Despite March 7th and Stelle relentlessly mocking Phantylia, it seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever.
Her unwavering silence eventually made the whole thing rather boring for the two girls.
"Auntie, say something..."
Staring at Phantylia, who resembled nothing more than a dying flame, March 7th sighed in boredom.
"Su Ran... do you have any way to make her talk?"
She could only turn to the all-powerful Su Ran.
"I do. If I let her out, she'd definitely have plenty to say."
Phantylia's silence wasn't because she had nothing to say.
It was because she was a prisoner.
She had no chance of escape.
If she responded, she'd only be giving them an outlet to vent their frustrations.
She wasn't foolish enough to do that.
Silence was the optimal choice.
"Not interested in chatting, Miss Phantylia? You can be a little more arrogant. Feel free to threaten me with Nanook."
The previously motionless flames flickered slightly.
"If that would be useful, I certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity."
After remaining silent for so long, Phantylia finally spoke.
"She talked!"
March 7th jumped in surprise.
Stelle looked equally delighted.
As for Bailu...
She had grown tired after spending the entire morning insulting Phantylia alongside March and Stelle.
She was currently asleep on Su Ran's bed.
"So... Nanook abandoned you?"
"No..."
Phantylia answered calmly.
"Lord Nanook has never cared for any of us."
Just as Nanook had proclaimed, the ultimate fate of the universe was Destruction.
Before that end arrived, all those who walked the Path of Destruction merely advanced one step at a time toward that inevitable conclusion.
Continue forward.
And eventually die.
Phantylia had never found this surprising.
It was precisely because of this that she had come to the Luofu to seize the Ambrosial Arbor.
She sought a fragment of immortality upon the Path of Destruction.
Unfortunately, the Luofu was far deeper than she had anticipated.
Or rather...
She had simply arrived at the worst possible time.
She happened to run into Su Ran.
Thus, her defeat had been decisive.
There had been no room for luck.
"But I am curious."
Phantylia's flames swayed gently.
"Why do you possess both Harmony and Remembrance?"
"It was Harmony that halted my escape."
"And Remembrance that formed the prison confining me."
Why did one individual possess the powers of three separate Paths, all elevated to the level of an Emanator?
If Su Ran abandoned his position as an Emanator of Erudition, he could become an Emanator of either of those two Paths instead.
"Harmony came as a gift from Xipe. Remembrance was the result of a deal I made with Fuli."
Su Ran shrugged.
"And by pure coincidence, part of your flames happened to be there at the time."
"Come to think of it, Miss Phantylia, you've also received Fuli's attention now."
Su Ran sighed dramatically.
"A Lord Ravager receiving the direct gaze of Fuli the Remembrance. That's quite extraordinary."
Unfortunately, that fragment had ultimately perished beneath the power of Remembrance.
Only a Heliobus containing raw power remained.
"Mr. Su Ran truly excels at mocking others."
Meeting Fuli?
Fuli was arguably one of the easiest Aeons to encounter.
Whenever significant events occurred throughout the cosmos, there was always a chance of witnessing Their presence.
"You're too kind."
Su Ran accepted Phantylia's sarcasm wholeheartedly.
"I wasn't complimenting you!"
"After achieving a complete victory, isn't an enemy's insult simply the greatest form of praise?"
Stelle and March exchanged glances.
"Then... weren't we praising Phantylia this entire time?"
The realization made them feel slightly disgusted.
"Hey, hey, hey."
Su Ran sighed.
"Don't overlook the prerequisite of complete victory."
He was genuinely beginning to worry about the intelligence of these two girls.
"Hmph!"
Seeing that her insults had failed to penetrate her enemy's defenses, Phantylia gave up on verbal attacks.
"Even so, all you've done is delay the Luofu's existence."
"The universe will eventually embrace destruction."
"Erudition and Hunt alike are no exceptions."
If she could escape, she wouldn't mind making them uncomfortable.
But unfortunately, she was now a prisoner.
As one of the Lord Ravagers, she had never expected her fellow Lord Ravagers to come rescue her.
"Mhm, mhm, I understand."
Su Ran nodded.
"But before that happens, I hope you'll continue walking the Path of Destruction."
Phantylia's malicious words had absolutely no effect on him.
The power of the Aeons was indeed beyond his current reach.
But obtaining strength capable of rivaling the Aeons wasn't something he considered impossible.
He had a system.
Even though he hadn't used it much recently.
He also possessed incomprehensible inventive genius.
These things were enough to ensure his survival in the future.
Moreover, he had been steadily accumulating power.
According to Elio's prophecies, the Astral Express would one day stand against Destruction itself.
That gave him something to reference.
Perhaps...
He could try obtaining the power of every Path.
Who knew what interesting reactions might occur?
"You want me to continue following Destruction?"
For the first time, genuine unease surfaced within Phantylia.
This man had already become terrifying enough.
He possessed Emanator-level power across three Paths.
More importantly, that Emanator of Propagation obeyed him as well.
That made four Paths.
Adding Destruction would make five.
She couldn't help but wonder...
Would she eventually become nothing more than a tool, just like that World-Devouring Swarm King?
"I've already said this before."
"I intend to turn you into a hot weapon."
"And that was never a joke."
"You can rest assured. The destruction you bring in the future will only become purer."
"Perhaps after seeing it, Nanook might even grant you additional blessings."
Su Ran made no effort to conceal his malicious intentions.
Even Phantylia, an embodiment of evil herself, found him somewhat too wicked.
A Lord Ravager believing someone else was even more evil than herself...
That was a frightening thought.
"What happened on the Luofu has already attracted the attention of Destruction."
Phantylia finally delivered her threat.
"It won't be long before more Lord Ravagers arrive."
"You..."
"And all of them..."
"None of you will escape."
"Then wouldn't that just mean I get to make even more hot weapons?"
To Su Ran, her threats meant about as much as passing gas.
As long as no one talked about it, who would know what he had done on the Luofu?
Lord Ravagers were simply lunatics obsessed with destruction.
Would they really conduct detailed investigations?
The target of their attention was the Xianzhou Luofu.
What did that have to do with Genius Society Member #85?
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