Reveria didn't show her Destruction mode, which left Bai Ming a little disappointed.
What a pity. It looked like the Unicorn's first full-power outburst could only be reserved for those bugs who didn't know how to appreciate it.
But while Bai Ming was disappointed, Reveria was already getting nervous.
"Th-this kind of powerful machine… is it really okay to give it to someone like me…?"
Right now, Reveria felt like she could pilot this mech straight into the Glamoth Republic, pull off a surprise raid on the capital world, and retreat safely afterward.
If its mobility wasn't exaggerated, it was even more terrifying than she had imagined.
"There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, if its performance were the same as the SAM mech, then what would be the point of disguising it?"
"Is that so…"
Reveria scratched her head.
She felt like that was just an excuse Bai Ming casually came up with, but at this point, she couldn't exactly ask Bai Ming to change it back.
"Alright, that's it. This unit's called Unicorn. Don't call it the wrong name when you get there."
"Thank you, Bai Ming. I'll make Unicorn show the elegance it deserves."
Reveria quickly checked all of Unicorn's capabilities. Most of the systems were upgraded versions of SAM's, with a small portion of newly added ones.
The control scheme was exactly the same as her previous mech, so she adapted quickly.
If there was anything she wasn't used to, it was probably the handheld weaponry.
Daggers, beam swords, machine-gun shields—things like that. The Glamoth Iron Cavalry didn't use equipment like this, at least not the handheld type.
As for that, Reveria would just have to get used to it slowly.
Soon, Reveria piloted Unicorn away from the space station, bringing the swarm with her.
Watching Unicorn depart, Bai Ming turned her head toward Celenova.
"There's a Destruction-aligned swarm eating away at the bugs on Glamoth's battlefield. Your doing?"
"You noticed that too? Unfortunately, it's not my legion. It belongs to a new user. As for what he wants, I have no idea."
Celenova spread her hands, claiming ignorance.
"Really don't know, or just pretending? Isn't that guy acting alongside you?"
"Heh. Even if he's using the Eighth Lord Ravager like me, he's still an independent Lord Ravager. Naturally, he has his own will."
Celenova's attitude was completely open and honest.
Still, Bai Ming quietly used the power of Remembrance to probe her impressions, and discovered that Celenova genuinely didn't know.
Though she couldn't tell whether the memories had been burned in advance, or if they simply hadn't communicated.
"Alright then. We'll find out what he wants sooner or later."
Bai Ming nodded and didn't press further.
Since the other party wanted to expand, Reveria bringing the Memory Swarm over was actually the right move.
They'd just see how things developed.
"I'll be leaving again for a while. You do as usual."
"Sure, sure… I'm yours now anyway. Trading one main combat clone to keep you from acting personally? I'm profiting."
Bai Ming waved her hand, then found a Herta puppet on the space station and snapped a mask onto its face.
She temporarily requisitioned the puppet's usage rights.
Mainly because if she went to the Boundary of Nihility, external communication would be cut off. Leaving a contact window meant she wouldn't miss anything important.
After finishing all that, Bai Ming left the space station and sank into the Boundary of Nihility.
The desolate Boundary of Nihility was the same as always.
Even quieter than usual, because Acheron hadn't returned yet.
Last time she left to fulfill the final wish of a Sin Thirster—it seemed the place had been truly remote.
Not sensing Acheron's presence, Bai Ming decided to check Hysilens' character card first, to see if it would really give her a Nihility Equation.
Compared to other Paths, Nihility was genuinely ruthless.
Because Nihility represented the opposite of existence, and without a doubt, all other Paths, the entire world, and even the Path of Nihility and the Aeon of Nihility themselves all represented meaning through existence.
Nihility stood in opposition to all of that.
Conceptually, calling Nihility the most powerful Path and Aeon actually made sense.
Of course, since the Nihility Aeon never acts and might not even possess self-awareness, it's usually treated as background scenery and not compared.
If Hysilens' character card really came with a Nihility Equation, then the difficulty of that equation would definitely be far greater than the two she had previously deciphered.
The gap in difficulty might even be an order-of-magnitude difference.
Fortunately, the system had previously rewarded her with improved comprehension of Paths.
That might ease some of the pressure.
Besides, Bai Ming's goal wasn't to completely unravel the essence of Nihility.
She only wanted to grasp part of it, then handcraft a program that wouldn't require Acheron to personally stand guard—something that could work in her place.
Later, she could just pass along those with lingering wishes, or those needing to deliver relics, back into Acheron's hands.
At least that would free Acheron from this endless, lonely vigil.
And afterward, she could gradually share the Nihility equation with Acheron too, so she wouldn't have to shoulder it alone.
Thinking this, Bai Ming slowly walked to the shore of the pitch-black ocean.
Looking at the calm black sea, she opened her panel, selected Hysilens' character card, and chose to use it.
--+--
[Roleplay System]
[Name: Bai Ming (Hysilens)]
[Lifespan: ∞ + 30 (Roleplay)]
[Transformable Characters: Big Herta, Acheron, Celenova, Jingliu, Ruan Mei, Sparkle, Hertatomb, Lord Ravager - Jingliu, Young Herta, 'Robin', Artoria, Cipher, Georios, Cyrene - Fuli (Charge: 25.5%), General of the Yuque - Qingque (Charge: 61.4%), Huohuo (Charge: 54.2%), Silver Wolf (Charge: 22.5%), Hysilens (Currently Acting)]
--+--
[Available Draws: 4 (53.5%)]
--+--
Her figure shrank slightly, and the rise and fall of her chest diminished noticeably.
The main color scheme on her body shifted from silver-white to darker tones.
Leather boots paired with slightly torn thigh-high stockings clung faintly to her flesh—looking soft to the touch.
Of course, those were minor details. What interested Bai Ming most was the transparent region from her lower abdomen to her chest.
She reached out and touched it. There was a clear membrane separating inside and outside. The sensation felt close to skin, yet subtly different.
Moreover, pressing a bit harder, 'Hysilens' could feel her fingers pass through the abdominal membrane and touch the liquid inside.
If her senses were correct, this body was molded from spirit water.
It only looked human; internally, it had nothing resembling a human structure.
Only simulated bones supported it—otherwise, it would just be a pure water person.
"Though that was the original Amphoreus's Hysilens. Now it's just the manifestation of data life."
'Hysilens' shook her head slightly.
Even her voice had turned into that beautiful tone.
'Hysilens', blessed with a good singing voice, couldn't drink alcohol at all—she'd collapse at the slightest touch.
Not that it mattered. There was no alcohol in this ghostly place anyway.
Temporarily shifting her attention away from the body, 'Hysilens' tried to understand its composition.
This time, she sensed an equation far more complex than Permanence or Elation.
That eerie, cold, precise equation operated within the data body, maintaining the authority of the Ocean Titan.
Good news—just as she guessed, there really was a Nihility Equation.
Bad news—the difficulty matched her expectations too. It was ridiculously hard.
Not only that, through Hysilens' body, she felt a closer connection and understanding of this Nihility world.
This was completely different from before.
Previously, the system isolated her from Nihility's intrusion—she had been entirely separate from this world.
But now, appearing as 'Hysilens', the Nihility Equation within this data body ran coldly, representing an astonishing compatibility between the body and Nihility.
So the system even weakened its protective function.
Allowing "Hysilens," in her current state, to superficially touch the power of Nihility.
Thanks to the two fate equations she had studied before, and the system's reward enhancing her comprehension, after brief contact, 'Hysilens' gained a preliminary understanding of a tiny portion of Nihility.
"…Not exactly a pleasant Path. I'm probably the only one rushing to learn it. Sigh, Acheron, you might as well marry me~"
'Hysilens' walked along the shore, stepping into the ebbing and flowing black seawater, strolling along the coastline.
Though her rational mind told her this water was anything but normal, this body itself represented a manifestation of Nihility.
So it adapted extremely well to the environment—stepping into the sea even brought an urge to dive in and splash around.
Even the real Hysilens probably couldn't do that.
But—huh?
'Hysilens' suddenly remembered something.
"Wait, hold on. Hysilens represents the Path of Nihility. Does that mean she's already on the Path of Nihility? But during previous encounters, I never felt anything similar to Acheron's aura from her."
'Hysilens' rubbed her chin, puzzled.
Because outwardly, Hysilens showed none of the traits of a Self-Annihilator, Bai Ming had overlooked it.
So how did she manage that?
Could something have happened when she became a Digimon?
Or perhaps someone secretly helped.
After all, once tainted by Nihility it's hard to escape—but if it's isolated from the start, it's much easier to prevent.
She'd ask later.
Just as 'Hysilens' sank into thought, a figure suddenly shot through the air.
Acheron, who had returned at some unknown time, crossed the long distance like a meteor and arrived before her.
Acheron reached out, grabbed 'Hysilens'' left hand, and pulled her out of the water without a word.
But soon her gaze fell on the silver ring on the hand she held.
The lecture she had prepared stopped at her lips, and in the end, it turned into a helpless sigh.
"You really gave me a fright."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL