The Swarm King watched the person Sylvia had protected fade away.
Sylvia herself charged straight at the swarm without the slightest hesitation, and the Swarm King knew at once that something had gone wrong.
"SKREEEE—!"
It roared, spread the twin wings on its back, and whipped up a vast wave as it rushed Sylvia head-on. This was its domain. It wasn't about to lose so easily.
Sylvia narrowed her eyes.
With her Riding ability, could she subdue the Swarm King and seize control of the entire swarm in one move? Or would the control vanish once the swarm broke free from Harmony?
She didn't trust the Swarm. Even if this branch had somehow embraced Harmony and seemed a little different, she still couldn't bring herself to trust it. After all, she saw herself as a Pathstrider of Permanence. Propagation had only come along for the ride.
The best outcome was to take direct control of the whole thing through her own abilities. Otherwise, she'd never dare return to Penacony.
Who knew how enormous this swarm might grow if it kept hiding for another few dozen or even a hundred Amber Eras?
Sylvia cast off all restraint and unleashed her full power. The colossal Swarm King and the great dragon crashed into each other with everything they had inside the Memory Zone.
For one brief instant, the entire Memory Zone fell silent.
Then—
A terrifying storm vast enough to drown a whole galaxy erupted alongside the surging tides of the Memory Zone and swept across the Asdana star system.
Penacony, of course, took the first hit.
--+--
"Grant light unto the world!"
Sunday sensed that something was wrong at once.
The impact was far too immense to be the work of a single Emanator. Deep below, several Emanators had to be fighting with their full strength.
Then, within the terrifying aftershock, Sunday felt something else. His pupils shrank.
"This is... the power of Harmony?! Impossible. Why's Harmony involved? Is it the main Family? Or Xipe?"
Sunday raised both hands as though he were a hero holding up all of Penacony. Drawing on Dominicus's immense power, he forced the shockwave back.
Yet as the attacks grew stronger, he finally became certain. Harmony's power was woven into the clash.
"Dreammaster—"
"Calm yourself!"
In his panic, Sunday didn't even call him Gopher Wood. He addressed him directly as the Dreammaster.
"Our priority is stabilizing the Synesthesia Dreamscape."
The Dreammaster didn't need to say anything more. Sunday calmed down as well.
Once Ena's Dream unfolded, they'd have enough freedom to explore the deeper layers.
--+--
The next group struck by the residual force was the IPC fleet stationed near the edge of the star system.
"Report! We've been hit by an abnormal Memoria surge! Large numbers of employees have lost consciousness!"
"Report! Heavy damage to multiple suits of powered armor..."
"Report! The warp engines are damaged..."
Report after report reached Jade.
The aftershock alone had nearly crippled more than half the fleet's combat strength. Her expression darkened.
She and Aventurine had both received a share of Diamond's power, but it was only a fraction of an Emanator's strength. It wasn't enough to protect an entire fleet.
Keeping the flagship beneath their feet intact was already a blessing.
"Just what's fighting inside Penacony...?"
Even Aventurine had broken into a cold sweat. He'd never witnessed a battle between Emanators firsthand. Now he understood what one felt like.
"Come to think of it, we ought to thank that unknown powerhouse," Jade said, her face grim. "The Family will have to give the IPC an explanation for this."
Something this dangerous had happened inside Penacony, yet the Family hadn't issued so much as a warning beforehand. Jade had more than enough cause to demand answers in the IPC's name.
--+--
Every faction with a little strength sensed that something had gone wrong.
The enemy hadn't even shown itself, yet the Family had been forced to mobilize all its members to summon Dominicus in defense. That alone proved this was a conflict between Emanators.
Unfortunately, the only groups present with any hope of investigating were the Xianzhou delegation and the Astral Express crew.
Huaiyan was already advanced in years, and he couldn't abandon everyone else to explore the deepest parts of the dream alone. At a time like this, they couldn't entrust their safety to someone else.
Mei, meanwhile, recognized Sylvia's power within the spreading shockwaves.
"What?! Th-that's Sylvia fighting someone?"
When March 7th heard the news from Mei, her eyes widened, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. Her whole body trembled with visible excitement.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! She's about to flip all of Penacony upside down! Sylvia really did this?!"
