Seeing Robin nearly faint from embarrassment, Stelle took two steps forward, squatted down beside her, and offered some well-intentioned comfort. "It's okay! It's just a little thing that got exposed, right? When Little March woke up, she hugged Lord Su Mo and kissed him directly, and she wasn't even that embarrassed, was she?"
Hearing this, Robin froze for a moment, then lifted her head, her vacant eyes locking onto March 7th.
"Ehehe, that was an accident!" March 7th immediately put on a bashful expression.
"..."
The light faded from Robin's eyes once more. So, not only had she suffered a social death, but she had also missed an opportunity to get closer to Lord Su Mo? How did this feel like an even bigger loss?
Seeing her like this, the little gray-haired girl opened her mouth to offer more comfort but was stopped by Firefly.
Firefly herself was quite tolerant of Stelle's bizarre behavior and saw her through a rose-tinted filter, but the Robin before them clearly had thinner skin and couldn't handle too much pressure. Stelle finally relented.
Although Robin was mortified, she wasn't the type to wallow in it or bury her head in the sand. After covering her face in silence for a few dozen seconds, she quickly recovered.
If she hadn't misheard, the March 7th and Stelle before her both had designs on Su Mo, and the gentle, silver-haired Firefly seemed to show similar signs.
In that case, everyone here was a competitor; they all shared the same thoughts. Even if her dream was exposed, it wasn't that humiliating. After all, everyone was on the same page.
Besides the pressure of Lord Su Mo knowing, the other problems weren't so bad.
And right now, understanding the current situation was more important than shame. According to Firefly, she had only been lost in the dream for a few seconds, but her brother had already launched his plan and summoned Dominicus.
"What's the situation now? What has my brother done?" She stood up and asked immediately.
"Mr. Sunday summoned Dominicus and plunged everyone in Penacony into the Dream of Unity. Only a very small number of people are still awake," Firefly answered with great seriousness. "Thanks to Lord Su Mo's grace, I was unaffected. The members of the Express Crew were all staying near Lord Su Mo, so they were fine too."
"Aside from them, a few of Lord Su Mo's other subordinates and some of Stelle's friends were also protected. They are currently facing off against Dominicus."
"As for us, we came with Lord Su Mo because of your call for help, Miss Robin."
Hearing this, Robin realized just how much had happened in the few days she had been imprisoned.
"To pull everyone into a dream... is this the future my brother hoped for? Is this how he planned to eliminate suffering?" Robin finally understood the meaning of Sunday's last words.
With her personality, she would naturally never accept such a false happiness. Of course, Lord Su Mo accepting her confession was indeed very appealing... but what was fake was still fake.
Her fantasy could never compare to the real Lord Su Mo.
As she thought this, she noticed something. "Wait! Miss Firefly, did you say that the others are confronting Dominicus right now?"
Robin suddenly grew worried. "Did Lord Su Mo put my brother's matter aside just to save me? But, as a divine avatar, Dominicus's power is not to be underestimated, especially with the empowerment of the Dream of Unity..."
At this moment, Robin finally understood where Sunday's confidence came from. The attunement of the Dream of Unity would make the wishes of everyone in Penacony converge, and the power amplified by this would be terrifying.
Although she still believed her brother was no match for Su Mo, the others might not be able to hold out.
"Shouldn't we go and support them now?" she asked, looking at Su Mo nervously.
"There's no need to worry." Seeing her expression, Firefly shook her head before Su Mo could speak. [Dominicus's: Harmonious Choir - The Great Septimus] form is certainly not weak. An ordinary Emanator might not be able to contend with it. But the one who stayed behind is Miss Acheron."
"Miss Acheron?" Robin blinked. She had never heard that name before.
"She is an Emanator of Nihility. You heard me right—the very Emanator of Nihility you thought couldn't possibly exist," Firefly gave a concise introduction. "No matter how strong the power Mr. Sunday wields or how many buffs he has, with Miss Acheron's strength, she alone is more than enough to hold the line."
Firefly had absolute faith in this companion who had also joined Su Mo's service. She could also see that Su Mo had great confidence in Acheron as well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left the 'Harmonious Choir' to her alone.
