Stelle: "Is it Heaven's will?"
Stelle: "Hmph, my fate is mine to decide, not Heaven's!"
Stelle: "I don't care about any 'Heaven's will,' I want this world to bend to my will!"
March 7th: "Hey, hey, have you been reading too many Xianzhou novels?"
March 7th: "Can you not be so edgy with your speeches?"
March 7th: "You're making me get goosebumps."
Paimon: "Hmm… I think what Stelle said is actually quite domineering."
Paimon: "Are these lines from a novel?"
Stelle: "They can be novel lines, or they can be my life creed~!"
Stelle: "I am the master of my own life, my fate is mine to decide, not Heaven's!"
Hotaru: "Mhm, you're right!"
Hotaru: "We should control fate; no one can strip us of that right!"
Silver Wolf: "Ahem… great spirit."
Silver Wolf: "But let's take down Sunday, that artificial sun, before saying that…"
....
『 [ This includes my brother as well. Ena's Dream... is too cruel for him, and everyone else. ]
Robin continued after Boothill, spelling out the plan's second step.
[ It sounds like a very thorough plan, but it's still a bit… romantic for an idealist. ]
[ Weaknesses of human nature cannot be overcome overnight. With just these efforts, can you really make everyone turn over a new leaf? ]
Although the plan sounded good, Black Swan didn't think it could be successfully implemented. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "I bet 90% of the people here don't want to wake up from the Ena's Dream."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: " 90%?"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "That's still too conservative."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "In my opinion, it's at least 99%."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "Right now, there are about a million people on Penacony."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "But there are only a few of you who are still awake."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "The temptation of the Ena's Dream is far greater than you imagine."
Hu Tao: "Understandable."
Hu Tao: "Who wouldn't, when the dream is so absurdly sweet?"
Hu Tao: "If they can't even realize it's a dream, it's even harder to wake up."
Furina de Fontaine: "Then what should we do?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Everyone doesn't want to wake up."
Furina de Fontaine: "Won't the Ena's Dream just become more and more solid?"
Paimon: "Hmm… for the Sabzeruz Festival, we only needed to find one person to wake up from the dream to break it."
Paimon: "But the Ena's Dream requires everyone to wake up…"
Paimon: "Comparing the two… Lumine, I suddenly feel the Sabzeruz Festival wasn't so bad after all."
Lumine: "Paimon, you're right."
Lumine: "After seeing Ena's Dream, I also feel the Sabzeruz Festival was nothing."
....
『 [ Admittedly so, Miss Black Swan. ]
[ Therefore, the most important part of the plan is not to make everyone turn over a new leaf… ]
[ —but to make everyone choose to save themselves. ]
Acheron suddenly spoke up.
[ So… in the end, it comes back to you, doesn't it? ]
Black Swan looked at Acheron and smiled faintly.
[ The power of The Choir is no different from an Emanator; it ultimately requires equal power to oppose it. ]
[ The final step to subvert the sweet dream… will be completed by me. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Emanator-level power can only be rivaled by an Emanator."
Stelle: "Damn it, if I don't become an Emanator, I'M JUST A SMALL FRY AFTER ALL!!"
Stelle: "Quickly tell me, which Path is missing an Emanator? I WANT TO APPLY!!"
March 7th: "Do you think you're job hunting?"
March 7th: "Applying…"
March 7th: "An Emanator is something you become only if an Aeon likes you."
Stelle: "Is there no Aeon that likes me?"
Stelle: "If not, then I'm going to throw myself into the embrace of Nihility."
Stelle: "At least Nihility becomes an Emanator based on their own ability."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "Do you think you have that ability?"
Stelle: "I think I might."
Silver Wolf: "I think you're thinking wrong."
Stelle: "I don't care what you think, I only care what I think."
Furina de Fontaine: "Uh… although, but…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Once you step onto the Path of Nihility, there's no turning back, right?"
Furina de Fontaine: "I think the risk is still quite high."
Hanabi: "Tsk, little grey-hair, why not join the Masked Fools instead?"
Hanabi: "As long as you can create big fun often, maybe the Joyseeker will be happy and make you an Emanator?"
Stelle: "An Emanator of Elation?"
Stelle: "Good heavens, I haven't even seen what an Emanator of Elation looks like."
Silver Wolf: "...."
