Looking at the text on the light screen, Ron couldn't help but feel his mind go a little blank.
Wait... what is this?
This wasn't the simulation epilogue of the Life Simulation Game... This time, it was different from the influence of Aha of [The Elation]. Although Aha's influence had changed the entry reward Ron received, it had ultimately relied on events that occurred within the simulation and hadn't truly affected the game's settlement process itself.
But this time was different... The settlement of the Life Simulation Game had been altered by a power from within the game. An existence had used the game's settlement process to deliver a message to Ron...
Looking at these words, Ron didn't even need to guess. He knew perfectly well who the "I" in the message was—
IX of [Nihility]. It could only be Him.
He wanted Ron to help Him erase the inherent ending of this sea of stars, to wipe away that tedious and tasteless full stop, and to bring a new ending to this story!
Wait, wait, there was just too much information coming in all at once. He needed to slow down...
Ron felt a flood of useful information wash over him, instantly tearing open more than just one transparent rift in the originally confusing situation, giving him a solid opportunity to finally get a grip on things...
He frowned tightly, suppressing his slightly agitated emotions, and re-read the lines of text that had just appeared on the game's screen, chewing over their meaning bit by bit, slowly digesting the nourishing information contained within.
Thinking it over carefully, Ron understood. No matter what that passage said, no matter how much it looked like a storytelling segment or a helpless plea from IX of [Nihility], it could ultimately be summarized in one sentence—
IX of [Nihility], by influencing the Life Simulation Game, was speaking to him, using a clandestine method that no one else could detect to tell him the true state of this sea of stars' "finality."
This actually revealed an interesting situation... Even though IX of [Nihility] was an existence on the same level as Terminus, the [Finality], He was still unwilling to tell Ron what He wanted to say face-to-face at that time, instead using this roundabout method to convey the information.
That could only mean that even IX of [Nihility] was unwilling to bring this matter out into the open—clearly, if this were truly spoken aloud, it would lead to extremely severe consequences.
Although for Ron, it was just an insignificant simulation, for IX of [Nihility] in that simulation, that was perhaps the world He lived in. It was normal for him to use a roundabout way to tell him these things if there were truly severe consequences.
While Ron wasn't clear on what these severe consequences were, a little thought made it obvious. An existence like IX of [Nihility] couldn't be threatened by just anyone...
Come to think of it, it could only be Terminus, the [Finality]...
But Terminus, the [Finality] didn't seem like the type of existence that would react so strongly to just a few words—though it might sound like he was looking down on his great enemy, Terminus, the [Finality], Ron genuinely felt that Terminus had no brains.
He had interacted with this entity several times in the simulations, and Ron always felt that it was like a simple, rigid program, possessing no wisdom of its own...
It was clear that although the Aeons were bound by the primal driving force of their Paths, they ultimately had their own wills, influencing the development of everything in this sea of stars through various means, both overt and covert. But Terminus, the [Finality] seemed like a rigid program, merely fixing the destiny of this sea of stars, mechanically pruning any event that would affect this ending.
But other than that, It didn't seem to care about anything else... Whether it was the awakening of Nanook of [Destruction], whom It had turned into a puppet, or Ron forging the "Guiding Spirit Lantern," a thing capable of piercing the Veil of Fate, these factors that could clearly influence Terminus, the [Finality] were never nipped in the bud by It.
At the very least, it would take a momentous event like Ron directly ascending to the position of an Aeon and donning the crown of [Salvation] in the previous simulation to directly trigger a personal intervention from Terminus, the [Finality]... And yet, It held complete control over this sea of stars.
After piercing the veil, Ron understood that this entire sea of stars had already fallen completely under the control of Terminus, the [Finality]... The endless threads of fate had thoroughly entangled every corner of this cosmos. In theory, no event should be able to escape the notice of Terminus, the [Finality].
But It simply turned a blind eye to these factors... Ron had previously explained the threat of Terminus, the [Finality] to Herta and Fu Xuan in detail in reality. This obvious intelligence leak was not stopped by Terminus either. It really seemed to lack any intelligence.
But this unintelligent being would personally take action because of Ron's ascension and his piercing of the Veil of Fate. It looked just like a cold program that had been triggered by a keyword...
If that was the case... in the message relayed by IX of [Nihility] on the light screen, what was the "keyword" that would cause Terminus, the [Finality] to act?
Ron thought for a moment and immediately understood why IX of [Nihility] was being so cautious.
...Because everything in His words would trigger the keywords of Terminus, the [Finality].
Although Ron had experienced the ending of this sea of stars many times in the simulations, each time was merely a glimpse—after all, he had lost his consciousness long before the end of the cosmos, either by dying or simply by not having it. How could he possibly know what the universe truly looked like after its end?
And it wasn't just Ron. Ron suspected that besides Terminus, the [Finality] and IX of [Nihility], no one could possibly know what this sea of stars truly looked like after its end.
After all, according to what IX of [Nihility] said, the end of this sea of stars was the Tree of Existence returning to the form of a seed, and then a new life being born from it. When the Tree of Existence reverted to its seed form, all existence would be thoroughly annihilated.
The Tree of Existence is this sea of stars itself. If the universe returned to a singularity once more, there would certainly be no living thing left within it...
Even the Aeons would not be able to survive—after all, the source that grants the Aeons such formidable power, the "Paths" they command, are in essence just branches of the Tree of Existence.
