Inside the Astral Express, Boothill began a tense negotiation with Dan Heng and Pom-Pom.
One side was the Galaxy Ranger, hot-blooded and righteous, believing that Penacony's upheaval had been caused by Acheron impersonating a Galaxy Ranger, and determined to pull Penacony back onto the right track.
The other was the Astral Express's stoic young dragon, whose heart was set on the safety of his companions, intent on charging into Penacony to rescue Himeko and the little gray-haired one and the rest.
After a standoff worthy of a revolver facing a long gun, the two reached a consensus and agreed to carry out a joint rescue plan.
However, the changes in this Memoria were far too terrifying—they would need to find a way to avoid being affected.
…
At the same time.
Sol and his group appeared at the entrance of the Penacony Grand Theater, striding in openly and without hesitation.
Although it was strange that Sunday hadn't used the power of Harmony to influence them, that did nothing to stop their advance.
Leaving aside the fact that Sol himself possessed a demi-soul as firm as bedrock—still maintaining dual perspectives of both reality and dream, world require an Aeon's personal descent to truly affect him—even the others each had their own methods.
Robin and Sunday, twins of Harmony and Order, both possessed the aptitude to summon an Emanator. As long as Robin wished to leave Sunday's dream, the path would appear beneath her feet.
As for Black Swan, as a Memokeeper, and Acheron, as an Emanator of Nihility, their power traits allowed them to unravel dreams and protect those around them from influence.
As the group stepped onto the red carpet and entered the grand theater, they finally saw that divine man clad in an opulent suit.
"Brother…"
Robin gazed at the familiar figure, her expression inevitably complex.
She had long suspected that Sunday was a key figure in the revival of Order—but she had never wanted to believe that he would be the very core of it.
Even as one of the Twins of Harmony, she knew that she and Sunday were the best possible vessels.
Yet she did not wish to see this scene unfold. Her brother, having gained the power of an Emanator, might appear powerful—but surrounded by so many external forces, Emanators were not invincible.
If it comes to this… Brother, how am I supposed to save you?!
Robin turned her head toward Sol, her voice almost pleading. "Mr. Sol, please help me!"
"Don't worry. None of what you fear will come true."
Sol gently patted Robin's shoulder, speaking softly in reassurance.
They truly were a model pair of siblings, each thinking for the other—and precisely because of that, his little bird was practically secured.
"..."
Sunday's face darkened.
Staring at the hand resting on his sister's smooth shoulder, he had the overwhelming urge to kick Sol away on the spot.
At a moment like this—and he was still sweet-talking his sister.
Sunday took a deep breath and cut in, interrupting Sol's well-meaning gesture. "Good evening, Mr. Sol."
"Good evening, Mr. Sunday."
Standing beside Robin, Sol looked at Sunday with undisguised appreciation.
What a fine man. Back before Sol transmigrated, he would have gladly led Lord Sunday through a dungeon at least once.
For the hopeless and the weak, an escapist dream was not necessarily a bad thing.
This wasn't even like Gijera from Ultraman, whose pollen caused people to forget themselves and wither spiritually while indulging in sweet dreams.
Sunday's Dream of Ena sustained life itself, offering the mind something close to an eternal paradise.
Perhaps one day, after some had enjoyed every blessing to the fullest and reached a level of spiritual enlightenment akin to a true Buddha or immortal sage, they might awaken from the dream and return to life.
By that measure, Sunday truly was someone of great compassion.
It's just a pity—if I want to pilot Glitter Tiga, Brother Sunday will have to suffer a bit.
Don't worry.After your defeat, I'll take care of your sister.
"Mr. Sol."
Sunday felt a chill crawl up his spine as he looked at Sol, his expression complicated. "Strictly speaking, this is our first formal meeting."
"When you first arrived in Penacony, your casual capture of the Stellaron Hunters was astonishing. And what you did during the sealed Golden Hour was shrouded in mystery. You're powerful, you rallied everyone together, and you've acted without restraint in Penacony."
He recalled every time he had seen Sol—each appearance eye-catching, each time with his sights set squarely on Robin.