Stelle: "Sigh, forget it, becoming an Emanator is too much trouble."
Stelle: "I'll just let fate decide."
Hu Tao: "So in the end, we have to rely on Miss Acheron again?"
Li Sushang: "A bit curious, how will Miss Acheron exert her power?"
Li Sushang: "Slash Sunday with one blade?"
Guinaifen: "Shangshang, Sunday is an Emanator now, one slash won't kill him, right?"
Qingque: "Indeed, Aventurine being slashed away doesn't mean Sunday will be slashed away now."
Lumine: "Speaking of which, is Aventurine still in the Asdana star system?"
Lumine: "He hasn't left already, has he?"
Topaz: "The IPC fleet is still parked outside the system. He should be recovering from his injuries."
Stelle: "Parked outside the system?"
Stelle: "Interesting, you guys are quite cautious."
....
『 [ Hearing you say that is truly reassuring. ]
Black Swan nodded.
[ Since the division of labor is done, let's set off to our respective battlefields! ]
[ Get ready—let's make a big splash! ]
Boothill gave the order, and everyone started to disperse, preparing for action.
[ Stelle, can we talk alone? ]
[ There is one more thing I have a duty to explain to you. ]
[ This grand banquet is coming to an end. ]
[ This is the starting point for the final stage… and it was once the starting point for all the stories of Penacony. ]
Acheron suddenly stopped Stelle, who was about to leave, wanting to tell her something.
[ Hotaru discovered the truth right here. ]
Stelle looked at the familiar hotel lobby, recalling the scene Hotaru had encountered earlier.
[ Yes. ]
[ It was she who first discovered that there was a different world on the other side of death, and she passed this information to all of us. ]
[ You should know this: in this boundless dream, the reason we could find you, find the key to breaking the situation, all relied on one person's dedication and effort… ]
[ Miss Hotaru, she awakened from the dream ahead of others, discovered the Express amidst the stars, and brought us valuable information about the remnants of the Order. She may have been aided by the script, and it came at a cost... ]
[ You know, as a stowaway, the way she entered the dream is different from ours. ]
[ Without the dreampool in the hotel or assistance from The Family, she can only awaken from this dream in one way... A real 'death.' ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "There is no such thing as a peaceful life, it turns out Hotaru was carrying the burden for us in places we couldn't see!"
March 7th: "Wait!"
March 7th: "A real death?!"
March 7th: "Ah! Don't tell me, Miss Hotaru…!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Probably not, right?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Following the logical sequence of events."
Furina de Fontaine: "Miss Hotaru must have experienced death and then woken up in order to successfully bring the information to the Express."
Furina de Fontaine: "So what she experienced was still the pain of death."
Paimon: "Others harvest happiness in beautiful dreams."
Paimon: "Only Miss Hotaru experienced the pain of death…"
Paimon: "What a heartbreaking encounter!"
Hu Tao: "The pain of death… sounds simple."
Hu Tao: "But exactly how painful must it be to make even Miss Acheron look unable to bear it?"
Acheron: "In short, that is absolutely a pain that ordinary people would never want to endure in a lifetime."
Guinaifen: "Wuwuwu, Miss Hotaru, what a miserable girl!"
Hotaru: "It's okay, at least I'm still alive."
Hotaru: "Isn't that the best news?"
Hotaru: "As for the pain… that's not important."
Hotaru: "To be able to help everyone gain a glimmer of hope to defeat Ena's Dream."
Hotaru: "My little contribution is really insignificant."
Welt Yang: "Miss Hotaru's resolve is moving."
Welt Yang: "Thank you for everything you have silently contributed behind the scenes."
....
『 [ Do not let her will go to waste. ]
[ This doesn't mean we must win everything on this trip, but that our determination should match that of that brave girl. ]
[ Are… you ready? ]
Acheron asked Stelle solemnly.
[ Of course, I'm ready. ]
[ Let's head to the final stage. ]
Stelle's eyes were firm, nodding to Acheron.
[ Very well. ]
[ Then, please close your eyes… ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Close my eyes?"
Stelle: "What for?"
Qingque: "I understand, Miss Acheron is probably going to start exerting her power!"
March 7th: "I don't know how Miss Acheron is going to exert her power."
March 7th: "A bit expectant."
