The next morning.
Jing Yan felt refreshed and invigorated.
Though Belobog's weather was cold, it felt as though he were basking in a spring breeze.
He had once again spent the night resting at Natasha's clinic.
At one point, Natasha had even come over to tuck him in.
By the time he got up, Natasha had risen even earlier and was waiting beside him.
"Jing Yan, there's something I need to ask you." Natasha's expression was solemn.
Jing Yan paused, then replied, "Go ahead, Natasha."
Natasha smiled. "The stone you gave me was examined, and it seems to carry the power of an Aeon. That's why people feel cheerful when they're near it."
"Other than that, though, it's just an ordinary stone, and it doesn't seem to be from a particularly ancient ruin."
"That might sound contradictory, but perhaps it isn't. For example..."
"Could you have created it with the power of your Path?" Natasha asked.
Jing Yan paused. He hadn't expected Natasha to be so clever. She had guessed the origins of the Emotion Stone he'd given her almost exactly right. But he didn't answer directly.
"What's wrong? From your expression, it seems like you already had an answer in mind." Natasha looked at him in surprise.
"So, what exactly is your Path?" Natasha couldn't help asking.
Even though many people had wanted to ask him that before—or already had—Jing Yan had never given them a straight answer.
"My Path?"
"Eros!" Jing Yan answered honestly.
He replied this way because her affection for him was already nearing 90%. At a time like this, he had no intention of lying to his potential follower.
"Eros?"
Natasha paused.
She had never imagined a Path like that could exist.
After all, each Path corresponded to an Aeon.
If there was a Path called Eros in the universe, then there should be an Aeon associated with it.
But...
Why had she never heard of such a legend?
Of course, the people of Belobog were different from the people of the Astral Express. Their access to information was much more limited.
Most people spent their entire lives without ever leaving this planet.
Even in the planet's history, before it was covered in ice and snow, plenty of interstellar travelers had visited.
The Antimatter Legion and the Masked Fools had also come here, among others.
But...
The local mythology was about a war that had taken place a thousand years ago.
It told of a mythical war between the eleven nations of the Perun people and the Veles army.
Many believed the war had been won because a being called Spring God Yarilo had blessed them.
The planet Yarilo-VI was named after him, though the name had been given by the Interastral Peace Corporation.
There was even a book called Spring God and War God Yarilo that recorded the ancient myths.
According to the story,
Perun, the supreme guardian of the Pantheon a thousand years ago, wielded the power of lightning to fight demons.
His opponent was a god called Veles, the God of War. The two battled each other.
And Yarilo was Perun's tenth son.
In any case, the concepts of Aeons and Paths only emerged after the mythological war, when the mining civilization began to develop.
Trade commissioners from the Interastral Peace Corporation came for Geomarrow, an energy ore, and the planet benefited greatly from that trade.
It also brought other cultural ideas, such as the Aeons and the Architects who believed in the Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth.
Unfortunately, disaster struck thirty years into the Foundation Era—or seven hundred years ago.
The destruction represented by the Stellaron reached this planet, and the Antimatter Legion followed.
Using their technological prowess, the Architects built enormous machines called Engines of Creation, originally meant for building cities, along with a staggering number of small Mechanical Vanguard units to fight the enemy.
In the end, only after the former Supreme Guardian made a deal with the Stellaron and called forth the Frost Wave did they defeat the Antimatter Legion. But that only sent the people of this planet into another abyss.
As a researcher, Natasha knew more about cultural history than most people, so the origin of this Aeon of Eros puzzled her.
"This belief is so rare that even I've never heard of it."
Natasha stared at him in a daze.
"That's normal," Jing Yan replied calmly.
"But it really does exist, and I'm a follower of this Path. I'm destined to become its Emanator."
As he spoke, Jing Yan didn't reveal that he was an Aeon.
"This power really is quite unusual," Natasha admitted after thinking it over.
"But can it really..." Natasha wanted to ask whether Jing Yan's power could resolve the crisis of the Stellaron.
After all, Svarog, now under Jing Yan's control, had sent the records from the past to several Underworld leaders, letting them understand the root of everything.
That made their goal perfectly clear.
"Don't worry."
Jing Yan smiled.
He couldn't say he was completely certain, but he did have some confidence.
That was because he had already tried using his power to affect the Stagnant Shadows brought about by the Fragmentum.
Now, all the Stagnant Shadows in the Underworld were under Jing Yan's control.
The power of Destruction within them had been covered over and replaced by his power of Eros.
He could also absorb that power, at least to some extent.
So even if he couldn't devour the Stellaron right away, he could use his divine power to suppress it.
Of course, it seemed he could only absorb and convert the power within it at a limited rate.
Even so, that was enough for Jing Yan.
Besides, he had powerful allies at his side, including Svarog, Seele, and the three members of the Astral Express. Himeko and Welt Yang were also aboard the Astral Express, far out in space.
They weren't just sitting around up there.
If anything happened, they could provide support from above immediately.
"We're sure to win this battle," Jing Yan said with a smile.
"Really?"
"Then let's hook fingers and make a promise?" Natasha said, sounding a little more certain.
Jing Yan smiled.
"Natasha, why are you still acting like a kid? Are you that worried about me?"
"I told you it'll be fine, so it'll be fine."
With that, Jing Yan left the clinic.
From his gaze, Natasha could see how serious he was, and she felt reassured.
"Okay, I believe you!" Natasha called after him.
Outside the clinic, Jing Yan met up with the others and headed for the Upper District.
They had returned to the Upper District. For some of them, it was a long-awaited reunion.
"The sunlight is so beautiful!" Seele said, shielding her eyes.
"If I can fight beneath this sunlight until my very last moment, I'll have no regrets!" Seele said.
Jing Yan was at a loss for words.
"You're overthinking it. There's no need for that at all."
Before you continue