If the Tree of Existence itself has reverted to a seed, how could these tiny branches possibly continue to exist?
Pondering this, Ron understood some more interesting information.
If that's the case, thinking about it carefully, why are only Terminus, the [Finality] and IX of [Nihility] so special?
According to the theory of the Imaginary Tree, as posited by Zandar One Kuwabara, the essence of this sea of stars is an unobservable giant tree. The tips of its branches constitute the infinite star systems, and beyond the star systems is the void outside the branches, a sea of nothingness constructed from endless imaginary energy...
The Tree of Existence is rooted in the Sea of Nihility, and the Sea of Nihility envelops the Tree of Existence. The two are symbiotic and mutually inclusive...
Considering the message from IX of [Nihility] and the scene he saw after piercing the Veil of Fate, Ron had reason to believe that IX of [Nihility] represented this endless Sea of Nihility, while Terminus, the [Finality] represented that lush and verdant Tree of Existence.
After all, if the end of this sea of stars was a limitless cycle of rebirth, then the only things that could persist through it all would be the Sea of Nihility and the ever-reborn Tree of Existence...
So, only They could witness the end of this sea of stars. After all, everything else was merely a derivative of the Tree of Existence.
No wonder... No wonder Terminus, the [Finality] and IX of [Nihility] possess a power that other Aeons cannot hope to match. Even though they are all Aeons, They are so mysterious, so special among their kind...
So this was the root of it... These two couldn't even be called "Aeons." The other Aeons should feel ashamed to be placed in the same category as Them, because They are the very embodiment of the world's essence, not something any Aeon could compare to!
But if that was the case... how was he supposed to deal with Terminus, the [Finality], and write a new chapter for the story that constitutes this sea of stars?
Ron couldn't help but rub his temples in frustration. For a moment, he couldn't even think of half a possibility.
Even with the potential help from IX of [Nihility], it wasn't enough to solve the problem of Terminus, the [Finality]...
After all, from the looks of it now, He represents the Tree of Existence itself, an Aeon who is the incarnation of the will of the Tree of Existence—
Everything in this sea of stars is but an offshoot of the Tree of Existence, a part of the Tree. How can a part derived from oneself rebel against oneself?
For Ron to want to deal with Terminus, the [Finality] was as laughable as one of his hairs wanting to murder him...
I should first look at the rewards from this simulation's conclusion and see what effects they have, then think about what to do...
Ron thought silently in his heart, sighing softly before shifting his gaze back to the light screen before him, watching as the lines of text continued to jump out.
[However, your meritorious deeds in this simulation have triggered your entry "The Way of Salvation". Because of your actions of burning yourself to forge a guiding light, the entry: "The Way of Salvation" has therefore been elevated.]
[You have lost the entry: "The Way of Salvation", and have obtained the entry: "Guiding Spirit Lantern (Miracle)".]
[Guiding Spirit Lantern: The lantern is eternally and ever-bright... The light leaps restlessly, already flowing in the palm.]
[The flowing light will transform into a sharp blade, piercing the firmament to glimpse the truth.]
["We walk on the right path... The light of this lantern will illuminate the road ahead for us." —[Salvation] Ron.]
[You once offered yourself as a sacrifice, filling the crucible with your entire being, melting in the brilliant golden flames, and were thoroughly forged into this one Guiding Spirit Lantern...]
[The holy flame shines, its splendor searing—the resplendent holy flame stirs with heat in your chest. Infinite might returns to your body, all that is sacred converges into one, and melts into your flowing blood...]
[Since you once forged that lantern, you have now become the lantern.]
[Now, you yourself are that Guiding Spirit Lantern—the power of [Salvation] has been integrated into every corner of your body. You no longer have the possibility of ascending to the seat of [Salvation], because you are now the Path of [Salvation] itself.]
[You have successfully torn down the concept of [Salvation] in this sea of stars, and in a state where it has not been elevated to a "Path," you have completely mastered its power.]
[Although... this power is somewhat feeble compared to a true Aeon, and you have lost the blessing of the Tree of Existence, no longer possessing that endless imaginary energy, you have similarly escaped the shackles of a Path, free to soar in the sea of stars.]
[The shell of divinity is far too heavy. Sometimes, perhaps only a mortal can break the shackles.]
[This is a great undertaking that only a mortal can accomplish.]
[Whatever the outcome... go forth and do it.]
Looking at the text on the light screen, Ron couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.
He felt a warm current surge in his chest, and then, at his whim, it flowed along his blood, instantly coursing through his entire body—
An extremely wondrous sensation arose from the bottom of his heart. As Ron's thoughts raced, a brilliant golden molten liquid slowly precipitated from the palm of his hand. This golden liquid, like molten gold, did not possess any fierce heat and did not burn Ron's palm.
It precipitated bit by bit, then, following Ron's will, it took on the framework of matter out of thin air, before being filled with flesh and blood, its feathers plumping, finally transforming into a familiar lantern...
The Guiding Spirit Lantern had just appeared in Ron's hand... but he felt no surprise at this.
The entry for the Guiding Spirit Lantern had already been loaded; it appearing in his hand was quite normal—but he sensed something else.
This was... something that absolutely should not have appeared.
He caressed the warm lantern. Within the flickering, brilliant golden flame, a spirit, rapidly burning and dissipating, flashed...
Within it, Ron could hear a faint whisper.
That was "Ron's" voice...
That was... his own consciousness!