The Stellaron, honestly, looked pretty unimpressive.
And once you actually had one?
You'd realize it was even less interesting than it appeared.
As for when Stellarons first came into existence—no one really knew.
Even the greatest scholars across the cosmos had no definitive answers.
Not even Herta, an Emanator of Erudition, a member of the Genius Society, and the prodigy who solved the Solitary Wave Algorithm at a young age, truly understood them. She merely sealed Stellarons away in her collection of curiosities rather than studying them in depth.
And now—
Inside Evan's sea of consciousness, there existed a Stellaron that had already developed self-awareness.
It had learned how to tempt, deceive, and corrupt those who came into contact with it.
As for its strength?
So-so.
But the fact that it could sever Silver Rail connections across an entire star system meant one thing—
if it were allowed to grow unchecked, the consequences would be catastrophic.
That was why the Stellaron made its move.
It bypassed the chaotic swarm of thoughts and headed straight for the deepest layer of Evan's consciousness.
After all, even a Stellaron had its limits.
Absorbing meaningless thoughts didn't make it stronger—
it just made it uncomfortably full.
And dying of mental indigestion before completing its grand plan?
That would be humiliating.
"I waited seven hundred years just to awaken a fragment of self-awareness," it thought bitterly.
"If I fail now, wouldn't I become the laughingstock of all Stellarons?"
Its dream of corrupting this world would end midway.
And once discovered?
Sealed.
Suppressed.
Forgotten forever.
No more world-corrupting ambitions.
No more glory.
Just endless mockery from its fellow Stellarons.
So—
The Stellaron pressed forward.
A faint ripple of energy spread through the sea of consciousness.
Space itself twisted, cracked, and fractured.
At last, the Stellaron reached the deepest layer.
This place was—
Empty.
Silent.
Vast.
And at its center stood a single figure.
Alone.
Still.
"Found you."
A裂界裂缝 tore open within the mental space.
Fragmentum energy surged inward.
This was the Stellaron's true power—
the ability to erode worlds, devour reality, and replace it with distortion.
As long as it consumed the host consciousness—
The body would become a puppet.
The plan would succeed.
The planet would fall into eternal darkness.
And this entire star system would be sealed forever—
Unless the Aeon of Trailblaze personally descended.
Unfortunately for it—
The figure before it finally moved.
Step by step, the silhouette approached through the emptiness, standing calmly before the Stellaron's projection.
No words.
Not a single sentence.
And yet—
No matter how much energy the Stellaron poured out, it couldn't advance even an inch.
Not one.
Forced into desperation, it accelerated its extraction of power from Cocolia's body.
After all, this was only the Stellaron's will.
The true core still resided within her.
Outside the Mind
From Bronya's and Seele's perspective—
The moment Cocolia's hand rested on Evan's shoulder, something terrifying happened.
Pure Imaginary energy surged outward.
But instead of enveloping Evan—
It wrapped around Cocolia instead.
Her expression twisted in pain.
The Stellaron didn't care whether her body could endure it.
It only wanted more power.
More fuel.
More leverage to conquer the world inside Evan's mind.
"Mother!"
Bronya cried out, panic flooding her voice.
Though she had begun resisting her mother's orders in secret, she had never once wished for Cocolia's death.
She only wanted her mother to see the truth—
To see how the people of Belobog truly lived.
But now—
Watching the light drain from Cocolia's body—
Bronya felt something cold grip her heart.
That feeling had a name.
Death.
If this continued, her mother would be drained dry.
She would die.
There was no doubt about it.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness
The Stellaron's will had reached the core, having finally bypassed the thirty thousand—no, three hundred thousand—stray thoughts.
Yet the being standing before it…
The aura radiating from him caused the Stellaron to freeze.
"Hey!"
"You—don't you want to see a new world?"
"What's so great about the Underworld? This planet is about to perish!"
"Accept my power, and you'll become the founder of a new era!"
"You'll become me!"
"You'll have all my strength—do whatever you want!"
"Hey! At least respond to me!"
The Stellaron circled the figure in a frenzy, its will trembling with frustration and rage.
But the man—
Didn't even bother to look at it.
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