Zero's expression and tone were no different from usual.
The only difference was that his once bored, empty eyes… had come alive.
Right now, his brows and eyes were smiling, as if he had just found some interesting toy. There wasn't a trace of killing intent on him.
Zero smiled with perfect warmth and, in the most pleasant tone possible, invited Lan to join him in killing the Aeons.
It didn't sound like he was talking about killing gods, more like he was inviting Lan to play a game.
Lan stared at the hand Zero had extended toward him, his expression flickering slightly, but he said nothing.
If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, who would believe that a person could hold both cruelty and compassion, two completely opposite qualities, at once?
More accurately, it was an extreme indifference toward everything and everyone that wasn't from the Xianzhou.
The Marshal had never expected any kind of reward or return from his devotion to the Xianzhou people.
He never calculated, never cared what he gave.
But when he decided to take back that goodwill, he would withdraw without mercy, leaving no room for anyone to stop him.
In all the universe, aside from the humans under his protection, no matter how strong the enemy, even the Aeons themselves, he wouldn't care in the slightest.
Seeing that Lan didn't answer, Zero sighed.
If he and Lan had the power to kill the Aeons, why shouldn't they?
Wouldn't it be better to erase unstable elements that might someday threaten the Xianzhou in advance?
Why couldn't Lan, or the Chief Strategist, understand him?
Zero stood up, one hand gathering his cloak, the other resting on Lan's shoulder.
He looked down at him, frowned, and said, "Lan, don't make that face. You make me look like some kind of deranged villain. It's not like I'm trying to destroy the universe. I just want to deal with a few Aeons, is that such a terrible idea?"
He sounded genuinely confused.
"I mean, this really isn't that hard for you or me, right?"
Lan closed his eyes briefly.
Anyone else hearing those words would instantly sense the madness behind them.
A kind of madness that cared nothing for life or death, only for the act of killing Aeons.
'But after you kill them all, then what? What will you do next?'
Lan reminded him of the pact they'd made, "You and I agreed, you may not kill without cause."
Zero blinked slowly.
He almost said, 'Does killing Aeons even count as killing without cause?'
Then he remembered when exactly he'd made that pact with Lan.
'So… Lan had already allied with the other Aeons even back then?'
Zero bent down slightly, staring at Lan with a blank face.
He'd gone to great lengths, willing even to erase his own achievements, just to draw hatred toward himself, to make Lan stronger.
And now, he just wanted to kill a few Aeons, and Lan wouldn't even agree.
He quickly forced his emotions under control and didn't argue the point further.
After all, Lan wasn't human. How could he possibly understand?
Better to rely on himself than anyone else. If Lan didn't want to kill, then he'd do it himself.
While thinking about who to start with, Zero said casually, "In that case, no need to bother the 'Reignbow Arbiter' then."
Lan said nothing, only stared at the bandages on Zero's chest, now soaked through with blood.
He raised a hand, gripped Zero's shoulder, and changed the subject. "Your wound is bleeding."
At those words, Zero's anger flared again.
'Seriously, Lan, what the hell is wrong with you?! Why are you changing the subject, is that what's important right now?!'
Overcome by emotion, Zero couldn't keep his face calm anymore. He stared at Lan, stunned.
Lan let go of his shoulder.
Before Zero could react, Lan's hand moved to his neck, pressing firmly against his carotid artery.
It was a vital point, too much pressure, and a person could die.
Zero's vision went dark. As his consciousness slipped away, he vaguely heard Lan sigh, "…You didn't fail. You succeeded."
Zero, "…"
'Are you kidding me?! You think one little flattering line makes us even?!'
A string of curses flashed through his mind before he completely blacked out.
When he next regained consciousness, he saw Akivili.
The gray-haired, golden-eyed young man looked worried. "My friend, you have to take good care of yourself!"
Zero was still bitter about Lan knocking him out and hadn't cooled down yet.
But faced with Akivili's gentle tone and genuine concern, he forced his temper down and nodded obediently.
