Just how vast can the gap between Emanators be? No one knew the answer to that question.
It was normal for there to be stronger and weaker Emanators. After all, even their masters, the Aeons, had their own hierarchy. How could their agents possibly be on equal footing?
But to say someone could crushingly kill another Emanator... that was a bit of a stretch. In a battle between equals, victory and defeat were easily decided, but life and death were not. Back then, it took the intervention of multiple Aeons to completely annihilate Tayzzyronth of Propagation.
"Have you ever been a mere Pathstrider?"
Oblivion, feeling the suffocating pressure, asked a very strange question.
"Some are born SSS-tier, while others only manage to glimpse this realm by leaning on their supports."
Aiming Vanquisher at her, Leon continued speaking.
"The supports the latter uses would only make the former even stronger."
"The former's own stats are solid enough to stand alone as an army, dominating all ages. For them, support is just icing on the cake, not a crutch."
To put it bluntly, it was the difference between a complete, solo unit and a handicapped one who needs support.
"As for the latter, no matter how much support you stack on them, their ceiling is fixed. Their base stats simply don't support them breaking into the legendary 'meta' tier."
As he finished speaking, Leon called out softly towards Phantylia.
"Come here!"
Phantylia's body moved over involuntarily, but her mind was completely blank.
Wait, wait, what is he going to do???
"Know what I'm getting at?"
Leon spoke as he grabbed Phantylia's true form and began enchanting Vanquisher with it.
"(Heliobus curse)"
Seeing this, the helpless Phantylia screamed internally.
You bastard, are you trying to kill me?! Are you insane? You can't just slap this onto anything!
Don't you have a clue what tier your damn bow is, you son of a bitch?! Does a captive's life not matter?!
Feeling the aura of The Hunt at full power emanating from it, Phantylia's heart filled with terror. She was unwilling in a thousand ways.
But she couldn't defy Leon's will and could only watch helplessly as she was fed to the monster!
No, stop, I'll die, I'll really die! Stop it!!
"What I'm trying to say is, you mistook my proud wheelchair for hard-earned skill."
Clang!
Cyan flames erupted along Vanquisher's body. In the end, Leon did not spare Phantylia.
"How rude. I'm a stats character, you know!"
As his voice fell, a sliver of molten gold appeared at the nock of the crimson-flame arrow on the string, quickly spreading to engulf the entire shaft.
An indescribable pressure radiated from the arrow!
The Destruction he had extracted from Phantylia was now augmenting his own Hunt! Even an untamed Phantylia could never overwhelm Vanquisher, let alone a tamed one.
Thus, the two Paths coexisted in relative harmony. Their roles were clear: one primary, one support, perfectly combined!
The Hunt and Destruction are both Paths renowned for their power. The brilliance and splendor of this arrow would surely defy description!
"An Emanator of The Hunt can actually command Phantylia to serve you?" Oblivion said, utterly surprised.
With Phantylia's temperament, how could she possibly tolerate the humiliation of being ordered around, especially by an enemy? Does Nanook know you've defected?
"Perhaps we can talk. I can return the Holstein Memory Bubble to you. How about you withdraw?"
Seeing him get serious with such an exaggerated display, Oblivion instantly changed her tune.
Her previous bravado was based on the intelligence that Leon was the only Emanator present.
Among equals, no one was superior to another.
Plus, the Garden of Recollection was the home turf of Remembrance. At worst, she was guaranteed a fifty-fifty chance.
But it turned out there were two Emanators on the other side, and she was alone. How the hell was she supposed to play this game?
The Hunt, Destruction... And they were both Paths specializing in slaughter. In this situation, any fight was a guaranteed loss!
Since the outcome was already decided, there was no need to drag it out. If a real fight broke out, even if she survived thanks to the properties of Remembrance, it wouldn't be pretty...
"An arrow, once drawn, cannot be turned back."
Leon never sought peace. His philosophy had always been to return any offense he received.
"And another thing—I didn't come for the people of Holstein. I came for all those who've had their memories forcibly stolen and suffered injustice!"
After all the monstrous things you've done, you should have known this was coming. Just obediently become EXP for my Path of The Hunt!
Oblivion fell silent.
With a single thought from her, the Master of this Garden, all the abundant Memosia in the domain surged towards Leon!
Memosia was widely recognized as a dangerous substance in the universe. Its harm to the mind and brain was particularly severe; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a weapon that targeted the soul.
Dizziness, hallucinations, memory corruption, mental breakdowns leading to brain death.
These were all problems that could arise from prolonged or sudden massive exposure to Memosia.
Even Pathstriders couldn't avoid it. It was an attack on the soul level, unless you belonged to the faction of Remembrance.