It wasn't March 7th's first time seeing an Emanator, but Phantylia was Phantylia. Sylvia was someone who joked around with them every day and even shared a little flirtation with her.
Those two things weren't remotely the same.
As March 7th wrestled with her complicated feelings, she quietly began wondering whether this meant she had a powerful backer now. Maybe she could strut around the universe without fearing anyone.
Stelle, as usual, didn't seem worried in the slightest. She was already planning to ask Sylvia for combat lessons later.
Dan Heng, however, had worn a deep frown ever since leaving the Astral Express to join the others.
He could feel it.
Just as Sunday had sensed Harmony in the shockwaves, Dan Heng sensed the overwhelming, unrestrained power of Permanence. It carried the same presence he'd felt the first time he saw Sylvia assume her dragon form.
That alone wouldn't have unsettled him so badly.
Yet Sylvia's power of Permanence felt far greater, more complete, and more profound than the power he wielded.
Even sensing its distant aftereffects filled Dan Heng with an uncontrollable urge to "complete" himself.
His own power was incomplete.
At that moment, Dan Heng couldn't suppress the thought at all. The urge had nowhere to go, leaving him confused and lost, so he could only force it down through sheer will.
"Dan Heng? Are you all right?" Welt asked from beside him after noticing his condition.
"...I'm fine."
Dan Heng didn't know how to explain what was happening, so he only shook his head and tried to keep everyone from worrying.
Mei noticed anyway. She lifted her sheathed blade and lightly tapped it against his forehead.
Clang—
A trace of Nihility flowed through the sheath and entered Dan Heng's body.
"...Miss Acheron, do you know what's wrong with me?"
Dan Heng looked at Acheron in surprise.
The power of Nihility felt deeply unpleasant as it entered him. At the same time, it swept away the violent impulse inside him.
"Sylvia's power is probably placing a burden on you. Bear with it for now. My power can isolate you from the disturbance, while Permanence should let you withstand its side effects."
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
Acheron hadn't explained further, but they all understood what kind of power she meant.
Dan Heng nodded. He also understood Nihility's domineering and exclusionary nature. Then a thought struck him, and he asked, "You said Permanence can resist the side effects. Has Sylvia tried this before?"
"Sylvia wasn't born a Vidyadhara. Without training herself this way every day, she'd struggle to advance along her Path."
Welt sucked in a sharp breath and adjusted his glasses.
In truth, everyone had fallen silent the moment Acheron said it.
She trained herself with Nihility? Every day?
Even someone reckless enough to risk their life should've had a little common sense.
Stelle looked eager to try, but March 7th reacted fast and covered her mouth.
"No wonder that child's grown so quickly," Himeko murmured as she turned to gaze into the distance.
If Sylvia had gained her strength through methods like that, Himeko couldn't imagine what she'd endured each day.
Even Dan Heng, who usually kept a cool face, had trouble holding his expression together. He'd thought the things he'd done in his previous life were reckless enough, yet Sylvia had somehow gone even further.
They absolutely couldn't let the Vidyadhara hear about this.
Dan Heng didn't even want to imagine how many stubborn fools might try copying her. The Vidyadhara already had enough trouble with their declining population. No one needed to imitate such a dangerous method.
March 7th was the first to recover from her shock, mostly because Stelle kept struggling in her grip.
"Wait, Acheron. Aren't you going to help Sylvia?"
Help her?
Mei blinked. A faint look of confusion crossed her cool expression, as though she were trying to understand why that would be necessary.
Through their mental connection, she could already tell that Sylvia had climbed onto her opponent's head and was trying to force it over to her side.
Worse, she was giggling while she did it.
Mei didn't even need to see her in person to imagine the smug grin plastered across Sylvia's face.
"There's no need. Sylvia's nearly won. She just needs time to finish things."
Judging by Penacony's condition, the enemy's resistance had already begun to weaken. It would probably give up soon.
"How do you know that?" March 7th asked. She hadn't seen Acheron contact anyone.
"Sylvia and I have a special way of sensing each other. I can tell what state she's in."
"Wow! I want that too. How do I get it?"
Stelle raised her hand, eyes shining.