He sat up, leaned against the prepared cushion, and immediately pulled up a system map he hadn't checked in a long time.
During the time he hadn't been wearing the Dark Yin Body debuff, the satisfaction of various Xianzhou fleets had dropped noticeably.
So Zero sighed and re-equipped the debuff.
Beside him, Akivili took out a black coat, proudly showing it off while explaining its origin.
Zero listened quietly. One look at the coat, and he instantly understood Akivili's intent.
All of his previous clothes had been gifts from his subordinates.
A sociable god like Akivili, with friends across the universe, of course knew that.
After hearing about it, the Aeon must have thought for a long time before deciding to give him a coat personally.
Zero didn't refuse. He smiled and thanked Akivili.
Akivili let out a relieved breath and started chatting about funny things that happened on his journeys. Midway, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, do you know the Aeon of Erudition?"
Zero replied calmly, "The Aeon of Erudition? What about them?"
Seeing no reaction, Akivili relaxed.
"Oh, I just thought maybe there was some bad blood between you two… never mind."
Zero pondered the information hidden in that line.
'So Akivili and Erudition were on good terms.'
That meant he'd managed to reconcile with them and become friends.
Zero looked steadily at Akivili and smiled.
"What's this? Heard some rumor? If there's any bad blood, shouldn't it be between Erudition's followers and the Masked Fools? What's that got to do with me?"
Akivili scratched his head and nodded. "Oh… yeah, you're right."
Zero paused deliberately, then sighed.
"After all, we're talking about the Lord of Erudition, how could a mere human like me possibly have a grudge with an Aeon? My friend, could you pass a message to them for me?"
Akivili pulled out his communicator. "A message? I'll just add you to the group chat..."
Zero, "…"
He silently admired Akivili's maxed-out social skills.
'My friend, you never disappoint. You can even talk an Aeon into joining a group chat…'
[Akivili invites you to join "One Big Cosmic Family"]
Using the hand without an IV needle, Zero typed, [Heard there were rumors about me and the Wisdomwalker not getting along. Just taking this chance to clear things up.]
Satisfied after sending that, he set the communicator down.
Now that he'd "made peace" with the Aeon of Erudition, he could use their name to recruit people openly.
Akivili hesitated, put his device away, and asked, "My friend, they wanted me to ask, why did Aha destroy an entire galaxy, spending one-tenth of their divine power to do it?"
Zero raised a brow. "So the Aeon of Erudition also has unsolved problems. Guess they're not that all-knowing after all."
Erudition had seen through it, knew the one who'd blown up the galaxy wasn't an Aeon, but Zero. And now, they were asking him why.
He didn't tell the truth. He made the same choice Erudition once had, using Aha as an excuse.
"If it's Aha," he said lazily, "then the answer's simple, because those galaxies were empty."
Akivili nodded, not really understanding, and relayed the answer to Erudition.
For some reason, the reply that came back was just a long string of ellipses.
Akivili didn't mind and went on chatting with Zero.
He spoke cautiously, afraid to bring up anything that might hurt his friend.
Watching Akivili choose his words so carefully, Zero sighed and took the initiative to talk about his former subordinates.
Relieved, Akivili joined in and soon steered the topic back to clothes.
Zero took the coat, planning to put it on, but with the IV needle still in his hand, he just draped it over his shoulders.
He said casually, "Come to think of it, I've never actually tried on clothes myself. Too busy with official work."
Akivili, "…Huh?"
"I just have my subordinates hire dozens of people with my body type to try them on and take pictures for me."
Akivili, "…That sounds… exhausting."
The Aeon of Trailblaze was a little stunned.
He and the Nameless didn't care much for food, clothing, or luxury.
They'd often buy weird trinkets while traveling, blow through the train's budget, and get scolded by the conductor.
When broke, Akivili even had to work odd jobs with the Nameless to earn credits.
So hearing that his friend chose clothes through hired stand-ins was… shocking.
'So he didn't even need to spend time trying them himself? Just look at photos and pick?'
Akivili couldn't help but sigh.
"You don't even have time to try on clothes? My friend, you're too busy. When will you come travel the stars with me?"
Zero sighed. "Probably not until I find a successor."
Akivili sighed as well.
They chatted a bit longer before Akivili finally left.
Zero began worrying about who should inherit his position.
As for the Aeons? They could wait, he could kill them anytime.
He cut back the research funding he'd been giving to Marty and diverted it to building schools on other planets.
He waited and waited, but couldn't find anyone on the Xianzhou, or any planet, who could take his place.
He waited so long that a new generation of Xianzhou people completely forgot about him.
So long that after countless generations of company shareholders, another daughter was born.
The girl's eyes sparkled like her ancestors'. She ran up to hug his leg.
Zero felt something bad coming. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, he swiftly grabbed a piece of bread from the table and shoved it in her mouth.
Her father, the shareholder, seemed to recall the family's old stories about him, smiled, and asked, "What kind of women do you like, sir?"
Zero handed the girl back to him, thought for a moment, and said, "…The kind that's like the moon, I guess."
The shareholder nodded thoughtfully, then dropped a bombshell, "Would you… accept a marriage alliance?"
Zero, "…"
Sensing the look on his face, the shareholder wisely changed tack.
"Or is there something you'd like us to do for you instead?"
He explained that he couldn't go against his ancestors' wishes, hinting subtly.
Zero remembered the family necklace with their crest.
He thought, 'Your ancestors were real pieces of work.'
They said their family would go through fire for him, but really, they just wanted to tie their fate, and the Xianzhou's, completely to his.
Halfheartedly, Zero brushed them off and soon forgot the family entirely.
Until years later, when that same girl, now grown, made the same offer her ancestor once had, and he refused her again.
He kept searching for a successor, but every so often, another young girl would pop up, declaring her love, claiming she wanted to pursue him, showering him with gifts, as if it were some kind of ritual.
Eventually, Zero caught on. When he asked about it, the girl admitted, "It's ancestral decree, sir!"
It turned out the very first pink-haired girl who'd confessed to him had stored away her antique jewelry and said,
"Whoever wins his heart will inherit my collection!"
Zero glanced at the girl's childish face and immediately ordered a stack of practice workbooks for her parents.
The girl squealed, "That ancestral rule's just an excuse! Marshal, I really like you!"
Zero nodded perfunctorily. "Mm-hm, I know. Be good, go do your homework."
'No point arguing. Just go study!'
As time passed, the girls who vowed to "pursue" him came and went, but Zero still couldn't find a successor.
How much time had passed? Even the old Chief Strategist, who used to punch the air and curse Zero's name, couldn't hold on anymore.
Zero came to the bedside, silently listening to the Alchemy Division's physician give his diagnosis.
The man hesitated, choosing his words carefully, and gently suggested that rather than prolonging suffering, it might be better to find peace sooner.
In short, it was time to prepare for the end.
Zero nodded and said nothing.
After the doctors left, he stepped closer, eyes shifting as he considered how to give the man release.
'Strangle him? Or a swift knife to the heart?'
He'd known this day would come, he'd prepared for it.
He just hadn't expected it to come so soon.
He'd even planned to have the Strategist read his will aloud when the time came.
His mind wandered.
'If only someone could use the Dust of Rebirth,' he thought. 'Then my subordinates and the Strategist wouldn't have to die by my hand.'
But he forced the thought down.
'What good would that do? It wouldn't change anything. Just a waste of time.'
Zero sat on the stool by the bedside, placed a hand on the man's throat, and just as he was about to press down, to grant release, the Strategist stirred.
In a faint, strained voice, he said, "…Can you not be crazy for once?"
Zero had no choice but to withdraw his hand, sighing helplessly.
"Fine. Rest first. I'll come back and kill you later."
Strategist, "…Get out."