---o---
Since the blood-pressure-raising news was out in the open, and seeing as Phantylia was the one responsible for summoning Nanook of [The Destruction], the trio of Ron, Herta, and Fu Xuan conferred and, without the slightest hesitation, had Herta beat Phantylia up one more time before stuffing her back into the Moon-Storing Gourd.
But Phantylia felt incredibly wronged. She didn't think she had done anything wrong. HooH of [The Equilibrium] had ordered her to bring destruction to the Xianzhou Luofu, and she was simply completing her mission. It wasn't like she had a choice.
What was the difference between bringing destruction and bringing [The Destruction]? An Aeon was a conceptual entity anyway. Summoning Nanook of [The Destruction] to the Luofu would not only complete the mission given to her by HooH, but it would also bring her own boss to the scene. With her boss providing protection, she could avoid being disposed of by HooH after her usefulness had expired.
It had to be said, her logic was sound. From her position, calling for her own ultimate superior was the best possible choice.
But now that the problem had landed in Ron's lap, he felt like he was suffocating, on the verge of fainting right then and there.
Half a day… that was a guaranteed failure.
If Nanook of [The Destruction] could arrive in just half a day, Ron had absolutely no way of finding a worthy opponent for him.
Even if he rushed back to Belobog now, dragged Sampo out, and tried to contact Aha of [The Elation], it would take at least half a day. And even if there were no problems and he actually managed to summon this helper, Ron didn't think it was a good idea to handle Nanook's threat that way.
In fact… it was just walking into another dead end.
While Aha of [The Elation] was far stronger than Nanook of [The Destruction], and dealing with this defeated foe would be child's play for him—that was only in a one-on-one situation.
That old geezer HooH of [The Equilibrium] was still observing everything from the shadows. If Nanook arrived to destroy the Luofu and was intercepted by Aha, what reason would HooH have not to intervene?
Aha and HooH were fairly evenly matched in power. In the previous simulation, it was Ron as an Aeon of [Salvation] fighting alongside Aha who, after a considerable amount of time, finally found a weakness and defeated HooH.
Without his help, and with HooH having Nanook as a helping hand, even if Aha was stronger, what chance would he have of winning?
This was a dead end from the start, an option that was simply not viable.
Of course, Ron still had the "Way of Salvation" special trait. At any moment, he had the chance to directly ascend to the throne of [Salvation] and become an Aeon. In theory, he could provide support for Aha.
In fact, due to the unique circumstances of Ron's ascension, many other Aeons would surely come to spectate. At that time, he could always leverage these connections to gain new power and, with the help of these Aeons, defeat HooH and Nanook.
But this was the most abstract choice, a true suicide option. Ron would absolutely never do it.
If you had to ask why, the reason was actually very simple.
Ron could ascend to Aeonhood, but Terminus, the Finality, was no pushover.
When he became an Aeon of [Salvation], other Aeons could detect him. Did they think Terminus couldn't?
As the being who controlled all fate, Terminus was, in fact, the Aeon most sensitive to this matter.
After all, in the previous simulation, Ron's mere attempt to become an Aeon within the Simulated Universe had already drawn Terminus's attention, who was constantly considering how to completely eliminate this special existence that shouldn't have become an Aeon according to preordained fate.
And if Terminus were to intervene, even if all other Aeons formed an anti-Terminus alliance and came to help, they would probably all be easily bound tight by the threads of fate manipulated by Terminus, turned into one "trussed-up Aeon" after another.
Although Terminus's manifestation in the previous simulation was very strange, making it seem extremely difficult for him to appear in the real world, that wasn't a reason to assume he wouldn't.
...One must know, Nanook of [The Destruction], this puppet belonging exclusively to Terminus, was guaranteed to be at the center of the battlefield.
If Terminus were to casually possess Nanook's body, just how terrifying would a Terminus-boosted Nanook become?
Ron didn't even dare to imagine it. He just felt that this kind of enemy with stacked buffs was a truly terrifying headache.
For a moment, Ron just stood there, frowning deeply, unable to think of a good enough solution.
Seeing Ron's utterly helpless expression, Fu Xuan and Herta both felt that something was wrong. It was clear that the trouble they were now facing would be difficult to resolve.
And it was indeed difficult to resolve—after all, in half a day, Nanook of [The Destruction] would arrive, summoned by Phantylia.
This Aeon of [The Destruction] was infamous, having created countless bloody tragedies throughout the sea of stars. Even Herta, a genius who had once faced Nanook, wouldn't dare to underestimate him.
After all, the version of Nanook she had faced in the previous simulation had been a stroke of luck. He was besieged by other Aeons, and she had merely been the one to organize the group.
