[Psst, lemme share a little secret~]
The moment Sparkle spoke, Yuzu felt a flicker of nervousness.
Even though she claimed it was a secret for everyone, Sparkle carried herself with an air of open nonchalance.
It was all for the sake of that particular atmosphere.
Truly, it had a hint of that 'sneaky' feeling.
--+--
[The Aeon of Nihility, IX, true to their name, was basically a big, lazy blob that loved to slack off.]
[Like a black hole, with her purplish-black body, mismatched eyes, they were either asleep or just not thinking about anything at all.]
[They didn't care about anything. For thousands, tens of thousands of years, even until the end of time, they'd barely budge an inch.]
[Just laying there, sprawled out.]
[So, how did she usually get around then?]
--+--
Sparkle looked right at Miss Yuzu.
Miss Yuzu caught on immediately.
--+--
[How did they move, Sister Sparkle?]
[Well, of course, they'd just drift along, like algae floating on water, just like that~]
--+--
The chibi Sparkle shrugged her little hands.
--+--
[Expecting her to move on her own? Thaaat's just impossible!]
--+--
Nuwa couldn't hold back any longer.
"Truly fitting for the Aeon of Nihility... matches my impression perfectly."
"Indeed, it aligns quite closely with the analysis from the expert interview before... How nice, I kinda want to slack off like that too..."
Fuxi nodded slightly, agreeing with her sister.
Meanwhile.
Sparkle and Yuzu continued their chat.
Many people seemed to be forming a more concrete image of the Aeon of Nihility, IX.
They couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement.
"Believing the world is meaningless, that everything is meaningless... so precisely because it's meaningless, there's no need to do anything..."
A scholar massaged his temple.
Listening to the voices from the screen while calmly organizing his thoughts.
"Because they believe the universe will ultimately return to nothingness... that this will happen whether they do anything or not... so, them not doing anything is the correct path. Is this what the Aeon of Nihility represents..."
"Pure Nihilism."
Someone else chimed in in agreement.
Online, many were also listening and discussing simultaneously.
Slacking off? Everyone likes the idea.
But as long as one isn't truly depressed or utterly negative, surely no one would willingly embrace nothingness.
Nihilism is far more abstract than one might imagine.
It seems simple on the surface.
Yet, many still find it impossible to comprehend.
--+--
[Did you all know?]
[In the Star Rail universe, there are two relatively well-known factions following Nihility.]
[One is the Self-Annihilators, and the other is the Doctors of Chaos.]
[Of course, there's also the Device IX, but almost no one has ever seen them.]
--+--
The chibi Yuzu continued.
Everyone suddenly realized.
If this were like usual, visuals should have been shown by now.
Why was it still just Miss Acheron's illustration?
Sure, Miss Acheron is dashing and beautiful. But this is just laziness!
Someone in the crowd shouted from below.
Unfortunately, the folks up above couldn't see it. Go on, shout all you want.
If it makes a difference, I'd be very surprised.
"The Self-Annihilators... they are people who gradually move towards self-destruction after being tainted by the Path of Nihility..."
"Inevitably losing their senses, emotions, memories... until finally, their very existence becomes nothingness..."
"That's terrifying!"
Before this, some had thought, 'It's just following a Path, what's the big deal?'
You gain power, you just act according to its will, do corresponding things—felt almost like changing professions.
But now, everyone was frightened.
Willing or not, stepping onto the Path of Nihility means your life starts a countdown.
It's as if you've been diagnosed with an incurable disease. The rest of your days would be spent struggling against the encroaching void.
Just thinking about it, who in their right mind would want that?
As for the Doctors of Chaos, they are those unwilling to submit to Nihility, constantly seeking ways to save themselves.
'Doctors' not only treat others but also treat themselves.
--+--
[Because the dual planet system orbits around the Aeon of Nihility.]
[Whether they want to or not, their fate is sealed.]
--+--
Miss Yuzu spoke with a sigh in her voice.
--+--
[At certain times, Izumo is closer to the Aeon of Nihility, so Izumo gets infected first during those periods.]
[But at other times, Takamagahara is closer, so Takamagahara falls first then.]
[They're essentially like points in a cycle, nodes constantly revolving, with no end in sight.]
[When Sister Mei was born, Izumo happened to be farther away, but that also meant Takamagahara was deeply embedded within it.]
[Infected by Nihility, the people of Takamagahara turned into Malevolent Gods.]
[On that day, eight million gods descended from the heavens, wreaking havoc upon the world, bringing chaos and calamity to Izumo.]
[Izumo broke seventy-thousand-and-thirty-three swords, forging them into multiple Edict Edges, beginning a brief but arduous struggle.]
--+--
"They're really not showing any pictures."
"Or videos."
"I really want to see it..."
"Just hearing the description sounds so brutal!"
Kiana knew about the complaints, but she wasn't about to indulge these folks.
If she found it boring, she just wouldn't do it that way.
If she was happy, why bother with all that?
"Can I understand it as... when Izumo moves closer to the Aeon of Nihility, and Takamagahara moves farther away..."
"That would be another cycle."
Sakura looked up with an unreadable expression, holding her slightly anxious younger sister Rin's hand.
"Then, presumably, the people of Izumo would turn into evil spirits, and Takamagahara would be the one rising up to resist."
"But it seems utterly meaningless now." Mobius stated calmly.
Because anyone with a keen eye could see it.
As long as Izumo and Takamagahara remain within the orbit of the Aeon of Nihility, they can never escape that curse-like destiny.
Perhaps this time, Takamagahara was corrupted, swallowing Izumo, leaving both sides devoid of life.
Then next time, when new civilizations and humans emerge, Izumo gets corrupted, swallows Takamagahara, and the same result plays out again, both sides returning to silence once more.
"The difference is... this time, we have Acheron."
"She will definitely survive."
--+--
In the Fire Moth meeting room.
Kiana's aunts, uncles, and elders gathered together, munching on sunflower seeds, watching the sky screen.
"So it seems this is the origin of the grudge between Acheron and the Aeon of Nihility."
"Most likely."
As you can see!
When Miss Yuzu mentioned Acheron, she referred to her as the wielder of the third Edict Edge.
Each Edict Edge was forged into its final form only after slaying one of the twelve most powerful Malevolent Gods, capable of wielding incredible authority.
To be frank.
It sounds a bit like a Divine Key...
Vill-V watched, increasingly convinced. Isn't this basically Herrscher authority? Those Malevolent Gods you mentioned, could they be Herrschers?
"The Honkai?"
"No, no... If the source is the Aeon of Nihility, it's probably not the Honkai."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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