The Philosophical Fetus.
The power capable of reshaping heaven and earth itself.
Harmony's symphony echoed across the world—
Yet mixed within it was a distinctly discordant sound.
And that sound—
Was the hymn of Order.
At this moment, the dream blanketing all of Penacony had already shattered apart.
The authority of consciousness fully expanded!
From outer space to the deepest layers of the dreamscape itself—
It came crashing downward upon the entire world!!
At the same time—
The Galaxy Rangers within the dreamscape, Aventurine from the IPC, Firefly from the Stellaron Hunters—
And Sparkle—
All unleashed their own abilities!
The shattered sky above merged with the enormous theater below—
Creating an overwhelmingly fractured scene.
"So this..."
Aventurine looked up at the broken heavens.
"...is the trace left behind by that genius?"
"An Emanator of Remembrance..."
"In a world like this, memory really does possess unparalleled power."
He lightly gripped the shattered Aventurine Stone in his hand.
Damn it.
He broke the stone too early.
If he'd known these lunatics were going to turn Penacony upside down like this—
He wouldn't have gone that far.
Now what?
He scared himself half to death for nothing.
And after returning to the IPC, who knew how many people would lecture him over destroying his own Cornerstone?
Earlier, he'd even mocked Topaz for fumbling her assignment.
Looking at it now—
Wasn't his mission the one that truly exploded into disaster?
Seriously.
How could this guy act so recklessly?!
Watching the shattered sky and the swarming Memory Zone Memes flooding upward—
Aventurine narrowed his eyes.
"Everything..."
"...for the Amber Lord!"
The monstrous Aventurine form appeared once more!
Though this time, he no longer needed to gamble his life away just to guide others into the deeper dreamscape.
But as support during the final battle—
Aventurine still had to fight.
Only now—
His opponents weren't the Astral Express crew anymore.
Instead, it was these Memory Zone Memes attempting to invade the dream.
Golden Hour.
A small golden fish brushed past one of the Memes—
And the next second, artillery fire rained down from above!
Boom!!
The Memory Zone Memes were blasted apart into scattered memoria instantly.
Only after watching them dissolve completely did Sparkle finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"I wonder how darling's doing over there~"
She wiped sweat from her forehead.
Strictly speaking—
People weren't supposed to sweat inside dreams.
But as Ena's Dream covering the world gradually crumbled—
Everyone inside the dreamscape could already sense something was wrong.
"He used that much Path power..."
Firefly descended from the sky in her SAM armor.
"...even if he's an Emanator, he'll definitely pay a huge price for it."
Faint traces of erosion appeared across her face—
Clear evidence of the genetic disease consuming her body.
"Even Silver Wolf got dragged into this by me."
"She's destroying the external dream-entry systems right now."
"It's a shame though."
"Hacking and dream mechanics are still fundamentally different."
Firefly landed beside Sparkle and looked toward the endless swarm pouring into the dreamscape.
These Memory Zone Memes weren't ordinary Meme entities anymore.
A large number of them had already been contaminated by the Stellaron's power.
Evan...
Please don't let anything happen to you.
Even Sparkle—
For once—
Couldn't hide the worry in her eyes as she looked toward the Grand Theater.
After all—
Ena's Dream didn't merely cover Penacony.
It enveloped the entire Asdana Star System.
And now that Penacony's dreamscape had shattered—
A massive hole appeared in the outer region of the Asdana system itself.
At the same moment—
An IPC starship warped into the area.
Aboard the ship—
Aside from Jade, who had arrived to claim Penacony's assets—
Was also Topaz, freshly returned from Jarilo-VI.
As for Jarilo-VI—
Things there had already been resolved almost perfectly.
The contingency plan Evan left behind attracted enormous attention from the IPC.
Just the Plasma Spark System alone—
An endless source of clean energy—
Was enough to make the corporation reevaluate Jarilo-VI's importance.
Not to mention—
The planet now possessed two geniuses.
A world like that—
Even without any strategic value—
Would never be abandoned by the IPC.
"Miss Jade..."
Topaz looked toward the star system ahead.
"Diamond already knows about little Yelena's report."
"And combined with Aventurine's information..."
"That Genius Society Member #85 should be somewhere in Penacony."
Jade calmly held a book in her hand.
Anyone familiar with her would instantly recognize it.
The Bonajade Exchange.
Legend claimed that as long as one could pay the price—
Jade could grant nearly anything.
The IPC sent her personally because among the Strategic Investment Department—
Her methods ranked among the best.