Leon frowned, a rare sight. His spirit felt heavy, melancholic.
Seeing this, Vanquisher's body began to glow faintly, as if considering whether to intervene, which made the internal Phantylia scream like Tom from the cartoons.
After a moment, it quietly calmed down, an act of absolute trust in him.
"Is this really okay? Leaving yourself no way out?"
The whispers of an ancient god seeped into his moment of weakness.
"No one in Holstein died, they only lost their ability to speak. Is it necessary to stop violence with death?"
Auditory hallucinations echoed in Leon's ears.
At the same time, the throne where Oblivion had been sitting shattered, and a glazed, circular portal shimmering with icy blue light appeared straight ahead!
Without a word, Oblivion rushed towards it, choosing to flee since she couldn't win.
"Are the stats you pursue really that important? Compared to living beings, they're insignificant, aren't they?"
Hearing this, Leon instantly snapped out of it, his expression switching to combat mode, his gaze sharpening immediately.
"Let her go, she already knows she was wrong..."
"Wrong?"
Leon scoffed in reply and immediately released the two fingers holding the arrow's nock!
"She doesn't know she was wrong, she knows she's about to die!"
Before she could react, the arrow of The Hunt, blazing with the molten gold flames of Destruction, shot straight out!
At this range, it would undoubtedly end her life before Oblivion could reach her escape route!
"I have nothing to say to a small-minded Memosia creature like you."
"You can only see things like love and hate; you completely miss the core of the problem."
Leon retorted mercilessly to his own hallucination.
"What is the core? The core is that their stats weren't high enough!"
"If the people of Holstein had sufficient stats, they wouldn't have had to swallow their anger, and I wouldn't have come here—at least not for this reason!"
Leon spoke coldly.
Low stats means you have no standing. Someone with no standing who still talks trash is just an idiot. Since when do idiots get to tell me what to do?
"Pity her? Don't make me laugh!"
"If her stats were higher than mine, I'd be the one dying today. So you tell me, are stats important? Go to hell!"
With that powerful declaration, the influence of the Memosia on him vanished in an instant!
Oblivion grunted and immediately altered the layout of the Memosia-formed space, using an unpredictable shift in terrain to dodge the attack.
But an attack from The Hunt never misses.
Until it confirms the death of its target for vengeance, it will lock on and never let go!
Oblivion had no choice but to go for broke.
As a Meme, she too was a being made of Memosia. She chose to conceal her form, planning to escape by temporarily merging with the surrounding Memosia.
"Sis, sis, sis, sis, sis, sis."
Leon saw her intention and immediately began shouting demonically, just like a certain blonde-haired idol.
Oblivion's body froze.
[Freljord Bottle Cap +1]
And that momentary gap was all it took for Oblivion's plan to fail. Leon's flaming arrow struck her dead center!
The two overwhelming, domineering energies of The Hunt and Destruction ravaged the body constructed of Remembrance!
The icy blue crystals covering half of Oblivion's body shattered into fine dust, scattering everywhere!
As creations of Remembrance, the crystals slowly dissolved into the ground, returning to the Memosia and becoming part of the foundation of this Garden.
The existence, or rather, the soul that constituted Oblivion was utterly pulverized by the combined force of the two stat-based Paths.
She couldn't accept this! Oblivion thought as her consciousness faded.
To reach the pinnacle of a Pathstrider and earn an Aeon's gaze... was it truly no match for those divinely favored ones who received an Aeon's blessing simply through their ideals?
"You... are too willful... bro..."
But no matter how unwilling Oblivion was, her last words were not her own to speak.
After uttering 'bro,' her hand moved uncontrollably. It inexplicably fished out a Memory Bubble hidden deep within her body, as if intending it as a compensatory gift.
Oblivion opened her mouth to speak, but her body—or rather, her soul—had reached its limit.
When the soul is gone, Remembrance fades. A Meme's body cannot hold its form.
The person was gone.
No, vanished would be a more fitting word.
Only the Memory Bubble she had just taken out remained on the ground, as if she had evaporated into thin air.
Oblivion was dead. There was no doubt.
Legend says that Fuli records everything that happens in the galaxy. Perhaps one day in the future, she might be reborn in the Plane of Sudarshana.
"Delightful. You were the strongest Memokeeper I've ever seen. I suppose I'll forget you in a few minutes."
Leon gave his assessment of his opponent, Oblivion.
Then, after the battle ended, he flicked the back of his hand at Vanquisher, brushing Phantylia off the bow.
Phantylia, in her rabbit-head form, had her tongue lolling out and X's for eyes, clearly looking half-dead.
Just kidding. She looks alive, but she's actually been gone for a while.
