The moment her words fell, the entire virtual universe seemed to ignite.
Golden-red flames roared from the blade, transforming into a pillar of fire vast enough to burn the stars themselves, surging straight toward that towering golden figure.
But Nanook did not evade.
Or rather, as the Aeon of Destruction, He had never known what it meant to evade.
The god whose body bled liquid gold simply watched the flames rushing toward Him. Watched the girl who dared raise her sword against Him.
In that instant, Nanook finally regarded this tiny existence before Him in earnest.
Then, in the very next moment, the fire swallowed Him whole.
Kiana panted heavily, her sword hand trembling slightly.
Even with the rank of an Emanator, that strike—Might of An-Utu Unsealed—had still taken a tremendous toll on her.
But she knew very well that if this was all it amounted to, it would be nowhere near enough.
And sure enough, when the heavenly fire dispersed, Nanook was still standing exactly where He had been.
That vast wound across His body still spilled golden blood, and on His solemn face there was now an additional scar, a terrible one that stretched across half of it.
Other than that, He had not moved even a single inch.
In the next instant, the wound on Nanook's face vanished.
Kiana tightened her grip on the greatsword, feeling the power within her body nearly exhausted, yet her heart was strangely calm.
Before making that attack, she had already guessed how this strike would end.
As expected—even within the Simulated Universe, the gap between an Emanator and an Aeon was not something a single Divine Key could erase.
But it didn't matter.
Because what she had truly wanted from the start had never been to actually defeat Nanook.
[Ding! Your lie has convinced the simulated Aeon Nanook. The lie becomes reality. Authority over Destruction has increased enormously, and you have gained 80,000 Fabricated History Points.]
[Remaining Fabricated History Points: 82,009]
Jackpot!!!
Seeing that notification, Kiana nearly wanted to take off on the spot.
She had succeeded. She had actually succeeded!
Eighty thousand. A full eighty thousand points. If she converted that into power-bank exchange rates, how many Hertas would it take to make up that amount?
She had struggled and schemed for so long, tricking Herta, then tricking Ruan Mei, and only managed to scrape together fifty-two thousand points.
And now, after spending fifty thousand on Judgment of Shamash and taking a single swing at simulated Nanook, she had instantly earned eighty thousand back!
And that wasn't even the best part. The enormous boost to her Destruction authority was even more delightful.
Kiana could feel it clearly: with just this one leap, this persona of hers had already become a fully kitted-out powerhouse.
If Diamond from the IPC's Strategic Investment Department were standing in front of her now, she was confident she could send him flying with one kick.
Sure enough—even a simulated Aeon could serve as a power bank for her.
But was all of this really just luck? Or was Nanook simply easy to fool, the kind who would believe whatever she said?
Of course not.
In the end, the whole result could be summed up in one word:
Timing.
Yes—Kiana's luck this time had simply been absurdly good. She just so happened to be in a simulated world, and she just so happened to encounter Nanook, the Aeon whose Path stood directly opposite her own.
So the moment she revealed to Nanook that this universe was only a simulation, there had been no need for further proof. As an Aeon, Nanook would naturally understand at once that she wasn't lying.
And once she then displayed the side of herself that embodied Destruction, Nanook had naturally accepted the identity she claimed to possess in reality.
Kiana drew in a breath, suppressing the wild joy surging inside her, and once more lifted her gaze to meet the Aeon of Destruction head-on.
If she was going to put on a show, she might as well commit to the role. Since her lie had already become reality, she couldn't afford to lose momentum now.
The atmosphere was admittedly rather awkward, but the worst that could happen was Nanook instantly erasing her and sending her back to reality.
Nanook was silent for a moment.
Then something happened that Kiana had never expected.
That colossal golden figure, vast enough to blot out the heavens, slowly raised a hand. At His fingertip, a drop of golden blood condensed.
The blood left His finger and drifted slowly toward Kiana.
From the look of it, Nanook was trying to bestow a true blessing upon her.
Unfortunately, this was the Simulated Universe. Even though the Nanook here possessed a rank almost identical to that of the real Aeon, He still could not influence reality itself.
And very soon, Nanook clearly realized that as well.
Somewhat regretfully, He lowered His hand again and spoke once more.
[You are not My Emanator, yet you walk the Path of Destruction. You raised your blade against Me, and that proves your resolve.]
[I acknowledge you.]
[In reality, I will be waiting for you.]
As those words fell, Nanook's form gradually began to dissolve.
That immense golden body, which had covered sky and void alike, scattered into countless points of light and faded into the endless emptiness of the simulated universe.
Kiana stood there in place, gripping the greatsword of heavenly fire, feeling the surging authority of Destruction within her. A faint smile curved at the corner of her lips.
"In reality, you'll be waiting for me? Then you can keep waiting."
After all, this so-called future Aeon of Destruction had been fabricated from beginning to end.
Talking big inside the Simulated Universe was one thing. But in reality? There was no way she was stupid enough to actually go looking for Nanook and throw hands.
Kiana dismissed the Judgment of Shamash and examined the cost of that single strike.
Perhaps because this world was different, or perhaps because the weapon had been adjusted to better match the strength of her persona—
this wasn't exactly the original Judgment of Shamash from the other world.
It seemed to have been mixed with genuine Destruction authority.
In terms of sheer destructive force, the version in Kiana's hand far surpassed the original.
As for the massive drain it imposed, though?
On that point, it was probably no different at all.
The point notification had made her ecstatic, but Might of An-Utu Unsealed was no joke.
Back on the other stage, that move could cost someone their life if used recklessly.
And she had just gone all-out in order to charge straight at Nanook.
Even with the rank of an Emanator of Destruction, plus the added authority of the Herrscher of Flames, that single strike had nearly drained her dry.
"Haaah…"
Kiana let out a long breath.
Still, all things considered, the result had been excellent.
She had succeeded.
And now it was time to think about what to do next.
It was unclear whether simulated Nanook had somehow affected them, but Herta and Ruan Mei still hadn't reconnected, nor had they cut her connection to the Simulated Universe.
But since she was still here—
it was time to keep moving.
After all, if she could fool Nanook, then the other Aeons were naturally worth trying too.
Opportunities like this didn't come around often, and besides, this wasn't the real world. No matter how recklessly she courted disaster here, she wouldn't truly die.
If she really managed to drag out Aeon after Aeon…
Kiana didn't even dare imagine how enormous the harvest would be.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 150)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter100)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 60
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 50
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 50
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 50
The Way the Umamusume Look at 31
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 26
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 26
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