The moment those words fell, Kiana began charging her attack.
Judging by the strength Polka had displayed so far, she really was a terrifying gimmick-type opponent.
But a gimmick was only ever a bonus added onto a combat rating.
A true powerhouse needed not only top-tier mechanics, but also the raw stats to support them.
And right now, Kiana possessed the kind of overwhelming numbers that could crush all tricks with brute force alone.
In an instant, Heavenly Fire condensed once more. Kiana was preparing to unleash another Judgment of Shamash: Uriel.
Polka's gaze sharpened. She retreated at once, while countless invisible scalpels shot at Kiana from all directions.
But Kiana did not dodge.
Those scalpels failed to even reach her before they were incinerated by Heavenly Fire itself.
Only then did Polka's expression finally change.
Because her Omniscient Domain was already telling her the answer: no matter what she did next, she would never be able to block this strike.
She could not block it.
She could not evade it.
She could not escape it.
This attack blanketed the entirety of the simulated universe. That was the only conclusion Omniscient Domain could produce.
Polka Kakamond, the Silent Lord who had once hunted down countless geniuses, was finally feeling the threat of death.
The next instant, Judgment of Shamash finished charging.
This time, Kiana held nothing back.
"Heavenly Fire, unsheathed!"
Golden flames swept through the entire simulated cosmos once again.
Yet just as the fire was about to swallow Polka, a mechanical hum rang out.
A completely different, icy will took control of Polka's Omniscient Domain.
Then a colossal mechanical figure materialized out of thin air, standing before Kiana.
Nous, the Aeon of Erudition.
Or rather, the simulated Nous within the Simulated Universe.
"Tinhead?!" Herta cried out, her purple bird-eyes going round.
[Ding! Your lie has made the simulated Nous feel wariness and curiosity. The lie has partially become reality. Erudition authority has partially increased. You have obtained 30,000 Chronicle Points!]
[Remaining Points: 130,009]
Faced with this sudden turn of events, Kiana was surprised, but also puzzled.
They were both simulated Aeons, so why had simulated Nanook given her 80,000 points, while Nous had only dropped 30,000?
Was Erudition really that lacking in prestige?
Kiana quickly figured out the reason. It probably came down to how much each Aeon actually believed her lie.
But now was hardly the time to celebrate.
Kiana steadied herself and looked up at the gigantic figure shielding Polka.
No way… was Nous actually here to back Polka up?
And what exactly did this simulated Nous think of her fabricated story about Theresa?
If it really intended to attack her here, the consequences could be serious.
After all, the current Omniscient Domain had been brought into this place through Polka's real-world Omniscient Domain.
Even if this was only a virtual world, Kiana was no longer certain whether that would have no effect on her real safety.
"Tinhead, what are you trying to do?" Herta stepped forward again.
"About Mystery, and about that Theresa—do you have anything to say?"
But Nous did not reply.
Or rather, it had no answer.
As the Aeon of Erudition, Nous could state with absolute certainty that no genius named Theresa Apocalypse existed.
But that raised a problem: this was the Simulated Universe, a false world within a simulation. Even Nous itself was only a simulated Aeon.
So as a product born after history had already been altered by Mystery, could the Simulated Universe truly reproduce the world as it had been before Mystery's interference?
Nous did not think highly of that possibility.
The next moment, Omniscient Domain shifted again.
Nous was about to attack.
Unlike Nanook's pure will of destruction, Nous's pressure felt like an invisible web—inescapable, all-pervasive, leaving nowhere to hide.
"Tinhead, what are you doing?!" Herta was starting to panic.
She had never expected that, because of Polka's meddling, she would actually end up capsizing at the hands of an AI Aeon inside her own Simulated Universe.
"Let me do it." Kiana let out a soft sigh and stepped in front of Herta once more.
Herta still wanted to say something, but looking at Kiana's back, she found herself unable to get the words out.
If Kiana really died here because of her Simulated Universe, Herta might genuinely feel guilty for the rest of her life.
Kiana herself, however, was not especially bothered.
In her view, the Simulated Universe was still, at the end of the day, a construct made by mortals. She found it hard to believe these AI Aeons could truly be that absurd.
Perhaps the simulated Aeons from before really had been all-powerful, but that had only been within the logic of pure virtual data.
Now, because of Polka's Omniscient Domain, the Simulated Universe had gained the possibility of interfacing with reality—but in exchange, the simulated Aeons should also have lost the absolute omnipotence they possessed within their original framework.
Besides, this was not even her true body here. Even if she died, at worst she would only lose one avatar.
And now that she had already saved up 130,000 points, she had enough to buy Avatar Correction for either Theresa or Cecilia.
"Let me test my blade!" Kiana declared, utterly serious, ready to throw hands.
Yet in that very instant, the temperature of the virtual cosmos suddenly soared to its limit.
But this was not because of Judgment of Shamash.
Kiana froze.
Within the void shrouded by Omniscient Domain, a vast golden figure was slowly taking shape.
Nanook.
The Aeon of Destruction, who had only just vanished not long ago, had descended once more.
"Hm? What's going on?" Herta muttered, bewildered.
Clearly, having disconnected earlier, she knew nothing of what had transpired between Kiana and Nanook.
[Leave.]
Nanook's voice thundered through the entire virtual universe.
Kiana's eyes widened.
Was Nanook protecting her?
Well, it wasn't actually that strange. Regardless of whether the simulated Nanook had fully believed her story, it did seem to regard her rather highly.
Nous offered no reply, but the intent behind its imminent attack weakened noticeably.
Nanook, on the other hand, did not hesitate in the slightest.
The wills of two simulated Aeons clashed head-on.
Boom!
The boundaries of the virtual universe began to collapse, and the computational power of Erudition was cut off at once.
And just like that, the Simulated Universe exploded.
Herta: !!!!!!
What the hell just happened?!
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 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
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?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
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 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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