Penacony.
The Charmony Festival concluded as soon as it began, and the little interlude of the Dream of Oneness came to an end.
Aside from The Family, there were no casualties today.
Thanks to Oblivion's help.
All the guests present dreamed of their own deeply buried, embarrassing pasts, and those pasts kept developing toward the worst possible scenarios.
Social death is still a form of death. In a way, this was a death threat.
The end result, without exception, was that everyone woke up in a fright, utterly bewildered as to why they were dreaming within a dream.
Why must life slumber? Because it is tired.
When it has slept enough and is no longer tired, then it is time to wake up.
Just as people awoke from the dream of "Order" today, they must sooner or later awaken from the dream of "Harmony."
To leave this land of dreams and return to the waking reality.
"And that's a wrap."
Twenty-four system hours.
One day. For an ordinary person, it might pass in a flash.
But for a swift and decisive Ranger, that was enough time to handle two major incidents back-to-back.
Today, a total of two factions had tasted his destructive power.
One was the Corporation, and the other was The Family.
Both had committed the three unforgivable sins of greed, hatred, and delusion in the Ranger's code of justice.
As long as one crosses the fundamental line of human decency.
The arrow of light from "The Hunt" will naturally arrive to sweep away the miasma of sin!
No villain can escape justice. It can only be said that a life of evil is a life forfeit!
But if you were to ask Leon, the man involved, what he thought about all this.
He would only have one thing to say.
"My dudes, was your streamer's gameplay cool or what?" (In a serious yet cheeky tone)
"What did March 7th ask of you?"
Leon and Oblivion strolled through the streets of the Golden Hour, preparing to find Gallagher and give him an update.
"Good eyesight is also part of one's personal stats."
Oblivion, holding an umbrella, shot him a glare, mimicking his way of speaking to say his eyes were useless.
"If you can't even see that, then you don't deserve to call those things human eyes."
The clash of "Aeons" from earlier hadn't been widely noticed.
The same went for their identities, so they had no need to worry about being recognized on the street.
The scuffle with "Oneness" happened in a dream.
Although it did affect reality to some extent, because the operational logic of the Dream of Oneness was to blur the line between dream and reality, turning fiction into fact.
But under Oblivion's management.
All of this was settled quietly.
Not to mention she had cautiously wiped everyone's memories. It would be strange if anyone could remember the specific details of the Dream of Oneness.
"Not bad. The girl's all grown up, knows how to care for someone now."
Leon recalled Oblivion telling him to thank March 7th earlier. After thinking it over, it could only be about him.
To be honest, he didn't actually think March 7th would be pulled into the Dream of Oneness.
Oblivion's appearance this time likely had another purpose.
March 7th's past holds a great secret, and it's something that shouldn't be known by others.
Otherwise, it could lead to some difficult troubles.
Oblivion was the defensive line created for this reason, acting as a kind of system firewall for insurance.
Although Leon felt it was all a bit unnecessary.
If trouble comes, then let it come. If it knocks on the door, just deal with it.
What's the big deal?
But Oblivion didn't think that way, and he respected that.
The Dream of Oneness.
To construct a dream that people would willingly slumber in, one must have an intimate knowledge of that person's past.
Such a blatant act of prying.
If Oblivion were to let Oneness pass, she must have been out of her mind.
"Don't use that term, 'girl.'"
Oblivion didn't give a direct answer.
But no answer was a tacit admission that his eyesight was fine.
"Don't actually raise March like a daughter."
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in Oblivion's voice.
What a joke. It was fine for her to raise March like a daughter.
But Leon absolutely could not do that.
She didn't plan to interfere with March's budding emotions.
After all, a "blank slate" was the best gift she could give her—a unique future.
Everything had to be experienced or realized on her own.
Only then would it have meaning, including these budding emotions.
But seeking answers is one thing.
It's another when the object of these budding affections, from the very beginning, never saw her as a woman. He was even the one who taught her the concept of romantic love.
Wouldn't it all be for nothing when March finally found her answer?
"What's wrong with a term of endearment between an elder and a junior?" Leon told her not to get him worked up.
If not a daughter, then what? A child bride?
He didn't deny the raising and nurturing part, but where was the 'child' in that?
Her soul? Well, that was indeed quite childlike.
"Elder?"
Hearing those two words.
"How can you be so sure you're older than her?"
Oblivion smiled, her expression slightly playful.
"You know which three words I want to say."
Leon thought she was getting talkative.
"You'd have to get in line to beg."
"?"
Holy crap, are you for real?
As if he would ever say the three words "I beg you." What a joke.
Actually, Leon wanted to say, "So what?"
But in the end, he swallowed the words, turning sound into silence.
Because with Oblivion in charge of March 7th, he really couldn't bring himself to call her 'girl'.
They clearly shared the same body, but the feeling they gave off was completely different.
Perhaps it was because March 7th had shown dependence on him from the very beginning.
Whereas Oblivion had never shown a hint of weakness since her appearance, always acting as his equal.
Undeniably, she was, to date.
The person he had met who was most his match.
That superior aura was a stark contrast to March 7th's naivety, like the chasm between a medium and an extra-large cup.
To put it bluntly, Oblivion lacked that unsullied clarity of March 7th's, you know?
"Do you like what you see?"
Oblivion tilted her umbrella, her vacant, lightless blood-red eyes meeting his direct, appraising gaze.
Leon answered without flinching or looking away.
He always adhered to the philosophy of checking total damage and DPS before engaging in any deep exchange.
No talk unless total damage is over one hundred thousand and DPS is over three thousand.
And Oblivion's performance was clearly more than enough.
So Leon thought.
It seemed he had also found the reason why Oblivion felt more womanly than March 7th.
Because March 7th normally never showed off her stats, while Oblivion appeared from the get-go as a powerful being ready to mercilessly crush the weak.
That must be why he subconsciously felt Oblivion was more womanly than March 7th.
It wasn't just her aura, but also the beauty found in strength.
"If you like it, then look your fill."
Oblivion said as much.
But she still moved the umbrella back, allowing him to see only half of her profile.
Perhaps she meant for him to look more at March 7th, not herself.
"Right, I haven't asked yet."
Leon didn't mind.
"Didn't I already take care of that old bird, the Dream Master? How did you manage to turn it into a Memory Bubble?"
Leon didn't think anyone from The Family could have survived his stats.
"Most Memory Bubbles are of the dead."
Oblivion stated that living Memory Bubbles were the rare ones.
"Of course they're all dead. I just 'remembered' their miserable states right before death."
Oblivion said, stopping and opening her palm.
"A hero must be remembered, not forgotten."
She materialized the Memory Bubble from thin air, tossing it to him after repeating his own words from before.
"I erased everyone's memories related to the Dream of Oneness, which naturally included your deeds."
Having done that, Oblivion continued forward.
Leon caught the Memory Bubble and fell in step beside her.
"You saved Penacony. That is an indisputable fact."
Leon did indeed save Penacony.
Even under the premise that everyone was willing to immerse themselves in Sunday's paradise, he still counted as having saved Penacony.
The Dream of Oneness.
This thing was actually a matter of mutual consent, a willing exchange.
But don't think that if Leon hadn't come today, these people could have truly immersed themselves in it forever.
In fact, it's quite the opposite.
If Leon hadn't come today, these people would have likely drowned in it before long.
The reasoning is simple. Don't forget what was used as the engine to forge this paradise.
It was the "Stellaron," known as the Cancer of All Worlds.
If it's called cancer, it's no surprise that it would imperceptibly corrode the dreamers.
No matter how much The Family understood it, they could never completely control it.
If they truly had control, there would be no reason for The Family to hide their strength.
They would have definitely publicized it.
Because that would elevate their status in the universe by a huge margin.
Since they didn't, we know they don't have control.
Something that cannot be fully controlled is a ticking time bomb; no one knows when it will detonate.
Mikhail knew of its dangers.
That's why he was so resistant to using it back then, and why he left a dying wish to save Penacony.
The Dream Master couldn't have been ignorant of this point.
Which means he knew it was impossible but did it anyway.
And Sunday was clearly an ambitious youth who, fixated on his ideals, was tricked onto a pirate ship with sweet words.
"Crush it, and your deeds will be made public again. It is the honor you deserve."
Oblivion, Oblivion. Both her name and her methods showed she was a woman who showed no mercy.
Although they hadn't spent much time together.
Leon could more or less sense her style of doing things.
Perhaps it was for the sake of protecting March 7th.
When Oblivion acted, she generally aimed to completely cut off the enemy's path forward.
No holding back, no quarter given.
Yet this very person had left a backup copy just for him.
How strange.
Was it for March 7th, or because she herself thought his words were right?
Leon thought so, showing no reaction upon hearing her out.
"Oh, then it seems this is something I don't need."
He said "oh" and then tossed the Memory Bubble back to her.
"You don't want it?"
Oblivion caught it without looking and asked.
"I'm no hero."
Leon waved his hand, not in refusal, but as if to say no more words were needed.
"Just a passing Ranger, that's all. No need for praise."
Fewer complications were better. Fame wasn't a necessity for him.
He wanted to do it, so he did it.
The emphasis was on 'want,' on his own will, not on what reward he would get for doing it.
I saved you. What's that got to do with you?
"Instead of publicizing my deeds, you'd be better off publicizing Mikhail's."
The commotion from the Corporation today was already more than enough spotlight for Leon.
If Penacony was added to the mix, he was genuinely afraid his mugshot would be plastered everywhere one day.
"I don't need to do it. Someone else will do it later."
Oblivion was referring to Robin.
The two siblings were among the few from whom she only deleted memories related to herself.
The cause and effect of the events, the beginning and end of the Dream of Oneness, and Leon's contributions to Penacony.
If you don't count March 7th and herself, then the two of them were the only ones who knew the full picture.
"Speaking of which, is 'Oblivion' your real name?"
To Leon, it sounded like one of his alternate accounts.
Obviously a handle, not a legal name on an ID.
Oblivion paused.
She didn't know why he was asking this, but she considered the question seriously.
Oblivion placed a finger on her chin, lost in thought for a moment.
"Changyeyue."
After a moment, the syllables of these three words left her lips.
"If you like, you can call me that too."
"March 7th" was a wonderful, cute, lively, and interesting name, with a hint of birthday sweetness.
Even without Leon's help, if she were to choose a name herself after understanding the concept of names, she would likely have chosen that one.
Therefore, she should also like the name "Changyeyue."
"Alright, Yue."
Hearing this name, Leon felt it was time he let her have his Death Note.
Changyeyue, huh? Sounded like she just made it up.
But compared to Oblivion, it sounded more like a real name, and at least she truly referred to herself as an ever-present long night.
"You can call me that."
Hearing the name, Oblivion seemed to recall something and said.
"But I have one condition."
"From now on, you can't call March 7th 'girl'. You have to call her by her name."
"I'll try."
For the sake of her being an extra-large cup, Leon agreed without making a firm promise.
If he stopped calling March 7th 'girl' from now on...
Then he could only call one 'March' and the other 'Yue.'
'Yueqi' sounded a bit weird, and 'Changye' lacked a certain flair.
"So, what exactly is this 'Stellaron' thing?"
Leon wasn't an idiot; he naturally knew what she meant by saving Penacony.
"I don't know."
Perhaps March 7th knew, but the memories held by Changyeyue were just the tip of her iceberg.
"What about you?"
Leon shifted his gaze to the dimwitted Phantylia head trailing beside them, his tool-person Phantylia.
He had let her swallow it for safekeeping earlier and hadn't thought about it since, nor did he know how to neutralize it.
"To be honest, I'm not very clear on this thing either."
Phantylia was grateful she finally had a chance to say a few words.
"Although 'Destruction' and this thing often appear in the same places, I'm not sure if there's any connection."
This was the first time the veteran Phantylia had spoken of something she didn't understand.
"Few know the secrets of the Stellaron."
"Perhaps the other Lord Ravagers might know."
"Like Celenova, for example. Rumor has it that she was ordered to spread the Stellarons."
"Celenova, huh?"
He wondered if that pile of dog crap had started a fight with the Xianzhou Alliance yet.
She had better have the sense not to provoke them, or else he would really have to go and sanction her.
"Hmm... 'Harmony'?"
Celenova's army was a counterpart to Harmony, so anything from her hands would surely carry Harmonic traits.
"It's not impossible."
If this hypothesis were true.
Then it would also explain why The Family has a deeper understanding of Stellarons than other factions.
_____
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