After all, Firefly herself, just like Topaz, now possessed Emanator-level combat power. If the three of them were to act together, a mere Harmonious Choir wouldn't be able to stand against three Emanators at once.
"Instead of worrying about Miss Acheron, Miss Robin, you should be more concerned for Mr. Sunday... After all, when facing an Emanator-level enemy, it's not easy to hold back to the point of not harming anyone."
Acheron couldn't solve Penacony's crisis on her own.
Because the only things she could do were either nothing at all, or to kill the Harmonious Choir along with everyone trapped in the Dream of Unity.
It was either do nothing or destroy everything. Fortunately, with Su Mo's protection, Acheron could finally have a more positive impact.
For instance, she could temporarily hold back the Harmonious Choir, restraining herself from utterly annihilating it.
"..."
Hearing Firefly's words, Robin's eyes dimmed.
She was also concerned for her brother's safety, but given his actions, she couldn't say anything even if Acheron didn't hold back.
Fortunately, the other party was powerful, so she didn't have to worry about her brother causing any irreversible consequences.
With that thought, Robin lowered her head and bowed to Su Mo. "I'm sorry, Lord Su Mo! If I hadn't hesitated for so long and had asked for your help sooner, things wouldn't have gotten to this point."
If she had asked for Su Mo's help a few days earlier and informed him of Sunday's plot, instead of waiting until the very end to make up her mind, she might have had a chance to stop her brother's plan.
Seeing Robin's regretful expression, Su Mo shook his head. "It has nothing to do with you. I was already aware of Sunday's activities."
"Eh?" Robin's head shot up, her eyes wide. Lord Su Mo knew all along that my brother was the mastermind?
No wonder, looking back, her brother was always so nervous whenever she met with Lord Su Mo. Even putting her under house arrest was probably to prevent her from seeing him.
But the crucial point was, if Su Mo knew Sunday was a problem, why did he let things develop to this point?
"Don't you think your brother isn't actually suited to govern Penacony?" As if guessing Robin's thoughts, Su Mo spoke calmly. "Every day, like a minister, he listens to the believers pour out their negative emotions. Immersed in such an environment for so long, anyone could be driven to extremes."
"Steeped in pain every day, the ideas born from such a person will naturally lean towards escaping reality... In fact, the people of the Oak Family have the same psychological problem, otherwise they wouldn't support Sunday."
"Of course, the reason he's lashing out in this twisted manner is also simple... Compared to others, he has too strong of a moral compass."
It was strange to say, but even though he was a villain trying to subvert a planet, his moral baseline was higher than the leaders of the other Families.
That was why he alone could not accept Penacony's decadent state and wanted to change its awful reality.
Even if those changes weren't necessarily correct, it was enough to prove Sunday's overly sincere and uncompromising heart.
One had to understand that in the beautiful dream of unity he had created, the only one who had to live in cruel reality was himself. His plan was never for personal gain.
On the contrary, it was his own eternal exile.
The warmer and sweeter the dream of the masses, the colder and more bitter Sunday's reality would be. This level of resolve was almost comparable to that of a divine child bearing the sins of the world.
"Lord Su Mo, are you saying you intentionally allowed my brother to do this?" Robin never doubted her brother's inherent kindness.
Now, hearing Su Mo's words, she blinked, understanding his meaning. "You wanted to give my brother a chance to prove himself, and then wake him up so he wouldn't continue down this path?"
As she said this, her eyes were already filled with gratitude.
No wonder Lord Su Mo had said he would give her a happy ending. She had thought he just wanted to solve Penacony's crisis, but she never expected him to be concerned about her brother's mental state.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Even she, his sister, hadn't noticed the changes in her brother's heart, yet Lord Su Mo had been so perceptive. As expected of the idol she admired!
Seeing Robin's sparkling eyes, Su Mo shook his head. "No. While that was a consideration, my true purpose was simply to give Xipe a stage to perform."
"The Aeon?" Hearing this, Robin was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Lord Su Mo... is he planning to take the initiative against the Aeon of Harmony?
"The stage is set. You'll understand when we get there."
Su Mo glanced at Robin, and a dimensional passage leading to the Penacony Grand Theater opened before them.
That was the battlefield for the final showdown.