Kiana was a little dumbfounded by Nanook's sudden arrival.
At that moment, she was still cradling the sphere of light Yaoshi had given her, and for a second she genuinely did not know how to react.
Seriously?
She was only trying to pick up a blessing from Abundance—so why had Nanook shown up in person?
Plenty of other Lord Ravagers were mixed-path as well. It could not be that He had come to purge her, right?
Yaoshi's illusory figure shifted slightly, moving to stand in front of Kiana.
Though the Aeon said nothing, the meaning was unmistakable.
Yaoshi was questioning why Nanook had chosen this moment to intrude upon them.
Nanook, however, was the sort who spoke little and acted fast. He had no intention of answering Yaoshi directly and simply chose to strike.
In an instant, the power of Destruction crashed into the space.
The might of an Aeon flooded the entire interstice of the Path in the blink of an eye.
And Kiana, at the center of it all, was completely stunned.
Wait—hold on, what kind of development was this?
She was just taking a bit of Abundance on the side—how had that summoned the boss of Destruction himself?
And Nanook, why were You attacking on sight?
This was Abundance's turf, was it not? Was it really okay to barge in like this and act as though Yaoshi did not exist?
Clearly, Nanook thought it was.
He raised a hand, and the authority of Destruction condensed into a beam of black light that blasted straight toward Yaoshi.
Yaoshi did not retreat.
The Aeon lifted a hand as well, countless emerald motes gathering into a barrier that blocked the black radiance.
Even the simplest exchange between two Aeons made the entire interstice shudder violently.
Holding that sphere of light, Kiana felt like a spectator with popcorn watching a show.
The only problem was that the ticket price for this one might be her life.
Fortunately, she noticed that although the clash between the two Aeons was fierce, both of them were deliberately avoiding her.
So despite being right in the middle of a divine battle, she had not actually been harmed.
Of course, that also had something to do with the fact that Kiana herself was already absurdly strong.
"Nanook, why have you come?"
Yaoshi's voice remained calm, but Kiana could hear the faint displeasure beneath it.
Which made sense.
This had been a perfectly harmonious grandmother-and-granddaughter moment, only for a bandit to break in and start throwing punches. No one would be happy about that.
Nanook did not answer immediately.
He simply stared at Kiana behind Yaoshi, those eyes burning with the fire of Destruction, flickering with something complicated.
"She is my Emanator."
At length, Nanook finally spoke, His voice low as thunder.
"She is also my granddaughter."
Apparently understanding His implication, Yaoshi refused to yield in the slightest.
Kiana: ???
Grandma, what exactly was that supposed to mean? Why did it sound like You were fighting over custody?
Nanook seemed to realize as well that "Emanator" was not quite as intimate a claim as "granddaughter."
So He added:
"She is my heir."
And Yaoshi's reply still did not change.
"She is my granddaughter."
Nanook fell silent.
Perhaps even the title of heir did not sound as close as granddaughter.
Then He struck again.
This time, the attack was even more violent, black destructive force threatening to tear the entire interstice apart.
And Yaoshi still stood in front of Kiana, the light of Abundance and the power of Destruction colliding again and again.
Watching the scene, Kiana suddenly had a strange feeling.
This did not feel like a fight so much as... a contest of pride?
Like two elders competing for a child's affection, neither willing to step aside.
If that were all, fine—but what exactly was up with Nanook?!
With Yaoshi, at least, Kiana already had some understanding after using Cecilia's account.
But Nanook felt off.
Once that thought crossed her mind, Kiana started piecing things together.
Logically, if Nanook had objected to her contact with Yaoshi, He should have acted before she ever stepped into the interstice of Abundance.
But He had deliberately waited until Yaoshi had brought her here.
And this was Abundance's domain. If these two Aeons truly fought all-out here, not even Nanook would come away well.
Soon, Kiana recalled the words Nanook had spoken upon arriving:
"Yaoshi, you have overstepped."
At the time, Yaoshi had been just about to bestow a full blessing on her.
...So that was it.
"The, um..." Kiana spoke up weakly.
Both Aeons stopped at once and turned to look at her.
Being stared at by two Aeons at the same time made Kiana's pressure level shoot through the roof.
But who was she?
She was Kiana—the kind of person who could call Yaoshi "Grandma" without blinking.
"Can I ask what exactly is going on here?"
She did her best to keep her voice steady.
Nanook was silent.
Yaoshi was silent too.
An eerie stillness settled over the interstice of the Path.