"We must secure this genius."
Topaz's expression grew serious.
"Though we may need to pay a considerable price."
They had been waiting for news from Aventurine this whole time.
The IPC had known about Penacony's Stellaron long ago.
It was a relic left behind during the ancient wars.
And when Aventurine lost contact after entering Penacony—
The corporation already realized something had gone wrong.
That was why Jade arrived outside the Asdana system ahead of schedule.
Only now—
With the dream shattered—
Could Aventurine finally transmit information back out.
"A price?"
Jade smiled faintly.
"I bestow poisoned wine in place of sweet dew."
"I plant in spring and harvest in autumn."
"And quietly await the branches to bear rotten fruit."
"Everything..."
"...for the Amber Lord."
To Jade—
Wealth was simply a tool used to exchange for happiness.
Giving wealth to those who desired happiness—
Was merely putting things to proper use.
Anyone could receive her favor.
As long as they paid the corresponding price.
After all—
In Jade's eyes—
Price itself was the least valuable thing in the world.
"Little Yelena."
"It's been a while since we worked together."
"As for that genius..."
"I'll leave him to you and Aventurine."
"My target..."
Jade's eyes narrowed slightly.
"...is Old Oti."
Old Oti.
The true power behind the Alfalfa Family.
The founder of Penacony's Clover Coin system.
If the Oak Family truly collapsed—
Then the person most likely to seize control of Penacony—
Would be him.
Oti Alfalfa.
Head of the Alfalfa Family.
The man responsible for Penacony's commercial operations and economic foundation among the Five Great Families.
The creator of Clover Coins as the Planet of Festivities' circulating currency.
He once attempted to reform Penacony completely.
But the Oak Family and Sunday suppressed him at every turn.
Once the Oak Family fell—
Old Oti would become the greatest obstacle.
"Mhm! Got it, Miss Jade!"
Topaz already knew her mission.
From the very beginning—
She came for that genius.
And now—
She wanted even more desperately to know what kind of person he really was.
Still...
The fact Aventurine emerged from this crisis completely unharmed felt strange.
That guy loved gambling with his own life more than anyone.
Yet during something this massive—
He somehow avoided all danger?
Something about this Penacony situation felt extremely off.
Just then—
The IPC ship's radar suddenly detected a lone personal spacecraft rapidly approaching from the distance!
"That's—?!"
Topaz stared in shock as a streak of crimson light flashed past the starship.
Then—
Without slowing down in the slightest—
It slammed directly into the Asdana Star System!
"That's..."
"A Knight of Beauty?!"
"Not long ago, IPC personnel were attacked by the Swarm."
"They were rescued by a Knight of Beauty."
"Could it be this one?"
Topaz asked in disbelief.
"A Knight of Beauty..."
Of course Jade knew the name.
The Knights of Beauty were among the most devout believers in Idrila across the universe.
Every single one of them was utterly faithful to the Beauty.
Spreading the faith of Beauty throughout the cosmos.
"Let's go."
Jade closed her book slowly.
"This Penacony incident seems far more interesting than we imagined."
"Mhm!"
The warp engine activated instantly.
And the IPC vessel rushed directly into the Asdana Star System!
...
Acheron's slash carved a massive wound through Ena's Dream.
Then—
Evan's authority surged through the opening!
Fully expanding—
Until it enveloped the entirety of Penacony's dreamscape.
The layer of Ena's Dream covering Penacony—
Finally encountered a stronger opponent.
Under overwhelming pressure from a higher-dimensional force—
Crack.
It shattered.
And at that exact moment—
Every external force flooded directly into the Asdana Star System!
The entire system had already fused dream and reality together.
What Evan did—
Was forcibly separate the dream from reality through sheer suppression.
Meanwhile—
At the center stage of Penacony Grand Theater—
Before the towering incarnation of Harmony—
The Harmonic Choir, Dominicus, slowly raised its conductor's baton.
Yet its authority—
Had already been stolen by a discordant voice.
At this moment—
Order descended.
"W-Wait!"
"It turned around?!"
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"Holy crap, the aura around it completely changed!"
"Not good!"
"March! Stelle! Be careful!"
"..."
Order descended.
Borrowing Sunday's authority—
The Dreammaster seized control of the power before him.
And completely stole the Harmonic Choir's strength.
The Philosophical Fetus had descended.
Sure—
At first glance, it merely looked like Dominicus turning around.
But the aura around it—
Its power.
Its Path.
Even its influence over the world itself—
Had become completely different.
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