"I advise you to leave, young man."
The Dreammaster looked at Sol, his expression grave. "The power of an Emanator is indeed strong, but this is the Family's territory."
"Under the radiance of Harmony, no one is allowed to act recklessly here."
He scrutinized Sol carefully, trying to glean even the slightest extra piece of information.
An unknown, mysterious powerhouse—someone who required the power of faith, who could negotiate with an Emanator of Nihility.
Someone who had made arrangements during the Golden Hour and possessed an unfathomable power system.
"And yet you're a remnant of Order. Standing here talking about the power of Harmony—don't you find that laughable?"
"Reviving the Aeon of Order… did you file a report to Xipe about that?"
Sol looked calmly at the Dreammaster, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Shouting slogans of Harmony while secretly reviving the Aeon of Order.
If the Aeon of Harmony truly cared, a single divine act would have already assimilated all of this.
Perhaps this entire farce was precisely Xipe's arrangement. The remnant shell of Order wrapped within Harmony's power—maybe Xipe intended to use these ignorant fools to digest it completely.
Sol did not believe that Xipe was unaware of these people planning, within the Family, to revive Order.
This plan was like performing a cesarean on Xipe—trying to give birth to Ena of Order all over again.
"It seems you know quite a lot." The Dreammaster's heart sank as he stared hard into Sol's eyes. "Who told you? Is there a traitor within the Family?"
He was certain the Family's plan was airtight. The entire Oak Family was united as one, having plotted this across untold ages.
At present, aside from Sunday, the Oak Family's hundred-thousand-plus members could, in essence, be considered his avatars.
The so-called [Hivemind]—he himself was the ultimate realization of it.
By all logic, there could be no mole. The Oak Family had only two independent individuals: himself and Sunday. And Sunday, as the vessel, could not betray them.
Yet if there was no traitor, this level of detailed intelligence was impossible to obtain through mere observation.
"..."
Acheron looked at the Dreammaster in surprise, her gaze clearing.
So, this was the great event about to happen in Penacony—these people were trying to revive an Aeon.
It seemed she really had misunderstood Sol before.
Still, attempting to revive an Aeon… the people of Penacony were both ignorant and pitiable.
She had sworn to kill Nihility and put an end to the fate of the world being devoured.
The two goals were no different—both equally impossible, both nearly unattainable.
Sol looked at the Dreammaster and said with a sigh, "There's no need to ask so much."
"I'm missing a wooden post to demonstrate my strength. Please behave and fill that role."
How boring. Talking to an old man reeking of decay and dogma was truly uninteresting.
If Aventurine were posturing in front of him, he might at least humor him with a few words.
"Arrogant!"
The Dreammaster flew into a rage and unleashed his power. "I said it already—within the Family's domain, even an Emanator cannot act however they please!"
Masses of people surged in from all directions, surrounding Sol, Acheron, and Black Swan.
There were elderly, children, men, women, Pepeshi, golden figures with metallic heads…
The arrivals spanned countless races, almost encompassing every form of intelligent life.
Their gazes were calm. Whether old or young, male or female, they all shared the same aura, the same expression.
They encircled the three and chanted in unison, "This is your final warning. Leave the Asdana Star System, and no one will be harmed!"
"If you persist in your obstinacy, you will experience the wrath of the Infinite Choirmaster—the First Emanator beneath Harmony."
Multiple voices overlapped, forming an eerie mental domain that seemed to resonate with the Memoria domain itself.
This was his confidence—the fused consciousness of over a hundred thousand members of the Oak Family.
They were all believers of Order, and since Order was now part of Harmony, they could all wield the power of Harmony.
With all minds merged into one, their authority on the Path of Harmony was pushed to its absolute peak, unleashing power no weaker than that of an Emanator.
The Dreammaster still did not wish to engage Sol in a full battle. Penacony, on the eve of the revival ritual, required absolute stability.
If these people left, he could pretend that nothing had happened.
"Do you need help?"
Acheron pressed a hand against her tachi, her voice low.
From the looks of it, this was the mastermind behind everything.
He didn't seem weak—he had the power to stir the winds of fate.
So… one slash, and everything would be quiet afterward, right?
"No need."
Sol straightened his right arm, tightly gripping a massive greatsword of gold and crimson.
Judgement of Shamash, Unleashed!
All limits removed—Cataclysm Form!
If there was any power that best represented Destruction in his hands, it would be the [Judgement of Shamash], blazing with the radiance of a dying star.
Why use the power of Destruction?
Because the BOSS wasn't strong enough—he had to put on a big show himself, then let hope come along to patch things up.
"There's no need to use a mutual-destruction move. I already said you can leave."
The Dreammaster looked at the greatsword wreathed in crimson-gold flames, the corner of his mouth twitching.
That sword contained terrifying energy. Once unleashed, its impact would be immeasurable.
He truly did not want to fight. If a battle broke out, the entire Memoria domain would suffer, and the Charmony Festival would be impossible to hold.
"But I don't want to leave. I want to take the stage at the finale of this grand play." Sol remained unmoved as he spoke calmly. "If you intend to summon the [Infinite Choirmaster], then hurry up. Compared to cutting down a worm like you, I look forward far more to fighting a true powerhouse."
"Are you insane?"
The Dreammaster couldn't help but question him.
Never had anyone uttered such madness—daring to challenge the might of the Infinite Choirmaster.
Harmony's Emanator was unlike other Emanators. It was the direct manifestation of an Aeon's power, far more divine than those merely granted power by other Aeons.
As a result, the strength of Harmony's Emanator often surpassed the rest.
"So, you don't want to summon the Infinite Choirmaster—afraid it'll affect the Charmony Festival?" Sol shook his head slightly, a hint of regret in his voice. "Then you have two choices."
"Leave behind your will and die here, and let the other members of the Oak Family go back to prepare for the Charmony Festival."
"Or let them die together with you. But I truly don't want to create more slaughter."
He saw through the Dreammaster's current state—bound to the lives of the entire Oak Family.
If Sol were to fully unleash his might here, every member of the Oak Family would die.
Without them, relying on Sunday alone to summon [Dominicus] would likely be impossible.
"And if I refuse?"
The Dreammaster lifted his head and smiled. "The hundred thousand members of the Oak Family are one with me—all warriors unafraid of sacrifice."
Ah, so a saintly martyr type. Sol loved this kind of creature the most.
Threaten them with the lives of innocents, and they'd obediently fall in line.
Even easier to deal with than the mindless brutes of the Antimatter Legion.
"Then I'll have to implement Plan B." Sol looked toward Acheron and said apologetically, "Sorry—if I end up killing them all here, then you and Hope will need to join forces to defeat me."
"At that point, I will stand above the heavens!"
If he killed all hundred thousand members of the Oak Family here, then the final BOSS—Sunday—would never come into being.
In that case, he could only play the role of some terrifying dark god mixed with a world-ending monstrosity, then let a savior descend to collect hope.
Tsk. The savior script turning into a behind-the-scenes villain collecting faith—kind of depressing.
"?"
Acheron turned to look at Sol, her gaze strange. "How about you think this through a bit more? I have no intention of destroying other people's homes."
She could see it clearly now—Sol was neither purely good nor purely evil.
He was someone who pursued his goals without being bound by methods, possessing a little kindness—but not much.
"You—!"
The Dreammaster looked at Sol and understood the naked threat.
What did he mean by saying he only wanted to kill one person and not implicate others' grand cause?!
"Your time to consider is very limited." Sol sighed softly and said calmly. "Don't overestimate my desire to be a hero. If you're unwilling to fulfill my wish, then what's wrong with playing the villain this time?"
"There are countless planets in the universe suffering misery. Someone always wants me to be a hero—being a hero somewhere else works just as well."
He looked at the Dreammaster and smiled. "Don't be so selfish. Over a hundred thousand members of the Oak Family all wish to revive Order. Don't let your personal selfishness ruin the efforts of the Oak Family across countless years!"
"..."
The Dreammaster wanted to call the authorities.
Is this guy… morally blackmailing me?
Fucking hell—who the hell is the villain here, exactly?!
===BREAK===
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