[Current Stellaron Level: Emanator Second Rank]
Zeig stood on the table, his heart surging with excitement.
The slacking system is really great.
Aha:
"…"
"Looks like you're pretty much fine, right?"
Below, the Aeon of Elation holding knife and fork smirked darkly.
Zeig: "?"
A few minutes later.
Still the same stage.
The audience seats below were filled again with researchers from various cabin sections, with Herta still lying on the table at the top.
Unlike before, the guest seats on the left were now occupied by Asta and Arlan.
The judges' panel on the right remained the Astral Express crew.
…
In the center of the stage.
Aha held the microphone, cheerfully addressing the audience seats:
"Hello, audience friends! The annual Emanator of Elation selection program is about to begin. Please welcome our seed candidate, Zeig!"
"OHHHHHHHHH—!!!"
Amid thunderous cheers from the audience seats, a spotlight shone on the side of the stage.
A certain someone named Zeig was sitting sprawled on the ground, picking at his feet.
Zeig: "…"
Aha: "Worthy of our seed candidate—even forgetting to pick his feet during the inauguration ceremony. Let's give him a round of applause!"
"Clap clap clap clap clap clap—!!"
Another wave of enthusiastic applause rang out.
In the judges' panel, unlike the excited researchers, March 7th nervously tugged at Welt's sleeve beside her.
She said gravely:
"Uncle Yang, what should he do this time? Looks like he can't escape."
Welt's expression was also very solemn as he sighed:
"March, that's an Aeon. We've never had the ability to defy his will—Zeig thinks the same."
He revealed a profound gaze:
"Previously denying his own mental state was Zeig's relatively mild way of refusing, but the Aeon of Elation still insisted. Now there's really no way out."
March 7th bit her thin lips anxiously:
"Then isn't he doomed? Once the Aeon of Elation has had enough fun, Zeig as an Emanator of Elation might even get detonated by him—who knows. The Aeon of Elation is a lunatic too."
Welt crossed his hands in front of the table, sighing:
"We can only pray. Even multiple audiences with Herta's main body by Aeons are treated as great honors and widely circulated, and even being glanced at by an Aeon can be considered fortunate. And now, one is lingering constantly before us—the Aeon himself."
"Zeig's current behavior already shows he's given up resisting."
At this moment.
Zeig was just sitting boredly on the ground picking his feet.
Seeming no different from before.
Himeko patted March 7th's shoulder, comforting: "Alright, don't worry too much. Trust Zeig—he'll be fine."
March 7th pursed her lips, feeling an indescribable discomfort in her heart.
In front of an Aeon, were they really that weak?
"I can't do anything." March 7th clenched her sleeves, murmuring softly.
A sense of powerlessness deeply enveloped her.
…
Meanwhile.
A certain someone leaped up, suddenly doing a backflip.
"Bang—!!" Landing steadily in the center of the stage.
He shouted loudly:
"Hahaha, I can do anything!!"
Above Aha's head, black question marks slowly emerged: "What are you doing?"
A certain someone shook his trench coat, looking up with a very flirtatious pose:
"Stop talking nonsense—quickly pass the Aeon position to me!"
"?"
Aha's lips slowly curved into an arc.
This kid really wanted the Aeon position.
"Heh, fine... but it depends on whether you can handle it!"
He decisively threw the microphone to the ground, causing a piercing buzz from the stage speakers.
"Kid." Aha's eyes grew increasingly frenzied as he fiercely pressed his hand on Zeig's head, "First, congratulations in advance!"
"Boom—!!"
Immediately, an explosive, majestic energy burst forth centered on the stage.
The terrifying shockwave swept through the entire Herta Space Station, shattering and collapsing everything in its path.
The researchers in the audience seats instinctively ducked down, the terrifying energy storm nearly blowing people away.
The lights of the entire Herta Space Station flickered erratically, on the brink of collapse.
All of Herta's puppets were activated at this moment, rushing toward the venue, expending all efforts to suppress this storm.
The Astral Express crew also left their seats, doing their utmost to evacuate the researchers here.
"Uncle Yang, what is the Aeon of Elation doing? Why is there such a huge commotion!" March 7th held her longbow, struggling to speak in the energy storm.
Welt gripped his cane tightly, narrowing his eyes, barely making out the scene at the storm's center.
He saw the Aeon of Elation had turned into an energy form, tightly enveloping Zeig within it.
"He's really going to stuff all his power into Zeig." Welt's expression was extremely ugly.
At the storm's center.
That golden-red mask phantom said ecstatically:
"Hahahaha... Kid, this is what you requested. I'll hand the position over to you now! But let's see if your body can handle it!!"
Zeig's entire body floated in the center of the energy form the Aeon of Elation had become, his golden eyes nearly bulging out, teeth clenched tightly on his molars.
The vast energy flow continuously poured into his body!
[Detected foreign energy invasion...]
[Detected impending binding by laws...]
[Detected impending mental alienation...]
[Detected host's sea of consciousness about to be corrupted...]
Zeig gritted his teeth, trying to stay awake.
He understood that from the moment the Aeon of Elation set eyes on him, this day would inevitably come.
"Hehe..." Suddenly, Zeig laughed.
Ink-black long hair flew in the storm, golden eyes fully displaying unrestrained madness!
"Aeon of Elation... watch closely!"
He said loudly:
"...The power of Paths is not absolute. There are no dead ends in the world—as long as I want to walk, the path is under my feet!"
At the same moment.
Aha sensed a change in Zeig's body that he had never encountered before.
[Perform energy conversion?]
...
[Conversion in progress...]
...
[Converting...]
"Boom—!!"
Suddenly.
A strange fluctuation erupted from Zeig's body, silently spreading out before madly devouring all the energy Aha had stuffed in!
Like a black hole, endlessly sucking in all the Path power it touched into the Stellaron!
"Kid, what exactly are you doing!" Aha, sensing the anomaly, roared angrily.
Though his power was indeed being transmitted into Zeig's body, the latter hadn't entered the Path of Elation because of it!
The sent energy was inexplicably assimilated, losing connection and no longer controllable.
"Damn, you live long enough to see everything...!!"
[Stellaron level upgraded to: Emanator Third Rank]
...
[Stellaron level upgraded to: Emanator Fourth Rank]
...
Endless power surged into Zeig's body.
All of it was converted into the Stellaron.
Aha sensed danger and immediately stopped transmitting energy.
The intense storm in the venue also gradually subsided.
Seeing the storm suddenly calm, everyone in the space station was stunned, immediately not understanding what had happened.
Only Aha, who had transformed back into human form, stood shocked in the center of the stage.
He stared blankly at the human before him.
At this moment, Zeig also opened his golden eyes, meeting Aha's gaze.
The two silently stared at each other.
Aha: "..."
Zeig: "..."
Aha: "..."
Zeig: "..."
Aha: "..."
Zeig: "Why aren't you transmitting power anymore?"
Aha: "...Transmit your mom."