Sunday's voice turned cold with a hint of anger, his knuckles tightening as he ground his teeth. "I am not doing this for myself... and Glamoth cannot be the answer I seek!"
He wouldn't deny his admiration and appreciation for the Skysplitter Empire. It was indeed a colossal entity that stirred even Sunday's heart, a vision of a beautiful future.
A future for those who fought for it.
But... Sunday had never believed that Glamoth was the Penacony he envisioned!
"It is a great nation, but its greatness is forged from countless sacrifices..."
No one could deny Glamoth's achievements.
But beneath those achievements lay the sacrifices of innumerable Glamoth Iron Cavalry, automatons... so many great yet ordinary beings who had traded their lives.
Everyone saw the glory and honor of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry, but who truly knew that this position was actually the job with the highest casualty rate in the Skysplitter Empire?
Almost every moment, even as they spoke, another Iron Cavalry soldier was likely being buried in some nameless foreign land.
"Like moths to a flame, born to die... The Iron Cavalry follows the beliefs in their hearts, perishing for the truth they hold dear."
"They have no regrets—or are you going to pity them? Sympathize with them?"
The gray-haired girl slowly stood up, picking up the baseball bat beside her. Her golden eyes stared coldly at Sunday. "If that's the case, I'll have to teach you a lesson on their behalf for defiling their beliefs, Mr. Sunday."
"If you find my words offensive, I sincerely apologize."
Sunday apologized without hesitation, then placed a hand on his chest and said solemnly, "I have never denied the meaning of their sacrifices. But even so, I despise the fragility of life from the bottom of my heart."
"Besides, even a nation like Glamoth still has its own problems," he said through gritted teeth.
Was Glamoth truly perfect?
That was impossible. Even [Stelle] and Firefly wouldn't claim that.
On the contrary, this behemoth had countless problems.
Some of these issues arose from the empire's continuous expansion, while others stemmed from interactions between the people of Glamoth and with external forces.
This was most evident in the liberation of underdeveloped planets.
Glamoth's liberation never meant complete control. Its presence was merely to allow the planet's internal structures to change and evolve at a minimal pace, rather than direct intervention.
Take Aventurine's home, Sigonia-IV. Although Glamoth had indeed reduced the intensity of its internal conflicts, the clans within still had irreconcilable disputes that led to bloodshed and sacrifice, and all sorts of other incidents.
Was this the result that those great lives were sacrificed for?
If they lacked the ability, that would be one thing. But... Sunday knew very well that Glamoth clearly had the power to prevent such disasters and let those planets live lives just like Glamoth's own citizens.
Sunday bit his lip and said, "...You could have done better!"
In this regard, Sunday's feelings about Glamoth were even more complicated.
If his own Penacony was a compromise born from his own psychological limitations, then Glamoth was a case of having enough power but never considering using it to eliminate those sacrifices and bloodshed.
"Because you've witnessed the fragility of life, you want to cradle them all in a swaddling cloth and promise them this endless, fleeting dream. Is that what you call 'better'?" the girl raised a hand, retorting.
"For the people of Penacony, it is merely a fantasy. But for Glamoth, it is a tangible reality."
"The people of Glamoth don't look forward to such a reality."
"It's rather unfortunate, but Glamoth's first empress issued a decree upon her ascension."
"'If one day Glamoth binds you in place and violates your beliefs, please follow your heart and overturn it!'"
"Hey, Mr. Sunday."
"Do you know why birds fly?"
"..."
"The answer is: they must fly to the heavens."
"When the final meteor fell in the Cretaceous period, only the free birds could escape the predetermined extinction."
[Stelle] spoke faintly. The next moment, she swung the baseball bat in her hand, smashing it into the air.
Instantly, space itself cracked open.
"Your sister seems to have understood this principle earlier than you."
"From a brother's perspective, you're quite incompetent, Mr. Sunday!"
With a sound like shattering glass, the Dream of Unity... broke apart.
"Awaiting the return of Ena, and then entrusting everything to the might of an Aeon."
"But... you should understand one thing: nothing is eternal."
"Even Aeons have their end."
"Forcibly imposing your pity on others, stripping them of their future... According to Glamoth's laws, that's outright murder—of course, for followers of a Path, what road they choose to walk is up to their own freedom."
"But since I am here at this moment, and happen to be standing here as a Nameless, then... let us have a clash befitting followers of a Path!"
Sunday said nothing, just looked down with a blank expression.
The next moment, an immense power surged forth.
"The work of all creation is done."
"The day of no doubt has arrived."
"Fetus of philosophy, reshape the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth for us."
