Chapter 17: Worship Destruction? That guy doesn't look like a benevolent god at all!
~Zenless Zone Zero World~
"Other Aeons, but this one... it's nothing like the others."
"The Destruction Aeon reeks of hostility—oppressive, suffocating. But this one? No malice at all."
"—If anything, it's... comforting. Like standing in sunlight."
Tsukishiro Yanagi scribbled a few more lines in her notebook as she mused. If things went as usual, HAND's higher-ups would soon be pestering Chief Miyabi for a report on the "Preservation Aeon." Better to have these observations ready.
The last time the Destruction Aeon appeared, it sent the HAND executives into a panic. This one, at least, didn't seem hostile—vanishing as quickly as it came.
"It looks like Aeons have different attitudes toward humans,"
Asaba Harumasa remarked.
"I have a theory that the Destruction Aeon embodies 'Destruction' in the universe, while the Preservation Aeon is its polar opposite—the ultimate shield against the ultimate spear."
Harumasa chimed in, grinning.
"Imagine those two clashing. The universe wouldn't survive the fallout, would it?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi adjusted her glasses with a sigh.
"It'd be a bloodbath. Until we understand the connection between that world and ours, we'd better hope they don't meet."
—
[ Accompanied by a loud rumble, Stelle felt a tremor underfoot, as if the sky was falling and the earth was cracking. Fortunately, it didn't last long. When Stelle came to her senses, she was back in the space station.
"Our calculations were successful. The Aeons of [ Preservation ], Qlipoth, really appeared." Herta's voice suddenly rang in her ears, and she chuckled with an ambiguous meaning.
"The Aeons of [ The Trailblaze ], Akivili, have been resurrected, attracting old friends."
Since waking up, Stelle had never deeply understood the gossip between the Star Gods. Listening to Herta's tone, she seemed to know quite a bit.
"Tell me more about the relationships between the Star Gods."
"These are just simulated Star Gods carefully cultivated by Ruan Mei and Screwllum. The real Star Gods wouldn't bother with us. So, I set your identity as the Trailblaze Aeons Akivili to attract them."
Herta paused here and clicked her tongue: "Now it seems my judgment was correct. Next time you encounter a virtual Aeon, you have to get closer to it."
Herta waved her small hand, and all of Stelle's Preservation blessings were strengthened. She wanted to attract Qlipoth to appear again in this way, but no matter how many monsters Stelle defeated along the way, it was all in vain.
"Okay... He probably won't come." Herta's voice was a little discouraged. "I admit I was a bit too eager... I won't interfere with your actions anymore. Do whatever you want."
"Qlipoth's appearance was probably just a coincidence... Never mind, sorry." With that, Herta's voice disappeared.
Stelle fought monsters all the way, hammering all the monsters in the Simulated Universe, but nothing happened. She couldn't help but ask Herta about the next goal. After a long silence, Herta's regretful sigh came from her ear.
"I was hoping He would appear. Forget it, I'll turn off the Simulated Universe now. It'll be a moment, you won't feel anything. We'll talk in reality later."
The space station's image was gradually swallowed by darkness. Stelle was used to this feeling of floating in nothingness, but after floating for a while, she realized she was still in the Simulated Universe.
"Herta?" Stelle shouted into the empty void.
"He's here!" Herta's unbelievable voice suddenly rang in her ears, "No, it's not Him... It's another Aeon! It's—"
Herta's voice gradually faded away, as if the whole world was constantly moving away from her, and everything around her became so unreal.
Suddenly, Stelle felt a dazzling light appear in front of her. When she struggled to open her eyes, she could barely see everything in front of her.
It was a blurry figure, as if carved from crystal or composed of countless mirror fragments. His facial features were repeatedly refracted into a mystery by the prisms. She could only see that He wore a six-row pearl crown, and behind Him was an ice lotus crown. The moment she looked at Him, countless memories flooded into Stelle's mind. ]
[ ..... ]
~Demon Slayer World~
Tanjirou stood in a snow-covered forest.
His dark hair fluttered in the cold wind, and the scar on his forehead was slightly red from the cold. He wrapped his thick scarf around his neck, and his clear eyes pierced through the flying snowflakes, staring at the hazy torch in the distance.
His father, in his memory, changed from his usual sickly weakness, barefoot in the octagonal torches, stretching his arms back and turning his head, bending his waist, and stepping. His mother carried Nezuko on her back, gently stroking his head.
"Huh, where is this... Mom?"
"I remember I was—"
Tanjirou always felt like he had forgotten something. He was holding his red fingers when he suddenly heard a hurried shout.
"Tanjirou! Tanjirou!"
Accompanying it was the picture in front of him, gradually blurring and collapsing. Tanjirou only felt his head swaying left and right like a swing. When he barely came to his senses, he saw his senior brother, Water Pillar Giyu Tomioka, constantly shaking his shoulders.
"Tanjirou, wake up!"
Tanjirou patted his head and finally woke up completely from his memories. He looked around and found that the entire Demon Slayer Corps was in chaos.
"What's going on?"
Tanjirou hadn't figured out the situation yet.
Giyu Tomioka frowned and said,
"The third Aeon has appeared. The moment He appeared, everyone who looked directly at Him fell into a brief memory—fortunately, this situation only lasted a short time and wasn't serious. Most people have recovered."
"I thought the appearance of the Star Gods wouldn't affect us, but it seems I was too simple. Some Star Gods themselves carry some special effects, and their appearance will inevitably affect others."
Butterfly Shinobu said with lingering fear:
"This is just a virtual Aeon that appeared in the Simulated Universe, a creation of humans. If the real Aeons appear..."
Hearing this, the Pillars present couldn't help but gasp.
"Hey, speaking of which, doesn't this situation count as a 'miracle' in some sense?"
Sound Pillar Uzui Tengen smiled bitterly. Only at this moment did he realize how big the gap was between the world they were in and the world in the light curtain.
"Of course it does,"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya said lightly.
"According to the information from the foot of the mountain, the local governments in many areas are already planning to build temples for the Destruction Aeons Nanook. Many people have also begun to change their beliefs and worship the Star Gods."
"Worship Destruction? That guy doesn't look like a benevolent god. You can't believe in him,"
Shinazugawa Sanemi frowned.
"But it's still better than believing in some unorthodox cults,"
Butterfly Shinobu said lightly.
"I heard that not long ago, a cult called the Paradise of Eternal Bliss publicly announced that it had changed its beliefs. More than 200 followers have since worshiped the Destruction Aeons Nanook. Such a large cult... overnight, only their cult leader was left."