He had wanted to meet Sol before the Charmony Festival, but the Dreammaster's death made him abandon such a dangerous idea.
Only by grasping power could one earn the right to speak on equal terms.
He hoped Robin would see through Sol's true nature—the mastermind behind everything.
"..."
Silver Wolf's expression twisted painfully. How long is this execution supposed to last?
That moment marked her descent into darkness. In just a few short days, she was no longer "clean," and at any moment she might become completely unclean.
Just thinking about it hurts…
At the same time, the Astral Express Crew and Aventurine all looked toward Sol in surprise—they had never imagined that the "sun" of the Golden Hour had been Sol's doing.
"So… I was the one taking the fall for him?"
Aventurine glared at Sol, grinding his teeth.
When the Golden Hour was unexpectedly sealed, he had seized the chance to strike at the Family—only for Sunday to find an excuse to lock him up and use him as a scapegoat.
Online backlash against the Interastral Peace Corporation had been relentless, and his actions had severely damaged the company's reputation. Even if that reputation wasn't great to begin with, he knew full well that certain people inside the company would use this to attack him.
And all of it—had been done by Sol.
He had borne that mark as the massive black pot for nothing!
"So, the Ultraman thing was also Sol's doing?"
Welt Yang stroked his chin, beginning to piece things together.
The sun of the Golden Hour turned into Ultraman, and the sun itself had been created by Sol.
Therefore, summoning Ultraman was also Sol's work.
If he could pull off something like summoning Ultraman, then pulling off something like Judgment of Shamash didn't seem impossible either.
Especially since when this guy first boarded the train, he'd even copied Otto's lines.
Could this be some new monster from my hometown?
But if Judgment of Shamash was really in Sol's hands… what was Kiana doing right now?
Raising a child?
After all, Kiana's Mei—Acheron—was right here by Sol's side.
Given Sol's flirtatious nature, the thought was terrifying… yet not impossible.
Welt looked at Sol, feeling both shocked and resentful. The dark terror that had enveloped him—had been personally crafted by Sol, to the point that he had doubted whether the world itself was fake.
"So what?"
Sol looked at Sunday indifferently.
Expose his secrets? He'd never planned to hide them.
All along, he hadn't concealed anything—it was just that no one had happened to notice.
"You really are frank."
Sunday glanced at Robin, who was still standing beside Sol without changing expression, and felt anger well up.
His foolish sister—how could she fail to see Sol's true nature?
If he wanted Sunday to stop the Dream of Ena, all Robin needed to do was distance herself from Sol. Then they could at least sit down and debate it properly.
Sunday stopped looking at Robin and turned back to Sol. "Now that we're standing on this final stage, can you tell me your true purpose?"
He was curious—deeply curious.
For someone like Sol, Penacony didn't seem to hold anything worth coveting.
His sister's charm was great, yes—but surely that wasn't the entirety of it.
"To reap hope."
Sol smiled faintly and spoke with ease. "You've built a dreamlike paradise here, letting people sink into endless beautiful dreams. But dreams are not reality—and I look forward to the hope they'll feel when they awaken."
"Of course, not wanting you to become the target of everyone's arrows was also Miss Robin's request—and that made it hard for me to refuse."
He looked around the empty theater, his gaze seeming to pierce into another realm.
Millions upon millions of dream bubbles were packed together—nearly the dreams of everyone in the Asdana Star System.
In each person's dream, they were their own emperor, able to wish anything into existence. At a glance, millions had become the richest beings in the universe, hundreds of thousands dreamed of becoming Emanators, and tens of thousands imagined themselves as existences even beyond Aeons…
Every kind of bizarre dream existed, each person indulging freely in their desires.
There was still a long, long way to go before these people would awaken.
"You can leave out that last part."
Sunday's brows furrowed, anger surging within him.
The first part, he could understand—philosophical debate, intellectual experimentation, any of it could have driven Sol to oppose him.
But that last line—at a time like this, he was still flirting with his sister, not giving the slightest regard to him as her brother!
===BREAK===
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