"If your paradise can save more people, then sever my path forward with your own hands."
"Wait, wait, wait... why are we fighting as soon as I wake up?"
March 7, still a little groggy, saw the situation and her eyes widened in a panic.
"Simple. The negotiations broke down," [Stelle] explained.
"The clash between followers of a Path can't be resolved with simple words. Otherwise... they would never have walked such paths in the first place."
"In the end, a conflict of beliefs can only be settled through a clash of wills!"
"With your divine body, lay the foundation for our paradise!"
"Ena, heed the call and return!"
"It's merely a sliver of an Aeon's power."
"Order... Hmph."
The girl raised her hand, and the bat in her hand emanated an indescribable feeling.
At that moment.
Those around felt as if they were staring directly at the destruction of all things.
"That power..."
Robin, who was singing loudly and buffing everyone with the power of Harmony, saw the nature of this power and her expression instantly filled with worry.
...It's Destruction!
No... the power is still stacking!
Sensing another strange power rising, Robin's senses were extremely sharp.
...Is this Preservation this time?
And... Trailblaze...
"This power...! Please, show mercy!"
The already worried Miss Robin's feelings became incredibly complicated when she realized that the baseball bat now also contained the power of Trailblaze... no, even Harmony. Her original thought of teaching her brother a good lesson and setting him straight was now overshadowed by a gnawing fear that he would be beaten to death by that one swing.
Of course, she was also questioning reality.
Although she had felt the power of Harmony from the other party before, for some reason, the Harmony that should have been easily connected felt so foreign in this person.
So much so that Robin didn't even know what the other party was truly capable of.
But at this moment... the weight of that Harmony power was already at the level of an Emanator... no, it even surpassed it, far beyond it.
If she didn't know better, Robin would have suspected that Xipe, the Thousand-Faced God, was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
After all, to be able to knead together such diverse and completely contradictory powers, although in theory Harmony could indeed harmonize other forces, this level of power... Xipe herself could probably only manage this much.
"In the beginning, there was action!"
"Rules are made to be broken!"
A solid, unadorned swing of the bat smashed down hard on the divine head of Harmonious Choir" a Sunday.
The next moment, there was a sound like a cracking eggshell.
BOOM!
Harmonious Choir" a Sunday was sent flying by the terrifying force, crashing into the wall of the theater. After smashing through who-knows-how-many walls, he was embedded in the floor of the theater, creating a deep, meteorite-like crater.
Miss Robin, who had witnessed the whole thing, rushed out in a panic to dig out her brother.
"Alright, I'm done fighting. I'll leave the rest to you." Seeing [Stelle] casually prop the baseball bat on her shoulder with a calm expression, the real Stelle looked on with admiration, wanting to become her apprentice on the spot. March, on the other hand, couldn't help but swallow, asking in a small voice:
"...You didn't just kill him, did you?"
"Relax, I have a good sense of proportion."
"...I can't tell at all..." March said, unconvinced.
"Alright, the rest is up to you."
"I'm going to catch up with an old friend."
"An old friend?"
With the Astral Express crew looking on in confusion, [Stelle] disappeared.
The next moment, she appeared on the edge of a tall building.
"You really just stood by and watched the whole time," the girl couldn't help but complain.
"Such matters are not for us to intervene in."
A voice that was a mix of male, female, old, and young... incredibly complex, filled with divinity yet also a hint of demonic quality, echoed in the air.
Looking over, one could see a three-headed, jigsaw-puzzle-like female figure—Xipe, the Thousand-Faced God of Harmony.
"Besides, you know that the fate of those two children is as such," Xipe sighed.
As the Aeon of Harmony, how could she not be aware of the situation in Penacony?
It was just that the circumstances here made it difficult for her to intervene easily.
The fate of the siblings, Robin and Sunday, was that one would walk the path of Order, and the other, Harmony. Since Robin had chosen Harmony, Sunday, no matter what—even if he wanted to protect Robin—could only walk the path of fate.
And the seeds of Order in Penacony had been sown since the generation of Dream Master Gallope.
What path one chooses is up to the individual.
Harmony is a path of understanding and cooperation. Therefore, even if Robin and the Oak Family chose Order, she would not hold any particular opinion.
In this respect, the arrival of the Astral Express had actually helped her out, though Xipe wasn't particularly concerned about it.
"With what has happened, it seems Penacony and that child can no longer maintain this situation."
"From now on, I'll have to trouble you to look after Penacony and that child."
"Why don't you handle it yourself?" [Stelle] asked.
At this, Xipe lowered her gaze and said softly in that demonic voice:
"You know, we are Harmony."