erudition.
Although Herta currently existed only as a small, 4-star puppet—her full, 5-star "Big Herta" form yet to be released—Lumina remained confident. Based on the sheer spectacle of her own character's effects, she refused to believe, and would never believe, that Big Herta's effects could surpass her own.
[ What if her special effects really surpass yours? ] the System asked curiously.
"Then I'll find her real body and give her a good thrashing!" Lumina scoffed, her voice dripping with malice as she read the System's message on the screen.
[...]
The System dared not provoke Lumina too much—a woman who appeared beautiful, kind, and generous on the surface, but harbored a ruthlessly vengeful nature beneath.
[ Hmm... Even so, this side of Lumina is undeniably captivating, hehehe~ ] (o'ω'o)*
Lumina: ?
Seeing the System's inner thoughts displayed on the screen, a large question mark slowly materialized above Lumina's head.
Does it even realize that its inner thoughts are being broadcasted, completely unfiltered, for me to see? Lumina muttered inwardly, utterly speechless.
Never mind, whether it knows or not, I know now. That's all that matters.
With that, Lumina stopped dwelling on the matter. Her gaze returned to her phone screen, where she swiped to the Comment Section of the Lumina Gameplay Demo video.
[I'm Miss Lumina's Dog!!! [110,000 Likes]]
Lumina: ???
Scrolling through the Comment Section, Lumina's eyes were drawn to the top-rated and most popular comment, causing her lips to twitch involuntarily.
Okay, okay... A video with a million views and a single comment with 110,000 likes? Isn't that a little absurd?
After all, that million views included repeated views from the same person, and many viewers left immediately after watching without ever checking the comments. The 110,000 likes statistic was truly outrageous.
Moreover, the comment was about being someone else's dog...
Lumina shook her head, dismissing the thought, and continued scrolling down, reading other comments.
[You're right, but that's just Lumina for you—explosive strength, explosive story, explosive treatment, explosive special effects, explosive beauty (o『o ) We Lumina simps are truly feasting!]
[Just thinking about how Lumina and Seele are characters from the same game makes me want to laugh.]
[Seeing these special effects and skill strength, the Lumina simps must be barely suppressing their laughter.]
[Sigh... Us Lumina players always go against the meta...]
[Against the heavens, right?]
[Against the heavens is still against!]
"That's just my personal charm~" Lumina huffed, feeling immensely pleased as she read the comments.
[It's clearly the charm of power—the power of special effects and skills. Even a pig could take flight with this...]
"Are you calling me a pig?" Lumina raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely offended by the remark.
[I didn't say that. You're the one who admitted it, ha!]
"Hmph!" Lumina snorted coldly, dismissing the comment.
Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~
Just as Lumina was about to continue scrolling through videos, the notification ringtone for her Special Group suddenly chimed.
"Herta?" Lumina glanced at the sender's name, her brow furrowing in confusion.
She opened the message and quickly scanned its contents:
[Herta: Where are you?]
Lumina: In my room.
[Herta: ?]
As soon as Lumina sent her message, Herta replied with a question mark.
[Lumina: ?]
Not to be outdone, Lumina immediately returned the question mark.
[Herta: Forget it, whatever. Come here. [Location]]
[Herta: Screwllum and Ruan Mei are here. We need to discuss matters regarding the Simulated Universe.]
[Lumina: Beg me. Beg me, and I'll come.]
[Herta: Please, just come already!]
[Lumina: Ugh... My eyes hurt so much. I think I've gone blind and can't see the text anymore. (Implies voice message)]
Gazing at Herta's pleading words, Lumina's slender fingers tapped lightly on the screen, sending a text message that seemed to hint at something.
Hmm... Perhaps it would be more accurate to say it was a clear indication. After all... Lumina had sent the parenthetical note as well.
[Herta: [Voice Message]]
Herta didn't refuse; those who aspire to greatness don't concern themselves with petty details.
Soon, Herta's voice message arrived.
["Please, just come already... Please, please, please."]
Lumina tapped to play the message, and Herta's flat, emotionless voice immediately echoed through the room.
Little Herta, completely under my control!
A faint smile curved Lumina's lips. She saved the message and uploaded it to the Cloud in a single, seamless motion, intending to replay it repeatedly for future enjoyment.
Though Herta currently lacked emotions, that didn't matter. With Lumina's daily coaxing... with Lumina's steady progress...
Herta would inevitably develop emotions...