Even then, the Nanook she faced had his Path concepts mostly devoured by [Salvation], was covered in wounds from his battle with Aha of [The Elation], and was practically in a half-crippled state. He was far weaker than the full-powered Aeon of [The Destruction] they were about to face.
Watching Ron's knitted brow, Herta's own brow furrowed tightly as she mused, "Nanook of [The Destruction]… an Aeon-level enemy can no longer be defeated by a numerical advantage. We need at least one Aeon to face him."
As she spoke, both her and Fu Xuan's gazes shifted simultaneously to Ron, their eyes holding a hint of expectation.
"Ron… can you ascend to the throne of [Salvation] now and find a way to stop Nanook?"
"Besides, you're a professional at fighting him. You're familiar with his moves. Even if you've just ascended, I feel you'd have a chance of holding out against him for a while…"
But hearing their words, Ron just shook his head gravely and let out a deep sigh. "The position of an Aeon of [Salivation] isn't so easy to take… I can indeed put on the crown of [Salvation] right now, but this is not a good choice."
"After all… once this crown is on, it can never be taken off."
"Terminus, the Finality, will also sniff out the scent of my ascension and come looking for me like a dog. Nanook of [The Destruction] is, in essence, just a puppet of Terminus. If He truly wants to act, He only needs to borrow Nanook's shell."
"Terminus is not an enemy we can face right now. Ascending to the throne of [Salvation] would only add more difficulty to the troubles we already face. It is absolutely not an option."
Hearing this, the two women fell into a deep and knowing silence. The power of Terminus had been demonstrated in the previous simulation. At that time, Ron, as Terminus's puppet, had ultimately destroyed the entire sea of stars. Not a single Aeon could resist. It was clear what kind of power this Finality possessed.
If they really lured him here, then it was truly game over. He alone could crush everything with pure power. All the effort they had put in would ultimately dissolve like a dream, utterly meaningless.
Herta pondered for a moment, then shifted her gaze to the Lantern of [Salivation] being forged in the holy golden fire within the Furnace of Creation.
"The Lantern of [Salvation] is now nearing completion… Is there any chance we can rely on the current Lantern to wield Aeon-level power, while avoiding the effects of becoming an Aeon yourself?"
Hearing Herta's words, Ron knew she was out of ideas.
After all, they recognized the Lantern as a complete Path, and conceptually, it was indeed nearing completion. But its power was a far cry from that of an Aeon.
Taking that thing onto the battlefield against Nanook, it would be burned into a pile of white ash in the next second. The Lantern itself would be taken by Nanook to play with, and who knows what it might be turned into in his hands.
No… definitely not.
Ron sighed deeply and shook his head once more, rejecting Herta's idea.
The group fell silent. For a moment, it felt as though this simulation had reached its end.
Fu Xuan was silent for a moment, but she was ultimately unwilling to accept this outcome. She spoke resentfully, "Is there really no way to win?"
Ron shook his head helplessly. "For now, I can't think of anything…"
"Sigh, if only the incoming Aeon wasn't Nanook of [The Destruction]…"
Fu Xuan said, gritting her teeth in frustration. "If the Reignbow Arbiter were to arrive at this moment, what would we have to worry about…"
Hearing Fu Xuan's resentful words, Ron initially paid them no mind, but then a flash of insight struck him—
"Wait, what did you say? If only the incoming Aeon wasn't Nanook of [The Destruction]?"
Fu Xuan paused, not understanding Ron's meaning. "That's right… is there a problem with what I said?"
"A problem… there is indeed a problem."
Ron murmured to himself, a new light suddenly igniting in his eyes. He had figured out the key.
"If the incoming Aeon wasn't Nanook of [The Destruction], that would be great… so why must we be so certain that the incoming Aeon will be Nanook of [The Destruction]?"
Hearing Ron's words, both Fu Xuan and Herta were momentarily confused.
Nanook of [The Destruction] is [The Destruction]. Phantylia summoned her superior. Is there any possibility she summoned the wrong one?
To think like that would be pure self-deception.
Fu Xuan thought Ron had been hit so hard he was starting to deceive himself. She was about to offer some words of comfort when she saw the corners of Ron's mouth slowly curl up, and a newfound confidence seemed to rise from the depths of his heart.
"Nanook of [The Destruction] might not always be like this… why didn't I think of this before?"
"As long as we can turn Nanook into our ally and have him face HooH of [The Equilibrium], won't all our troubles be solved completely?"
Hearing Ron's words, Herta and Fu Xuan exchanged glances, confusion flashing in their eyes.
Herta tilted her head and asked quizzically, "Nanook is a puppet of Terminus, the Finality. How can he become our ally?"