Black Swan: "To make people save themselves, unless these people encounter a massive crisis."
Black Swan: "But they are trapped in the Ena's Dream, they can't encounter a crisis in the dream…"
Black Swan: "So, the crisis can only come from the outside… hehe, I think I understand."
....
『 The scene changed, arriving at Acheron's memory.
[ … ]
[ This rain… how long has it been falling? ]
By the shore, the old man looked at the gloomy sky and the grey-black rain, whispering.
[ If I remember correctly, it could be years, decades, or even centuries. ]
[ The unwavering determination of The Hunt followers persists even in death, but thankfully... we've guided those lost souls to their lives beyond. They were heroes in their time, and they won't be reduced to puppets of the Nihility in their death. ]
[ Look, the shadows on the sea surface have all dissipated. ]
[ Remember? You said that once the regrets of the dead all subside, the sky will clear up. ]
Beside the old man, Acheron patiently answered his question.
[ But, the rain still hasn't stopped… ]
The old man shook his head with regret.
[ …Yeah. ]
Acheron sighed.
[ So, why is all this...? ]
[ Why did this rain choose me? ]
The old man was puzzled.
[ Perhaps, it is because there are still people whose regrets have not subsided. ]
[ Mortals walk on the Path like sitting on a small boat crossing the water, leaving a winding track, pushing away ripples of countless possibilities. ]
[ Compared to the fleeting life of humans, these waves will not subside for a long time. ]
[ And among them, some people, their traces of existence are too strong, leaving their reflections in these clusters of waves. ]
[ Sin Thirsters... the obsessions of the Pathstriders. They emerge from the depths of IX, seeing themselves as masters of their own destiny, unknowingly repeating the actions of their past lives. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "All of a sudden, why did it go back to Acheron's memory?"
Stelle: "And why is she repeating what she said before to this old Galaxy Ranger?"
March 7th: "Could it be that this old man is getting old, so he's a bit forgetful?"
March 7th: "But, they actually really ferried these souls… oh no."
March 7th: "It should be called Sin Thirsters."
Furina de Fontaine: "Uh… were these Sin Thirsters really ferried?"
Furina de Fontaine: "The scene of them gathering together and reaching out to the pitch-black sun in the sky is a bit scary…"
Hu Tao: "Nihility is truly terrifying."
Hu Tao: "Feels like this is even more terrifying than simple death."
....
『 [ They are born from Nihility, heading towards Nihility, spending a meaningless life. ]
[ But just such an illusory shadow… ]
[ They have journeyed with me for such a long time. ]
Acheron looked at the old man with a complex expression.
[ … ]
[ So that's how it is. ]
[ I… am already dead. ]
As the words fell, the grey sky began to turn crimson.
The old man, who originally had a form, turned into a gloomy black shadow at this moment. And beside the old man, Acheron's posture also became crimson. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "!!!"
Stelle: "Oh my god, I've got full-body chills."
Stelle: "This old man is actually also a Sin Thirsters?!"
Madam Herta: "Incredible… a mere Sin Thirsters, actually has such willpower?"
Madam Herta: "Should I say his obsession before death was too deep?"
Zhongli: "As a Sin Thirsters, he forgot his own death, only wanting to ferry the souls of these comrades."
Zhongli: "And it seems this has lasted for a very long time."
Venti: "What amazing willpower."
Boothill: "Ha, see that."
Boothill: "This is our senior Galaxy Ranger!"
Boothill: "EVEN UNTIL DEATH, STILL AS BRILLIANT AS THE FLYING STARS OF THE HUNT!!"
March 7th: "I really didn't expect that the one accompanying Miss Acheron was just a Sin Thirsters."
March 7th: "Also… how could an ordinary person go to such a bizarre place?"
March 7th: "But… what Miss Acheron said before about years, decades, or even centuries, is it true?"
Acheron: "That place is special; the concept of time has become extremely blurred."
Acheron: "I just relied on my general perception to know that a long, long time has passed."
Acheron: "And I also watched him with my own eyes, step by step, ferry the Sin Thirsters that his comrades had turned into, towards Nihility."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "An admirable spirit."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "Worthy of being a Galaxy Ranger who once crusaded against a Lord Ravager."
....
(NEXT CHAPTER WOULD BE THAT FAMOUS SCENE!!)