With something like that, she could call Sylvia "wife" in her head all day long. It'd solve the problem of her account getting blocked every other day and stopping her from sending the word.
"Hmm... I don't know."
Mei gave Stelle a strange look.
She had the face of a mature woman, yet her thoughts jumped all over the place, and her personality resembled a child's. The contrast was certainly unusual.
--+--
Meanwhile, deep inside the Memory Zone—
"You're going to behave now, right?!"
"SKREEEE—!"
Sylvia gripped the threads with both hands and pulled with all her strength, binding the Swarm King to herself.
She'd come out ahead in their direct clash. As the Swarm King's resistance faded, the threads could finally restrain it.
The powers of Propagation and Permanence poured into the swarm as her ability took effect. Had Sylvia not risen to the level of an Emanator, she'd never have been able to control such an enormous swarm.
"You should've switched sides sooner. I'm going to bring the Path of Propagation back under control sooner or later. Join now, and you'll at least count as an old member."
Sylvia kept suppressing it while muttering without pause.
After fighting for so long, the Swarm King had probably begun to notice what made her different. The combination of Permanence and Propagation lay far beyond the swarm's understanding.
They knew nothing about the connection between those two Paths.
"SKREE!"
The swarm cried out in misery.
You keep saying that, but why don't you stop hitting us?!
You've nearly taken control of everyone already! When did you ever give us a choice?!
Sylvia couldn't tell how much time passed. Perception was too distorted here for her to judge it by instinct.
At last, the struggle ended.
Only then did Sylvia release the swarm.
The Swarm King collapsed in an instant. Its immense power faded, but Sylvia's control spread back through the entire swarm at the same time.
"Whew... good thing that worked."
Sylvia let out a sigh of relief.
"Chirp, chirp—"
A large, glassy insect resembling a crystal mantis stepped forward. Judging by the way the others treated it, it seemed to hold a leadership role.
"All right. Tell me what's going on. What exactly are you, and do you have anything to do with what's happening in Penacony?"
Sylvia discovered, to her surprise, that once freed from their outer shells, the insects' appearances were highly malleable. After falling under her control, every individual had somehow become more attractive.
The change was dramatic. It was like they'd gone from monster forms to armored hero forms.
The insect chosen as their representative obediently used Memoria as a medium and began explaining.
After Propagation's fall, they'd converted to Harmony and traveled deep into the Asdana star system. As their physical bodies gradually decayed, they moved deeper and deeper into the Memory Zone, where they developed in secret.
Penacony's founding hadn't disturbed them. After all, everyone there worshiped Xipe.
Still, whenever Dreamchasers ventured too deep, the swarm devoured them to avoid discovery.
Things only became complicated when the Stellaron began to stir.
Before, the Stellaron had affected only the upper layers, and its output hadn't been strong enough to cause much trouble. Recently, however, it had grown more active.
Using the accretion disk's power, the energy leaking from it continued pouring toward the deeper regions. That disturbance drove part of the swarm into the dreamscape to investigate.
They'd alarmed the Family, which led to a minor clash.
That was how The Reverie had been destroyed.
The Family had discovered that something was wrong, but it hadn't identified the swarm and hadn't dared investigate further. The swarm, meanwhile, had noticed a discordant note within Harmony.
Lately, they'd been debating whether to take revenge before Order replaced the Family, then flee at once.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"
The lead insect waved its limbs and complained.
The Family had not only been causing chaos in the Memory Zone but had also proven weak in its convictions. Worse, if the power of Order truly took over Penacony, the swarm would have no choice but to flee for its survival.
"...Wait. You never considered fighting back? Don't you worship Xipe too?"
"Chirp, chirp—"
"You're afraid because the other side has an Emanator? I can't believe you... Though I guess if you'd been brave enough to fight back, you would've died a long time ago."
They'd watched Propagation fall and the Swarm King perish, then immediately bowed their heads to Xipe. Expecting any ambition from insects like these was probably hopeless.
Still, this meant that even if Sylvia and Firefly ignored them, the swarm likely wouldn't launch a surprise attack when they dealt with the Stellaron tomorrow.
With courage that weak, no one could expect much from them.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL