Awakening

Just then, the faint connection in the distance suddenly vanished. Before she could receive a response, just like before, that red shadow had interfered. Only this time, she unexpectedly caught a glimpse of memories from the past.

Cats and mistakes, stars and death;

Though she had never truly heard it before, that voice felt so familiar and dear;

With no expectations and no pursuits, her regressing consciousness, returning to zero, could not unite as one;

Filled with regret, that voice spoke foolish words as though it were about to burst into tears;

Aoko's greatest enemy now was that red version of herself.

"What the hell..."

She muttered displeasedly toward the owner of that voice. Looking at her red self, her eyes held the ease of liberation, and then she walked without hesitation into the unknown darkness around her.

The red shadow seemed at a loss. She had watched that self before her countless times—the self who neither knew the answer nor possessed the resolve—but now, something seemed to have changed.

"You... could it be... could it be that for such a reason, with such thoughts, you became my prey?!"

"Everything you are is here. Other than that, you are nothing!"

The red shadow roared. Denying one's past was not permitted; to deny the past was to deny oneself.

Her voice grew weaker and more powerless. She could not resist. It was an absolute law—anything that obstructed her would ultimately be swept away like a spiderweb.

"You're really... too reckless..."

The beacon guiding the future had gone out. From now on, she would have to sail according to her own will. Perhaps something important had indeed changed, but this time, she had thoroughly carried out her own wishes.

"I told you before, you're really...!"

The red shadow suddenly fell silent. Watching herself grow more distant, she suddenly revealed a breathtaking smile.

"Goodbye. Or rather—let us never meet again."

Her figure collapsed. At the same time, Aoko in the outside world opened her tightly shut eyes.

"I hereby declare."

She would release everything she had just obtained. What she had seen, what she had heard—she no longer remembered any of it. All that remained was the surging tumult in her heart. The obstacles had vanished, and at last, the girl parted the veil of magic.

The snow beneath her feet vanished, replaced by green earth. It was not melting ice and snow, nor the arrival of spring, but the landscape being overwritten by another.

Starlight dispelled the burden on her body. She no longer needed to consider the world's punishment; she only needed to unleash her own miracle with all her strength. The spell of magic gradually returned to her memory, and she cried out the words buried deep within her heart.

"I hereby declare in the name of I, who reveal order!"

"Let all return to order!"

A cyan whirlwind rose, and time came to a standstill. The green earth quietly changed. As far as the eye could see lay a sea of white flowers, wildflowers whiter than snow devouring the world's scenery like ripples spreading from a bloom.

"Order collapses here."

With the girl's resolute words, here and now, the Fifth Magic fully unfurled itself.

"It seems Aoko succeeded."

White flowers bloomed from the void. In the instant they vanished, he and Merlin appeared above the sea of flowers. The final puzzle piece had fallen into place, and Michael's plan was finally complete.

They were now in the Sea of Stars, the world's true inner layer—and the place Michael had wanted to reach. Only here could he obtain endless mana to awaken his cheat.

Secondary mana replenishment—awakening progress 13%, 14%, 15%...

A familiar sensation rose within him. In the outer layer of the world, where Mystery was gradually fading, it had taken a full two hundred years merely to bring the awakening progress to thirteen percent. Yet within the Sea of Stars, the progress bar, slower than a crawling turtle, had finally entered the fast lane.

66%, 67%...

Michael could feel himself seemingly connecting to some great existence. It possessed neither malice nor goodwill. Like the sun, whether or not one accepted it, it still shone its light.

98%, 99%, 100%. Awakening progress complete. Imperial Prototype Fifth Tier Star Core X-01 rebooting. Beginning self-diagnostic.

Warning: Secondary Star Spirit lost. Attempting to contact Secondary Star Spirit.

Warning: Eternal Fire engine damaged. Insufficient Origin Mana. Reconstruction failed.

Warning: Overall damage 76.33%. Insufficient Origin Mana. Repair failed.

Secondary body abandonment authority detected. Creating a new Secondary Star Spirit.

Insufficient Origin Mana. Creation failed. Activating contingency plan. In accordance with Article 132, Chapter 1 of the "First Order High Council Code," connecting to the current universe administrator.

Connection failed. In accordance with Article 621, Chapter 1 of the "First Order High Council Code," switching to connection with an Imperial authority holder.

Imperial affiliate discovered. Tier not yet activated. Contacting its affiliated Third Tier controller. Contact failed. In a semi-faded state within the Imperial sequence. Authority transfer initiated.

Authority One is in a different dimensional universe. Authority Two is dormant. In accordance with Article 768, Chapter 9 of the "First Order High Council Code," transferring highest authority to Authority Three.

Long live the Emperor!

"Long live the Emperor."

Michael murmured softly. An invisible passage connected his soul to that Star Core, and the crushing pressure nearly shattered his soul. It was an unbearable weight, like forcing a snake on Earth to swallow the entire universe.

The authority holder's soul has not yet undergone ascension. The Star Core will adjust according to the authority holder's soul strength. Operating at three millionths of minimum output.

His soul, on the verge of shattering, stabilized and reestablished its connection with the Star Core. Though Michael did not know what its minimum output was, the only thing he knew was that he was absurdly weak.

Though he was not among the first-rate ranks, Michael had considered himself at least second-rate. Yet according to this so-called Prototype Fifth Tier Star Core, he had not even activated a Tier.

And there was the Empire, the First Order High Council, authority holders, the Emperor... What were all these things? He could not understand them. He could only instinctively feel that his transmigration was not so simple.

What exactly was the truth behind his transmigration? Was the world that collided with Blue Star real? Could he truly return?

Uh... there was no need to return, anyway. His parents had died when he was young, he had no sister and no house, and he was doing pretty well here. Why go back?

Michael took a deep breath and suppressed the distracting thoughts in his heart. Now was not the time to consider such questions.

Authority successfully transferred to Michael Stefan Animusphere. Life ladder changing, adjusted from a semi-imaginary incomplete product to a Star Spirit.

Adjustment initiated. Insufficient Origin Mana. Adjustment failed. Entering slow adjustment procedure.

A subtle transformation was taking place within Michael's body. It was a leap in the level of his life. Even without fully succeeding, it still brought him comprehensive sublimation.

A whole new world unfolded before his eyes, and he could not help but gasp in amazement. His understanding of magecraft rapidly improved. Layer upon layer of magnificent starry skies appeared above his head, countless stars moving within them and explaining immutable truths.

His Celestial Magic had been raised to an extremely high realm, even transforming into a true miracle surpassing magic.

"I hereby declare."

Bathed in starlight, Michael's aura filled heaven and earth. The rules that formed the world became a crown floating above his head.

"Fate has been decreed."