Finally, Nanook spoke.
"If it were only an ordinary blessing, I could have tolerated it. But this crosses my bottom line."
He pointed at Kiana, His tone absolute.
"She is my heir. She should not be tainted with the aura of Abundance."
Yaoshi inclined Her head slightly.
"I know."
"But she is also that child's daughter. My granddaughter."
"I have the right to bless her."
Nanook's displeasure deepened.
"A blessing? Is that what you call it? You are trying to make her walk your Path."
And He was right.
Nanook could overlook the fact that many of His Lord Ravagers carried traces of other Paths, but Kiana was different.
Kiana was the true orthodox inheritor Nanook had chosen for Destruction. He could never allow her to be casually drawn away by another Path.
Nanook understood perfectly well that Kiana did, in fact, share a deep and inexplicable connection with Abundance.
But if Yaoshi had merely granted Kiana some blessing, enough to give her the strength of an Emanator of Abundance, He could perhaps have let it pass.
What Nanook had seen, however, was far more than that. If Kiana truly accepted what Yaoshi was about to give her, she might as well change her surname to Abundance.
So even here, in Yaoshi's home ground, Nanook had come to stop it.
"And so what?"
"What is wrong with her having another Path to protect herself?"
Yaoshi's voice remained as calm as ever. Clearly, the Aeon did not share Nanook's concerns.
But Nanook's interference with Her granddaughter was likewise something Yaoshi could not accept.
And listening to two Aeons speak to each other in such bizarrely human terms, Kiana finally confirmed what she had already begun to suspect.
That really scared her.
She had honestly thought Nanook had come to treat her like a traitor and clean her up on the spot.
But if this was all it was, then what she should do became obvious.
Kiana grabbed the sphere of light in one hand and refined it on the spot.
That was right—Kiana had decided to accept Yaoshi's blessing after all.
If it had only been a minor blessing—or even just a mediocre Emanator's blessing—then perhaps she would have declined.
But this was a gift from Yaoshi to her granddaughter.
Without even thinking, Kiana knew exactly how valuable it had to be.
So there was no way she would let it go.
And the instant Kiana began absorbing the power, the battlefield between the two Aeons shifted as well.
A trace of gratification passed through Yaoshi's eyes, and the Aeon gave a faint nod, as though a long-held wish had finally been fulfilled.
And Nanook...
Nanook fell silent.
He simply watched—watched the girl He had personally chosen as His heir merge with the power of Abundance.
The result was obvious.
His chosen successor was accepting the power of another Path.
The Path opposite Destruction in almost every way: Abundance.
By all logic, Kiana's greed in accepting it should have disappointed Him.
And yet Nanook found that He was not as disappointed as He ought to have been.
Perhaps because Kiana's greed was, in truth, no more than ordinary human nature.
Or perhaps because, in that simulated other world, the sword Kiana had once raised against Him had truly struck His heart.
The interstice of the Path fell utterly silent.
"Very well."
Since she wanted it, then let her have it.
But as the Aeon of Destruction, Nanook was not one to give up easily.
This time, He did not continue contending with Yaoshi. There was no point anymore.
Instead, He turned toward Kiana.
And in His palm, the authority of Destruction began to gather.
Yaoshi noticed Nanook's movement and Her illusory figure stiffened slightly.
But once She realized what Nanook intended, She lowered Her hand as well.
Clearly, Nanook had accepted that He could no longer reverse the situation.
So He chose instead to make Kiana a Lord Ravager who stood equal to Abundance.
Yaoshi had no objection to that.
Kiana coughed lightly, then looked a bit sheepish.
Before, some readers had pointed out the issue of Path alignment among the Lord Ravagers.
Zulo, she would leave aside—there was no official clarification on what Path that one corresponded to, so she would not touch him.
But some readers had also mentioned that Phantylia corresponded to Abundance—which, strictly speaking, was not actually confirmed.
In the game text, there was no clear statement about Phantylia's corresponding Path, but the official materials did say something interesting.
Phantylia was possibly aligned with Hunt.
Granted, Kiana had no idea what the devs were thinking, using something as vague as "possibly" in official text.
Still, lacking a stronger official statement, she was going to treat Phantylia as Hunt.
And yes, the source text was right there.
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 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 132)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter140)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter95)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter165)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 145
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 135
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 95
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 155
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 62
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 62
Uma Musume: I Want All 65
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 41
Supernatural Multiverse 45
My Harem Is Indescribable 35
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 46
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 26
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 36
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