Diamond was stunned.
Even through the video feed, he could tell the stone was extraordinary.
For a moment, he even wondered if it had been carved directly off the Amber Lord Himself.
That color… that radiance…
Something was very wrong.
He quickly dismissed the absurd thought.
No matter what, this thing was immensely important to the IPC.
To any faction, really.
A stone condensed from such pure Preservation power—its worth… no, it couldn't even be measured in value.
Diamond had initially thought Topaz contacted him because of her frozen account.
Instead, she delivered something closer to a terrifying surprise.
If the Board found out, they'd lose their minds.
After a moment of silence, Diamond asked Topaz to connect him to Xun Yu.
Once he understood the terms, he immediately agreed.
And just like that, Jarilo-VI's creditor changed—from the Interastral Peace Corporation… to Xun Yu.
Topaz silently secured the stone with extreme care, remembering Diamond's repeated warnings.
Collecting the debt hadn't been difficult for her—but this outcome was completely unexpected.
Still, it meant she could leave sooner.
Her subordinates had reported that earlier, an unknown blade strike nearly split the flagship in half…
Someone extraordinary had arrived on Jarilo-VI.
She glanced at Xun Yu.
He certainly didn't seem ordinary.
Wait…
That slash… could it have been him?
"Haha… since the transfer is complete, I'll take my leave."
A faint sense of unease lingered in her chest.
It felt like something bad would happen if she stayed longer.
The others were confused by her sudden departure—everyone except Xun Yu.
What they didn't know was that in Belobog's Underworld, IPC personnel were already causing trouble.
They had even clashed with Wildfire.
But for now, the most important thing was telling Bronya the good news.
A new creditor…
Hard to imagine.
Still, Xun Yu was surely better than the IPC.
People said the IPC devoured worlds without mercy.
March 7th sent Bronya an "OK" sticker—but didn't explain anything yet.
She wanted it to be a surprise.
…Surprise?
Wait.
Would Xun Yu cause trouble again?
"Oh right—Xun Yu, what exactly was that stone you gave them?"
They'd been so focused on the debt that they ignored the stone's value.
What kind of object could repay a planetary debt?
"Well… do you want the truth or a lie?"
Xun Yu grinned and glanced at Aha, perched invisibly on his shoulder.
"Tell us the lie first?"
Stelle said cautiously.
Truth or lie probably didn't matter—but she played along.
"The lie is: it's actually a timed bomb that'll send certain people to meet the Amber Lord."
"…What?"
Given his track record, that sounded more believable.
"Then what's the truth?"
"The truth is… the Elation Aeon ripped it off the Amber Lord."
"You can think of it as a piece of His 'skin' torn away."
"It lets the user meet Him and receive His blessing. Afterward, it turns into a bomb."
"In other words—if the user lacks a true Preservation heart, they'll probably explode."
Everyone: "…???"
"So you sold the IPC a bomb?!"
March 7th felt faint.
Was Xun Yu about to become an IPC fugitive?!
"Then by your logic, if someone truly embodies Preservation, they'll survive and receive the blessing, right?"
Yanqing asked.
"Correct. But sadly, not everyone in the IPC believes in Preservation."
"Especially those at the top—their idea of 'Preservation' might differ."
Xun Yu snapped his fingers.
"March, don't worry. I won't be hunted. And no, I'm not reading your mind—it's written all over your face."
"No matter how you look at it, they won't dare."
He gave her a knowing look.
"What if they come after you anyway?"
Stelle raised her hand.
Xun Yu looked at her—
His expression suddenly darkened.
"Come after me? Heh… hahaha…"
His laughter was unsettling.
"That would be wonderful!"
"I'd finally have an excuse to bring the Elation Aeon and blow up Pier Point—the IPC headquarters!"
[TL note: wait. Is it actually on pier point?]
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
The others went silent.
"…Leaving that aside—can you really summon the Aeon of Elation?"
March 7th rubbed her forehead.
Aeons were distant, untouchable beings.
Even Aha wasn't easily seen.
"Of course."
"Aha. Come out."
Laughter echoed.
And for an instant—
The Aeon of Elation appeared.
Then vanished.
But He had been there.
"…Holy—"
March 7th froze.
Yanqing stared in disbelief.
Even the Hunt Aeon didn't answer summons like that.
So this was Elation.
…
Qlipoth Fort.
Bronya stood before Xun Yu, eyes filled with gratitude.
She bowed deeply.
"Mr. Xun Yu, on behalf of all Jarilo-VI, thank you."
"We will repay this debt as quickly as possible."
Behind her, March nudged Stelle.
"This is great. Now we can enjoy the festival."
But Stelle kept staring at Xun Yu.
Her instincts screamed:
He was about to do something.
March felt it too.
This moment…
Felt like setup.
"What if I demand repayment now?"
"…What?"
Bronya froze.
It was reasonable.
Nothing came free.
"That's fine if you can't repay."
Xun Yu placed a hand on his hip.
"Because from this moment on—I am Belobog's king!"
"Bring all your maidens before me! Wahahaha!"
He burst into villainous laughter.
But before he got far—
Stelle and March 7th clamped his mouth shut and dragged him away.
"Bronya, Xun Yu's acting up again—we'll handle it!"
March signaled Yanqing.
He hesitated—
Then helped carry Xun Yu.
But suddenly—
March jerked her hand away from Xun Yu's mouth like she'd been electrocuted.