Chapter 136: Finished Grinding, Going AFK
To be honest.
When you have two people on your team who can each get over 30 kills in the same match, you can basically pop the champagne.
Unless the enemy team is cheating, you can't even imagine how you'd lose.
And Aeron is currently in exactly that situation.
"Senior!" / "Mr. Aeron!" / "Aeron!" / "Are you okay?"
It was a chorus more synchronized than morning roll call.
Phoebe, Roccia, Rover, and Fleurdelys landed beside Aeron and Carlotta one after another.
Honestly, Aeron couldn't see how they could lose this match—even if their opponent was that Grand Architect, they wouldn't gain any advantage.
"The tables have turned. What should I call you now? 'Kharon'? Or something else?"
So, Aeron immediately started trash-talking from the fountain—their coach was launching a personal attack.
"Merely a name. It matters not."
Facing the roaring galactic battleship before him, the opponent showed not a hint of panic.
"Be careful. The enemy before us... is the leader of Fractsidus!"
Carlotta calmly assessed the situation, constructing several more Heterogeneous Armaments within the Reality Marble Aeron had built for her.
"How dare you harm Senior..."
Phoebe stepped forward, Resonance Power beginning to gather around her, golden light radiating from her robes and staff.
"Mr. Aeron's enemy..."
Roccia, standing beside Phoebe, was already on high alert.
As for Fleurdelys and Rover, they had long since assumed battle stances—truly, no words were needed.
Pero: "Pero" (Translation: High damage, crowd control, area control—scared to tears.)
"It seems I truly underestimated your abilities. Whether it's utilizing your own power or manipulating others' hearts... should I call you a genius at weaving traps, or a devil skilled at toying with people's minds?"
His voice betrayed no emotion. The World flickered faintly around him, the golden Stand's movements slightly sluggish from the low temperatures.
Aeron took a step back, shielding Rover in front of him.
"What, even after seeing her, you still won't leave?"
"...?"
Rover was puzzled. Why did Aeron always drag her into the trash talk whenever they faced Fractsidus?
"Although meeting her happened much earlier than anticipated... this time, the goal is to capture you. I'm quite confident about that."
"Truly flattered."
"After all, whether it's the tunnel gate itself or the Threnodians isolated beyond it, there's much worth studying. That's why I took this from it."
"Kharon" spoke without reservation, pointing to The World beside him.
"Though it's merely a replica, there are many similar frequencies on the other side of the tunnel gate. If you wish, sharing it wouldn't be out of the question."
"Oh, so now that you see you can't win, you start talking about this. Why didn't you mention it earlier?"
"It's not certain you would have agreed. I simply chose a path more likely to achieve my goal."
Fair enough.
"Tunnel Gate," "Void," "Threnodian"—these keywords combined together, though not explicitly stated, indeed revealed how the Grand Architect obtained The World.
"Speaking of which, isn't that thing only concerned with eating? How is there any left? Or is it..."
"Threnodians are quite miraculous, aren't they?"
Forget it. Continuing down this line might lead to unsavory topics. Better not dwell on it for now.
Though reluctant to admit it, the truth was... Aeron was genuinely intrigued by what the Grand Architect had said.
Undoubtedly, the best course of action now was to quit while ahead. However, the information and methods the other party possessed were surely deeper than what had been revealed so far.
He couldn't allow the Grand Architect to maintain this advantage. In other words, Aeron needed to at least acquire the means to counter it.
Thus, the answer became clear.
Just moments ago, Aeron's plan was simply to scare the Grand Architect away using Rover.
But now, he had to die once.
Die at the hands of the Grand Architect's The World, die within "time stop." Moreover, he had to die "meaningfully," in a way that would make the System judge he needed an ability capable of resisting or contending with "time manipulation."
Damn it, Aeron hasn't even had a chance to use it himself, and now he's letting the Grand Architect have all the fun?
Even if he couldn't seize it, he had to tear The World apart.
So, how could he possibly let the Grand Architect escape just like that!
"Persona!"
The moment this thought emerged, Arsène had already appeared behind "Kharon," lunging forward with sharp claws!
Thud!
Immediately, The World beside the Grand Architect moved to block Arsène's claw strike.
Persona Mask vs. Stand, you know?
Aeron certainly hadn't expected this strike to succeed as a sneak attack. Rather, his purpose in doing this was singular.
That is, to start the fight!
"Fleurdelys, Rover, I'll leave the front to you two. Second Young Lady, please protect Roccia and provide support. If anything happens to her, I'll hold you accountable!"
"Your favoritism is way too obvious!"
Though retorting verbally, several Heterogeneous Armaments behind Carlotta activated their super transformation modes under her command, revealing their cannons.
Speaking of which, how does she even have these things? Is Montelli some kind of arms dealer?
"I understand."
As soon as Aeron finished speaking, Fleurdelys beside him had already taken action.
Three sword shadows materialized around her, with sharp sword energy coalescing on the phantom blades in her hands.
As for Rover... Damn, how is she already charging ahead?
Clang!
The moment the Holy Sword collided with the cane, a sharp sound rang out... Wait, why did the cane break?
However, beneath the guise of "Kharon," the Grand Architect showed no trace of panic. Instead, he swiftly retreated, creating distance from Rover while unleashing a wave of crimson frequency.
But Fleurdelys's sword energy immediately followed, clearing a path for Rover.
"Still, I never expected you to go this far for this guy."
"But I know, you are the enemy!"
As she spoke, a blue light flashed in Rover's eyes. She swiftly closed the distance, then channeled diffracted Resonance Power into the Holy Sword, carving a brilliant golden arc that cleaved through the sturdy shield Kharon had just erected with his Resonance Power.
Finally, she flipped mid-air, spread her wings, and condensed annihilating Resonance Power into a scythe in her hands, slashing toward the completely unprepared Grand Architect!
"—"
"Phoebe!"
At the very last moment before time was about to be frozen, Aeron immediately caught on and issued an order to Phoebe beside him.
"Key that hides the power of darkness, show me your true form before me—Seal, release!"
Thud!
The radiance of Phoebe's Resonance Power erupted, firmly restraining The World just before it could stop time.
Rip!
Rover's scythe carved a massive wound on "Kharon," from which Frequency continuously flowed out.
Thud!
Finally, when he looked up again, what greeted him was an endless barrage of Opal bullets.
"...Not bad."
After uttering this remark, the Grand Architect was engulfed by boundless frigid air.
Faced with this scene, Aeron couldn't help but sigh inwardly—what a thoroughly satisfying instance of finishing the fight on autopilot. If only his Garrison Protocol could be this effortless.
"...Wait, hold on, what about my part??"
Concerning the matter of teammates being too strong, leaving him with no room to operate.
While this level of assault was certainly nothing to the Grand Architect, who was going to make up for the enhancements Aeron lacked?
In the current situation, if he intervened, he'd most likely be stopped by the others.
He needed an opportunity. An opportunity where the Grand Architect had no choice but to, or believed he "could only," come down hard on him.
At the same time, he also needed an "inside agent" to briefly create an opening the others couldn't react to.
Speaking of which, wasn't this venue kind of his?
Thinking this, Aeron's gaze turned toward Carlotta beside him.
I'm counting on you!