The disturbance on Penacony came fast, but The Family reacted even faster.
The moment the second shock ended, every public display across Penacony was seized. Sunday appeared on each screen at once.
"Everyone, Penacony has suffered an attack of unknown origin. Please remain calm…"
Sunday had stepped forward in person to reassure the public. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned toward the nearest screen.
Then, before the eyes of all Penacony, every member of The Family set aside their work. The power of Harmony spread through them in silence, gentle as rain soaking into the earth, until it covered the entire planet.
A chant rang throughout Penacony.
Harmonious Choir, Dominicus manifested inside the Grand Theater. It raised its conductor's baton and rose beneath countless watching eyes.
As the baton swept through the air, a beautiful song soared into the heavens. An unseen force spread across the city and settled over everyone within it.
Ordinary people only felt a warm presence wrapping around them, soothing their fear and easing their anxiety. At the same time, a window appeared in the corner of every screen, showing Miss Robin singing from the center of the Grand Theater's stage for all of Penacony.
"Robin!"
"That's Robin's voice!"
"Oh my god, she sounds incredible! This trip was worth every credit!"
The Pathstriders, however, stared at the manifested Dominicus and at Robin as she poured out the full power of Harmony.
"The power of Harmony. The Family's making its move."
"Little Jelena, stay safe."
Topaz opened a channel to Jade. She wasn't willing to gamble on whether The Family might use the confusion to strike at her.
But should anything happen, Jade would have firsthand evidence. The IPC could then intervene in Penacony under an official pretext.
"Hm… Where'd Little Whitey run off to?"
Sparkle had found Acheron, along with Constance standing beside her. Sylvia, who should've been between them, was nowhere to be seen.
Sparkle's fun-seeking instincts immediately flared to life.
"I've got a feeling Little Whitey's behind this! Damn it, something interesting happens and she leaves me out again."
--+--
Inside the Grand Theater, Sunday controlled Dominicus while gazing down at the singing Robin.
"Robin, I'm counting on you."
At last, every camera facing Penacony turned its full attention toward her. The frightened tourists gradually calmed beneath Robin's song, and The Family's power of Harmony sheltered them from the lingering shock.
In the blink of an eye, a riot became the feverish celebration of a Robin concert.
Meanwhile, Sunday sent Dominicus flying toward the upper limits of the Dreamscape. It climbed until it tore through the false starry sky, broke free from the dream, and carried him face-to-face with the cold, chaotic depths of the Memory Zone for the first time.
Then—
"ROOOAAAR!"
CLANG—BOOOOM!
A distant beast's roar and shrill cry cut through a violent explosion. An even stronger wave of force than before surged up from beneath the depths.
Endless Memoria transformed into a tide capable of destroying everything in its path.
Sunday silently thanked his instincts. Had he hesitated for even a moment and allowed the third shock to strike Penacony, the entire Dreamscape would've been destroyed at once.
There wouldn't have been the slightest chance of survival.
"May all beings bask in the light—"
Sunday raised his voice in song. Dominicus struggled to move its baton through the Memoria, and a golden shield formed before it.
Alone, he faced the abyss's aftershocks and protected the Dreamscape and every living soul behind him.
--+--
At the same time, on the border of the Asdana star system, the interstellar fleet that had assembled there long ago remained on high alert.
Jade frowned as she examined the latest detection report.
"Penacony's Memoria is becoming active. Something's stirring the Memoria across the entire star system. Topaz, what's happening on your end?"
"The Family reacted quickly. The head of the Oak Family probably went out to meet the threat, while our famous singer stayed behind to stabilize the public. Those siblings aren't simple."
"Heh. One surprise after another." Aventurine sat nearby with an air of complete ease, as though he wasn't worried in the slightest. "I told you before. Had you followed my plan, this would've been over already."
Then again, none of the Ten Stonehearts needed to fear a mere aftershock. Each of them carried power granted by Diamond, more than enough to protect themselves.
"Give me a break. Had we followed your plan, the situation would only be more chaotic," Topaz shot back without restraint.
Only Aventurine could've come up with an idea that terrible.
"Chaos is the best time to snatch treasure from the fire."
"You want to snatch treasure during a brawl between Emanators? Worry about staying alive first, Mr. Gambler."
Aventurine smiled and fell silent.
From his point of view, dying wouldn't be such a bad outcome. But should he survive, he'd certainly walk away with an enormous profit.
Either way, he won.
It was only a shame he hadn't gone to Penacony himself. Sitting on the sidelines and watching Topaz perform was a little dull.
"That's enough, both of you. This isn't the time to argue." Jade's expression turned serious. "Topaz, your own safety comes first. Penacony's situation has gone far beyond our expectations."
Even Jade felt powerless when faced with Emanators clashing head-on. Worse, the enemy wasn't the expected Zephyro, but an unknown entity.
Whatever it was, it had thrown an entire star system into turmoil through its own strength. It had even forced The Family to reveal one of its hidden trump cards.
Should the situation become impossible to control, Topaz's safety mattered more than the deal.
"Understood."
Topaz nodded with equal seriousness. The disturbance had come so suddenly that it had caught everyone completely off guard.
--+--
At the same time, far beneath the abyss, Sylvia remained in her dragon-girl form as she fought the enormous Swarm to a standstill.
She relied on her speed and agility, bombarding it from a distance and holding a slight advantage. However, aside from keeping Firefly safe, Sylvia no longer had any attention to spare for what might happen to Penacony's Dreamscape.
The Family would have to find a solution themselves.
More importantly, Sylvia finally had the chance to unleash her power without restraint. After several rounds of probing attacks, she'd gained a clear understanding of both her own strength and the capabilities of the insects before her.
Within their home territory, this Swarm was frighteningly powerful. It was hard to estimate their exact level, but they were certainly much stronger than Phantylia.
Yet because they'd survived in the depths of the Memory Zone for so long, nearly half their strength lay in mental attacks.
Unfortunately for them, Sylvia had extremely high resistance to mental interference.
As the battle dragged on, Sylvia managed to stabilize the situation in her dragon-girl form, but she still couldn't gain a decisive advantage. She continued creating trains, Doomsday Beasts, and even Xianzhou ships, then hurled them straight into the Swarm.
Her String Manipulation couldn't keep up with the scale of the battle. At best, she could use it to interfere with the Swarm and disrupt its attacks.
Instead, she poured out the power of Destruction without pause, as though it cost her nothing.
The Swarm King had the entire Memory Zone at its back, so it fought with equal madness. Sylvia held the weakened Firefly close as she dodged attack after attack, with no intention of entering close combat.
(T/N: Last chapter there was no Swarm King, but I think this is referencing the 'leader of that specific swarm,' not the Swarm Kings which are the Emanators/Leaders of Propagation.)
She wasn't satisfied with the deadlock.
The Swarm's feelers had already reached the edge of the Dreamscape. The Family had reacted fast enough to stop them from advancing deeper, but who could guarantee they wouldn't interfere when Sylvia dealt with the Stellaron?
Dreamflux Reef lay an entire layer deeper than the Dreamscape's Twelve Hours. Why had the Swarm hidden here? What were they planning?
The thought of a Harmony-aligned Swarm, one even more powerful than The Family, lurking beneath Penacony sent a chill down Sylvia's spine.
Should these creatures emerge while Zephyro attacked and the Dreammaster made his move, Penacony would be finished. Aside from Sylvia and Mei, who could withstand an Emanator-level mental assault?
Even General Huaiyan might become trapped within it.
Sylvia had to beat these insects into submission and force them to reveal what they were planning.
Before that, though, she cared more about Firefly's condition.
"Firefly, can you still hold on?"
Firefly's face had gone deathly pale, but her eyes remained fixed on Sylvia's battle. Experiencing a clash between two Emanators at such close range, deep inside the Memory Zone, was far beyond what her mind could comfortably withstand.
"Sorry. I ended up wasting your time after all."
Firefly pressed her lips together. She'd only wanted to eliminate a few possible complications for Sylvia, yet she'd drawn out an enemy far stronger than expected.
"Is this really the time to say that?" Sylvia asked with a helpless sigh.
The Swarm King's next attack came from the distance. Sylvia spread her wings and blocked the beam, which carried endless Memoria and countless stray thoughts.
Her powerful mental resistance neutralized more than ninety percent of the attack. What remained struck Sylvia without moving her in the slightest.
"You can't use many of your techniques while I'm here, can you?"
Firefly watched Sylvia continue to evade from a distance. She understood perfectly well that she'd become a burden.
"It's fine. That thing isn't very strong," Sylvia replied without hesitation.
Firefly smiled.
"You're like me. You're not very good at lying." She looked toward the Swarm King. "You want to beat the Swarm here and get your answers, but you're still carrying dead weight like me."
Firefly wouldn't have said anything had Sylvia only wanted to take her and leave. She knew the Swarm couldn't stop Sylvia from escaping.
But Sylvia clearly wanted more than that now. Firefly's presence would only hold her back.
On a battlefield like this, Firefly couldn't contribute. Sylvia had to protect her instead.
"I came here for you in the first place. I can't exactly abandon you now."
Sylvia tilted her head and gently bumped her forehead against Firefly's.
"Ow…"
Firefly rubbed her forehead, then made a suggestion.
"We don't need to make this so complicated. I haven't become lost here yet, so I can log out of the dream on my own."
BOOOOM!
The moment she finished speaking, Sylvia sent all her creations charging toward the Swarm King and detonated them together.
"…Unless I'm remembering wrong, your method of logging out involves killing yourself, doesn't it?"
"It's not that serious. Between entering the Synesthesia Dreamscape and being taken to Dreamflux Reef by Sleepie, I think I've already died twice."
Firefly wasn't sure whether those counted as the three deaths in the script, but they'd certainly felt like death.
This would only be one more time. It might hurt, but that was all.
"And even if I don't leave now, I'll still have to die once when I exit the Synesthesia Dreamscape."
"…"
Sylvia fell silent.
Firefly's argument was annoyingly sound.
"You really are… Ugh."
Sylvia ruffled Firefly's hair so hard that she knocked her ribbon askew.
"You don't need to worry about me."
Firefly pouted and made a quick attempt to smooth down her hair. Then she slipped free from Sylvia's arms.
She took her own life.
Firefly's consciousness sank into darkness once more.
Her mind was already exhausted, strained almost beyond its limits. Her earlier entries into the dream had only brought her close to death, but recklessly waking from this depth carried a real chance of crushing her consciousness beyond repair.
Firefly knew the risk.
Yet she truly was a burden, and her pride as a former member of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry wouldn't let her remain in the center of a battlefield while holding back an ally.
So Firefly had told a tiny lie.
The pressure of the Memory Zone descended once again.
Its weight was so immense that even the briefest contact made Firefly's will tremble.
"I might really die…"
She reached the conclusion in an instant. In her current state, she probably couldn't withstand this pressure.
"Sorry, Sylvia. It looks like I won't get another chance to see you."
At least she hadn't remained a burden in her final moments.
Just as Firefly braced herself to endure the crushing force—
Ding.
A clear note rang through her consciousness.
A faint white glow bloomed from the bracelet around her left wrist, illuminating the darkness within her mind. At the same time, it raised a thin veil of light that held back the terrifying pressure.
"The bracelet's helping me…?"
Before Firefly could process what was happening, the white light before her suddenly vanished.
Her eyes snapped open.
Beyond the transparent glass cover lay a guest room inside The Reverie.
"...Did I make it back?"
Firefly touched the bracelet on her left wrist and stared at it in a daze.
--+--
Sylvia watched Firefly dissolve before her like a bubble, still feeling somewhat irritated.
Could Firefly's condition be solved with the power of Permanence?
She'd have to ask Ruan Mei as soon as this was over.
With that thought, Sylvia turned and charged toward the Swarm King.
The limitless power of four Paths erupted without restraint. Together, they formed a towering dragon that plunged toward the Swarm with overwhelming heavenly might.
Without Firefly in her arms, Sylvia truly could use far more of her combat techniques. At the very least, she no longer needed to stay constantly alert for the Swarm King's mental attacks.
By now, the collective consciousness of the Swarm had begun to feel afraid.
They still weren't fighting with their lives on the line, but their normally unstoppable techniques, created through the Memory Zone, had no effect on this new insect king.
That alone had crippled half their strength.
Had their inborn gifts not remained useful, and had they completely abandoned every other form of attack, they would've already been beaten into the ground.
Even so, they were still the ones being suppressed. Their opponent's assault was clearly more ferocious.
Now that she'd cast aside her restriction, they were about to suffer.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL