CHAPTER 276: SPARKLE: WHAT IS ELATION? HEHE, I AM ELATION

Fists of crimson, formed from the Principle of Destruction entwined with the power of the Path, rained down on Noah—each powerful enough to easily obliterate tens of thousands of galaxies.

Although Nanook was considered small in size among the Aeons, he was still far larger than Noah.

Noah’s true body, while able to shift its form at will, was inherently the size of a regular human. Compared to those massive fists, he was no more than a speck—a bacterium.

Noah pressed his palms together, and a crisp clapping sound echoed.

Clap!

[Hope itself is the intelligent lifeform’s longing for a beautiful possibility.]

[There are no absolutes in this world. No matter how small the probability, if it exists, then it is real.]

[Hope is choosing the most beautiful future among infinite possibilities and minuscule odds.]

The Principle of Hope belonged to the side of the Human Principle. It was the hand that turned the dial of fate.

How fitting, for the Heavenly Principle was originally a being that played with fate.

Hope was one of the most favorable branches of fate.

This tied into probability theory. No matter how small the odds, once hope appeared, the dial of fate would point to the most advantageous outcome—and bring it to fruition.

The Principle of Hope and the Path of Hope activated in an instant, spreading across more than half the universe.

"Destruction? Heh... To all intelligent lifeforms in the universe, destruction is merely the prologue to the emergence of hope. Destruction will inevitably be pierced by hope."

The moment Hope’s Path and Principle touched the universe, Nanook’s Destruction could no longer affect anything under the influence of Noah’s will.

Over half of the Star Rail Universe was bathed in a faint golden glow from Hope’s Path.

Countless planets and civilizations looked up at the stellar spectacle in awe.

Meanwhile, the major cosmic powers were desperately using special individuals to divine and observe the shifting trends of the universe.

...

Noah condensed the Principle of Hope into a fine sword and thrust it toward Nanook.

Battles between Aeons weren’t flashy.

In fact, they were extremely straightforward—pure collisions of Principles and Laws, Paths ripping and devouring each other.

However, devouring Paths required commonality. Otherwise, it was merely a tearing of Paths, the shattering of divine bodies.

Nanook, whose arms had already been severed by Aha, lashed out toward Noah.

In confrontations of Principle, outcomes were often decided in an instant.

Within ten exchanges, over a dozen fresh, unhealable wounds had already appeared on Nanook’s divine body.

Crack!

The fine sword pierced straight through Nanook’s neck. The sound was like shattered porcelain. His head was severed from his body.

Golden divine blood spilled into the depths of the cosmos.

Noah sneered coldly and casually swung again.

Fighting someone like Nanook didn’t even require his full attention.

The Aeon of Destruction might sound impressive, but in truth, both his Principle and Path were enveloped by another greater Law and Path.

If that greater Principle and Path wanted to destroy Nanook, it would happen in an instant.

The Principle of Destruction belonged to the Omega side, while the Principle of Finality was the one closest to Omega—a superior of Destruction.

Terminus simply had no interest in Destruction. Otherwise, Nanook would’ve long ceased to exist.

As for Noah—it was like dealing with a baby.

Nanook realized he was completely outmatched and attempted to retreat.

But how could Noah possibly let him leave so easily?

Where would his dignity go?

The fine sword formed from the Principle of Hope continued to pierce and shatter Nanook’s divine body.

Crack, crack, crack...

The sound of shattering echoed across the cosmos. Nanook’s body exploded like a smashed ceramic vase, scattering into fragments.

Divine blood burst like fireworks.

[I think, therefore I am.]

After effortlessly shattering Nanook’s divine body, Noah didn’t hesitate to use the Power of Beginning Without End to tear off a portion of the Path of Destruction.

Seeing this, Nanook’s Path Resonance ignited in a frenzy—and he vanished from Noah’s sight in an instant.

If he didn’t flee now, he feared he would fall at the hands of this Aeon of Hope.

The moment Nanook disappeared, the power of the Principle and Path of Destruction instantly receded.

"Even more of a clown than Aha." Noah held an orange-red halo in his palm.

This halo was the portion of the Principle of Destruction and Path of Destruction he had torn from Nanook.

"Heh... Aeon of Destruction, now let’s see who I’ll grant this Path fragment to as your replacement."

With that, he stored away the incomplete Principle and Path of Destruction.

Noah’s figure gradually faded.

This grand battle between Aeons had been witnessed by many powerful entities.

After Noah vanished, a jester wearing a clown mask quietly poked his head out from four-dimensional space.

"Hehehe, a battle between Aeons... I wonder what kind of price the major factions will offer for this footage?"

"Of course, I’m fine with not taking money. The whole universe will go mad over this, ehehe."

"And the divine blood of the Aeon of Destruction—finally, I’ve collected more divine blood again."

"Ever since the Aeon of Joy injured the Aeon of Destruction, the wine brewed from that divine blood almost sold out. Finally, new stock has arrived—hehehehe."

"Collect it quickly, quickly!"

"Then I’ll sell the intercepted footage for fun."

Noah glanced at him casually but paid no mind, allowing them to spread it.

To him, this was actually a good thing.

This guy was the Masked Fool devoted to Elation—an Emanator, and an extremely powerful one at that, already comparable to a Supreme God of Teyvat.

Noah actually remembered this Masked Fool.

He had once opened a mysterious tavern called "World’s End."

Its clientele consisted of some of the most powerful beings in the universe.

Those who followed the Path of Elation were inherently bizarre.

Don’t assume that walking the Path of Elation meant they worshiped Aha. Most didn’t care about Aha at all—not even Aha’s own Emanators.

At that moment, the entire universe was frantically analyzing the recent clash between Aeons.

The major powers were still gripped in shock, unable to recover.

Meanwhile, Noah had already arrived at a space tavern in the Asdana star system, near the planet Penacony.

His first target for this campaign was located here.

His gaze happened to meet that of a lively twin-tailed girl skipping through the space corridor. He smiled.

"Heh~ Let’s see if you can seize this opportunity, girl."

Noah gazed toward the far end of the space corridor, where a lively twin-tailed girl was hopping rhythmically in his direction. Her expression was manic yet cheerful, a carefree, quirky girl. The corner of his mouth slightly curled.

Casually, he took a seat by the window in the space tavern and waved over a waiter, ordering a milk tea and a fruit wine.

His eyes momentarily left the cute girl and surveyed the exotic surroundings.

Though civilizations in the universe were separated by vast distances, the Star Rails laid down by the Aeon of Trailblaze, Akivili, had connected galaxies, planets, and worlds throughout the universe. So perceptually, they didn’t feel far apart.

It was akin to Mars being far from Earth, but if a space train could reach it in an hour or two, then it felt quite close to most beings.

Thanks to the Star Rails, many service stations dotted these routes—space eco-hotels, space restaurants, car-wash planets, energy-refueling stars, and more. Most of these service stations were built and monopolized by major factions.

The largest monopoly was the so-called controller of the universe’s economic lifeline, issuer of the universal currency, and governing body of interstellar trade: the Interastral Peace Corporation.

The second-largest faction was the Family that worshiped Xipe, the Aeon of Harmony.

Of course, those two powers couldn’t truly monopolize all trade routes. Most businesses were operated by various other factions, large and small.

Still, nearly all of them had investment from the Interastral Peace Corporation.

After all, as long as they used the Corporation’s issued credit points, they were bound to be under the Corporation’s control to some extent, and would be forced to hand over shares.

The Corporation simply let others do the work while reaping part of the rewards—a textbook capitalist.

Currently, they were in the Asdana Galaxy, where business was dominated by the Family.

The space tavern Noah sat in was Family-owned. The Interastral Peace Corporation had long sought to enter Asdana.

Although most Aeons didn’t care about the factions that worshiped them, those factions had effectively formed divine groups under the Aeons’ influence.

Powerful Pathstriders, despite having strength disproportionate to their lifespan, were already equivalent in power to gods in some small and medium universes.

Especially Emanators—their power level was quite abstract.

Emanator wasn’t a cultivation realm, but an identity.

Still, the difference between an Emanator and an ordinary Pathstrider was immense.

An Emanator could directly borrow the power of the Path itself.

Among existing Emanators, the weakest were equivalent to True Gods of Teyvat, while the strongest approached Supreme God level.

As for Primordial Gods, no Emanator had yet reached that level.

After all, Primordial Gods operated at a cosmic-structure scale—practically half an Aeon in strength.

Some could even go toe-to-toe with Aeons for a few exchanges.

Of course, not all Pathstriders were weaker than Emanators. Many Pathstriders could unleash attacks capable of destroying entire star systems.

Noah swirled his fruit wine slightly and looked at the lively twin-tailed girl now skipping closer.

She wore a red kimono-like outfit. Her fair legs were bare, her feet tapping rhythmically on the floor.

Golden bells tied to her ankles jingled crisply with each step, effortlessly drawing attention.

A small plum blossom emblem was stamped on her smooth shoulder.

The blossom matched the pink hue of her eyes. Pink teardrop-shaped moles adorned the corners of her eyes, giving her a seductive yet youthful look.

She exuded a paradoxical charm—both alluring and innocent.

Her bouncing twin tails only added to her vivacious cuteness.

A fox mask perched on her head further amplified her contradictory appeal.

Mhmhmhm~ Mhm~ Hmhm~

Sparkle hummed a cheerful tune, tapping the floor rhythmically beneath her feet, completely unfazed by the gazes of those around her.

A Masked Fool like her, radiating such captivating energy, naturally drew every eye the moment she entered.

"Hehe~ Who would’ve thought the Planet of Festivities, the chicken-wing boy from the Oak Family of Penacony, would personally commission a Masked Fool like me to attend the Charmony Festival?"

"Hmm~ The Family—no, the chicken-wing boy... just what is he plotting?"

"There’s still half a system year left before the Charmony Festival begins~ Hmm~ I smell a whiff of conspiratorial delight~"

"Let’s hope you won’t disappoint Sparkle~ Miss Sparkle came all the way to Asdana, after all~"

"But hey~ even if it’s not as fun as I imagined, this trip has already been worth it."

Sparkle’s peach blossom eyes turned to gaze out the floating window of the space hotel, staring into the cosmic void.

"Though I don’t know exactly what happened, a cosmic spectacle this extravagant must mean something major just went down—something even I don’t know about."

"And since it’s a big deal, then as a Masked Fool, naturally I can’t be absent, ehehe."

"A cosmic spectacle is bound to attract curious hearts. And then... what secrets will they unearth, I wonder?"

"Miss Sparkle is so very excited~"

Her cheerful little steps came to a stop as she entered the space hotel, speaking to herself.

"I have to admit, the taverns operated by the Family really are better than those from the Interastral Pay-Up Corporation."

"Taverns here don’t just have wine, they have fruit juice, milk tea, snacks too. How fun~ Miss Sparkle gives the little wings a thumbs-up."

Just as she was about to wave down a server, a voice called out from the corner by the window.

"Hey, Fool over there. I’ve got your favorite milk tea. Come have a chat."

Sparkle blinked and looked over.

There sat an extraordinarily handsome man—the most handsome she had ever seen. No, he was divine in his beauty.

A moment later, she came back to her senses. As a Masked Fool, she was always ready to embrace the unexpected. Any surprise was fate’s delightful gift.

Sparkle gave a sweet smile. Her voice bounced with joy, instantly revealing her as a mischievous little gremlin.

"Ayaa~ Is this handsome young man calling me?"

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