"An Emanator of Remembrance was carrying this Memory Bubble on her person. It's got to be something good this time, right?"
Leon slung Vanquisher back over his shoulder and walked forward, completely ignoring whether Phantylia was dead or alive.
"I hope it's not some idiotic riddle."
This was a monster drop, not something from a treasure chest. It should be good, right?
Leon thought to himself.
He bent down, picked up the Memory Bubble from the ground, clasped it tightly in his palm, closed his eyes, and sent his consciousness into it.
The first thing he perceived was a vast space and complete, pitch-black darkness. And then? And then there was nothing.
Inside the entire Memory Bubble, all he could sense was that the space was huge and that it was so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his face.
Dammit, it's a piece of useless cosmetic junk, worse than a riddle! At least a riddle has some fun in solving it. This has nothing!
Oh, come on! Can I get some compensation? For making me waste my time on scenery like this, the creator of this Memory Bubble really ought to pay me!
Leon complained internally, but he was also very confused.
If this Memory Bubble really only contained such boring scenery, why would an Emanator of Remembrance hide it on her person? This was extremely strange.
A Memory Bubble of a boring memory being treasured by an Emanator of Remembrance was a contradiction in itself.
Not to mention, this Emanator was part of the Annihilation Gang.
In other words, this Memory Bubble definitely had to have something special about it...
Leon pondered.
Could it be that there were some specific conditions to activate it? For example, maybe only a Memokeeper could see what was hidden beneath the surface? Or were there other restrictions?
Leon had never suffered a single defeat since his debut, yet his first loss was to a damn Memory Bubble.
I'm speechless.
He sighed helplessly and prepared to withdraw his consciousness from the Memory Bubble.
Forget it, I don't get it. Everyone has their specialty. I'll just show it to Black Swan later.
A temporary retreat to recuperate and gather strength.
When the time is right, I'll challenge it again and ensure its utter defeat!
Leon thought, hypnotizing himself into believing that winning later meant it wasn't a real loss.
"How long has it been..."
Just as he was about to pull his consciousness out, a faint female voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Is Amphoreus alright...?"
The female voice, tinged with obvious worry, spoke again.
"I must be hearing things."
A cyber-ghost, really?
Leon stopped his withdrawal. He decided to see what the true nature of this Memory Bubble was.
"Who's there?"
The female voice was startled when she heard him speak.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. Are you a person or a ghost?" Leon said reflexively.
"Eh? You can hear me speak?"
The voice was filled with surprise and disbelief.
"Why wouldn't I?" Leon asked, confused.
"Sir, where are you? I can't see you."
The female voice didn't answer his question, instead posing a new one.
"I have no idea," Leon gave a high-quality answer.
"...Has my imaginary friend become real?"
The voice spoke again after a long pause, full of disbelief. She had likely scanned her surroundings again, only to come up empty.
"Yes, and I want to become a real boy."
Leon played along before thinking for a moment and adding, "I'm a Galaxy Ranger."
"A real person. Not an AI, not an illusion. If you have any troubles, you can talk to me. Maybe I can help you solve them."
He was probing the possibility of having a normal conversation with her.
"A Galaxy Ranger..." the female voice murmured.
Judging by her confused tone, it seemed she didn't know what a Galaxy Ranger was; she might have never even heard of them.
Leon wasn't surprised.
After all, according to Boothill, most Galaxy Rangers besides their 'bro' duo had vanished without a trace.
"Could this be a fated encounter of legends? What's your name, Mr. Ranger?"
The female voice asked with a smile in her tone.
"Just call me Leon."
Leon rarely gave his real name. "And you?"
This was the first opponent who'd almost made him retreat in defeat. How could he not treat it seriously?
"My name is Cyrene. 'Cyre' as in 'days of yore,' and 'rene' as in 'ripples.' An easy name to remember, right?"
She even has a catchphrase for her name. Seems she's a pro.
This was Leon's first thought after hearing her introduction.
"Is Leon from beyond the sky?"
Cyrene was filled with intense curiosity.
"I think so."
Leon didn't know just how 'beyond the sky' she meant.
But one thing was for sure: he was the alien boss here.
An alien is the boss, that's all there is to it!
"Also, you should just call me Mr. Ranger."
He'd used too many alternate accounts. Suddenly being called by his real name without a title felt like having his online handle read out loud in public.
Should have just given Boothill's name earlier. He uses a codename anyway.
"Hm? Okay."
Cyrene was confused but obediently complied. "Then, do you know of Amphoreus, Mr. Ranger?"
"Nope," Leon replied bluntly.
Where is Amphoreus? Sigh, after all this, turns out she's the real alien boss? Scary.
"Is that so... It seems that even beyond the sky, very few people know of Amphoreus."
There was an unconcealable disappointment in Cyrene's cheerful tone.
"You can tell me about this Am-whatever thing. You seem very worried. Maybe I can help."
Leon suggested.
"I'm sorry, my memories of Amphoreus are rather hazy."
There was apology in Cyrene's voice.
"I only remember that it's the home that raised me, and it's currently trapped in a chess game. Someone needs to flip the board."
"I can save it. Where is Amphoreus?"
The stuff in this Memory Bubble is that intense? Monster drops really are the best! Wow, a secret jungle camp? I've got to check this out!
"I don't know."
Cyrene was apologetic about this.
"Although there is a Gate of Remembrance here that leads directly there, from my observation, it was deliberately left behind by someone with ulterior motives."
"Over the long years, I could only watch as people walked through the Gate of Remembrance. They couldn't see me, nor could they hear my calls."
"A voice from beyond the sky always promises safety, but I've never seen anyone truly return unscathed..."
Cyrene said with some worry.
"The gate? Where's the gate? Which bastard ate my gate?"
Hearing this, Leon immediately scanned his surroundings.
Danger was the last thing he feared. Someone truly confident in their stats should be fearless and unstoppable!
But no matter how hard he looked, all he saw was pitch darkness.
Damn it, what's the deal with this stupid Memory Bubble? Are the two of us in different spaces or what?
Don't tell me Cyrene made all this up, or I'm really gonna lose it.
"It seems you and I aren't in the same time and space."
Cyrene had noticed this as well.
"We've been scammed by the capitalists," Leon agreed.
"May I ask through what means you are communicating with me?"
"A Memory Bubble."
Leon answered truthfully. "I doubt you'd know what that is, because I don't understand its structure either."
"It sounds like it was crafted by the same people who made the Gate of Remembrance."
This was Cyrene's faint intuition.
"I think so too."
To be honest, a name like 'Gate of Remembrance' might as well have 'Garden of Recollection' written all over it.
"Mr. Ranger."
Cyrene fell silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her tone was pleading.
"Can you promise me one thing?"
"Say it first. I'll consider it depending on the situation."
Just don't say anything that won't improve my stats.
"If, in the future, you hear rumors about Amphoreus, would you be able to lend a hand to my home, if you have the strength to spare?"
Cyrene thought of his earlier words, and then thought that this conversation was most likely a dream of hers.
Thus, the words that came out were much more willful. It was less of a request and more of a confession, telling her wish to someone she believed to be her imaginary friend.
Yes, she still leaned towards the conclusion that Leon was her own illusion. After all, how could a person exist only in her mind?
If possible, she wished a Galaxy Ranger named Leon truly existed. She hoped he was the savior from beyond the sky, hoped he could stop all the conspiracies unfolding in Amphoreus and truly take her home off the chessboard.
"Oh, that? Don't you worry about that. I'm definitely taking that Amphoreus EXP pack for myself."
Leon had no objections to this.
Talk about that, and you've got my full attention.
Sounds like this Am-whatsit-ros is in deep trouble.
In that case, it's time for a Galaxy Ranger to make his entrance!
Once I'm done with the Garden of Recollection, I'll have Vanquisher lock onto its location and show them what the speed of The Hunt really means!
"Thank you."
The corners of Cyrene's mouth curved up slightly.
Even though she knew he, as a figment of her imagination, would most likely not refuse, she was still very happy to hear him agree.
"Please extend your hand forward, Mr. Ranger."
Cyrene said, already extending her right hand, palm facing forward.
"And then?" Leon reached out his hand.
It was pretty awkward, considering he couldn't even see his own hand.
"Mmm~ Then it's a promise."
Cyrene made a light pressing motion with her palm, as if touching his across the void, creating the illusion that he was truly there.
If Leon knew what she was doing right now, he'd definitely call it cringe.
"In the future, you must come save Amphoreus, and save the people who step through the Gate of Remembrance."
Cyrene said softly.
"Come save me."
The darkness around Leon suddenly ended, and his vision cleared abruptly. Daylight arrived with startling suddenness.
He felt his hand touch something soft and warm. Looking forward, he saw a new short girl with pink hair pressing her palm against his, fingers intertwined.
Cyrene smiled happily, her gentle eyes curving.
Very beautiful. She was truly beautiful.
Leon's 'rabbit-head sense' told him that the girl in front of him definitely wasn't low-tier.
"Alright, I promise you."
He enjoyed dealing with people who had some power. If she hadn't triggered his radar, the intent of his answer might not have changed, but he definitely wouldn't have been so willing to continue the conversation.
______
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