"That would require talking about my last simulation… At the end of that simulation, I actually embarked upon the Path of [The Destruction]."
Ron organized his thoughts, using the simplest, most understandable words to explain everything that had happened in the previous simulation.
"I embarked on the Path of [The Destruction], but with the guidance of the Lantern of [Salvation], I walked the one branch within [The Destruction] that was sealed, the one that belongs exclusively to 'New Life'."
"And my progress on that Path fed back to the Aeon himself. As I advanced on that branch of the Path, I was also broadening it, successfully expanding it to a point where it was comparable to the other branches."
"At that time, Nanook of [The Destruction], having gained the conceptual Path branch of 'New Life', was no longer the same as he usually is."
"He recovered his own will and even gave me the key information to resist Terminus. The 'Piercing the Veil' plan trait I have now was triggered by Nanook."
Ron spoke, feeling more and more that his choice was viable.
"If I continue to walk the Path of [The Destruction] in reverse, and at the moment of ascending that Path, I begin to achieve [Salvation] and use the new Lantern to broaden his 'New Life' branch, I think I should be able to restore his consciousness."
"At that point, we just tell him what we're doing. A conscious Nanook is an absolutely reliable ally. He will definitely turn around and fight HooH with all his might until we finish forging the Guiding Spirit Lantern."
"It's possible… it's really possible."
Ron murmured to himself and spoke without hesitation, "Let's do it! Time is short. I'll go try to embark on the Path of [The Destruction] now. You two follow the miracle blueprint and finish this Lantern of [Salvation]—"
As he spoke, his voice gradually trailed off… because he had discovered a huge problem.
Herta, at his side, spoke up at that moment, pointing out the issue.
"None of us can control the Lantern of [Salvation]. Without you, there's no way to forge it."
Ron's slightly excited expression turned crestfallen again. He let out a helpless sigh.
He should have thought of it sooner. No one but him could forge the Lantern. To forge it, he had to be here.
But if he was here, who could become an Aeon of [Salvation] and walk the Path of [The Destruction]?
No… wait. It wasn't necessary to become an Aeon of [Salvation].
In fact, the restoration of Nanook's consciousness was just due to the broadening of his Path. And to broaden his Path, all that was needed was the concept of [Salvation] and a single Pathstrider.
In other words, as long as it wasn't Ron, anyone who could carry a Lantern of [Salvation], find the "New Life" branch within the Path of [The Destruction], and walk upon it to broaden the Path would be able to restore Nanook's consciousness.
But if that was the case, who could be used to forge the Guiding Spirit Lantern?
Ron thought long and hard, and suddenly realized a blind spot.
Right, why was he so fixated on this lantern?
He himself, wasn't he a better Lantern of [Salvation] than this one?
As long as he chose to load the "Way of Salvation" trait, he himself would become a new, stronger, and more complete Lantern of [Salvation].
Ron's head shot up, the look of dejection on his face washed away.
"No… that's not it. My idea isn't wrong, it just needs a little adjustment…"
"What we're missing now is just a Pathstrider who can walk the Path of [Destruction] in reverse, following the Path of [Salvation]. A death-knight who can risk their life to act as a one-time alarm clock for Nanook. We just need to find a Pathstrider who can do all of this!"
As Ron spoke, he looked at Herta and Fu Xuan, but the spark of hope in his eyes was immediately extinguished.
It wouldn't work. Herta was an Emanator of [Erudition], blessed by her Path. Unless it was an Aeon-level influence, her own blessing would repel other Paths. It was fundamentally impossible for her to walk another Path.
And Fu Xuan was even less of a candidate. Not only was she the designated next Emanator of [The Hunt], making it difficult to escape her current Path, but even if she could embark upon the Path of [Destruction], she couldn't walk it in reverse with [Salvation]. In the previous simulation, Herta, as an Emanator of [Salvation], almost ascended to Aeonhood. Fu Xuan hadn't even set foot on the Path of [Salvation]!
Thinking about it, Ron realized how strict the requirements were for the person he was looking for. He probably couldn't find anyone suitable on the entire Xianzhou Luofu.
But before he could revert to his sighing self, he heard a familiar yet completely unexpected voice from not far away—
"Well… Ron, what about me?"
Ron raised his head in astonishment, looking in the direction of the voice. He saw Bronya, dressed in a sharp "Knight of Salvation" uniform, wearing the insignia of the Twelve Great Knights bestowed by the Round Table Hall. She looked completely different from her previous attire as she walked toward them.
She walked up to the three of them and gave Ron a radiant smile.
"After all… I am also a Knight of Salvation, am I not?"