Honkai Star Rail: Corruption System

The rain fell cold and silent, like the tear tracks of the deceased.

Acheron lifted her trembling hand, and finally, slowly, slowly, let it fall.

The movement carried a sense of fate, as if something intangible was being stripped from her soul.

The violent struggle deep within her crimson eyes had not completely subsided, but was instead overlaid by a deeper, more resolute will.

She took a small step forward, a step that weighed as much as a star.

Daziel's body instantly tensed, every muscle fiber letting out a silent scream.

Panic almost seared through and incinerated his consciousness.

He wanted to struggle, to escape this utterly absurd space of consciousness.

However, beneath Stelle's seemingly casual posture, an invisible and irresistible force emanated, pinning Daziel firmly in place, unable to move even a finger.

It was bizarre; in Daziel's own mindscape, it was always Stelle who called the shots.

Stelle's breath, carrying a strange fragrance, drew close to Daziel's ear. Her voice was as soft as a phantom's whisper, yet it held an undeniable command.

"Don't move, Master. For you, this might not necessarily be a bad thing, but a great opportunity. After it's over, I'll naturally release your restraints."

Daziel's jaw clenched, his lips moved, and rage collided wildly within his chest, but ultimately, it turned into powerless silence.

He only liked being on top, liked having the dominant role with women. This kind of forced play was really not to his taste.

But now, he could only watch helplessly as that figure symbolizing self-annihilation and nothingness approached him step by step.

Acheron's eyes, which had once shed tears of blood, were now unprecedentedly focused. Their target was the most vulnerable, most unbearable part of him at this moment.

Stelle stood aside with her arms crossed, a cruel, playful smile on her lips.

Her gaze, like the most precise probe, flickered back and forth between Daziel's embarrassment and Acheron's resolve.

As if admiring a dramatic, heart-pounding play that she had personally orchestrated.

But in the deepest part of that playful gaze, there was a hint of inquiry and verification of an unknown outcome that even she herself had not fully realized.

Acheron finally stopped in front of Daziel.

The distance was so short, so short that Daziel could clearly feel the unique aura of a Nihility walker from her.

And beneath that aura, the almost imperceptible trembling of her body due to this absurd situation.

As well as the soul-searing heat of shame from his own body.

Acheron didn't look at Daziel's flushed face, which was filled with humiliation.

Her gaze was lowered, like the most devout believer, staring at the forbidden land that Stelle had pointed to.

There, it was the most primitive, most savage symbol of life.

The faint light outlined its heart-stopping contour.

In this cold and merciless rain of consciousness, it actually radiated a faint, scorching heat belonging to a living thing.

Acheron's fingertips once again began to tremble violently and uncontrollably.

This time, it wasn't from fear or hesitation, but from a throb from the deepest part of her soul, one that had been suppressed for countless eons.

It was the most instinctive, most frenzied desire for the word "real."

It was the ultimate rebellion against the cold, dead silent, colorless IX Mechanism!

Slowly, as if in a ritual, she knelt.

Her solitary figure of black and white cast a dimmer, deeper shadow on the wet ground of consciousness.

Her movements were incredibly gentle, as if afraid of startling something.

Yet they also carried a resolve that would not hesitate even if it meant being utterly shattered.

Like a pilgrim lost for ages, finally touching the ethereal yet desperately craved miracle in her heart.

Even though this so-called miracle seemed so absurd and profane at this moment.

"…"

A grunt, suppressed to the extreme, was squeezed from the depths of Daziel's throat.

Although this wasn't the first time he had been forced to do this kind of thing—Kafka, Sparkle…

But every time it made him feel exceptionally uncomfortable.

The stiffness of his body reached an unprecedented peak, almost petrifying.

However, his controlled body made his other senses become abnormally, even pathologically, sharp.

He could perceive with incomparable clarity that the aura, carrying the slight chill of rain and a hint of almost imperceptible… emptiness and resolution, was constantly approaching.

In the next moment, a warm, unbelievably soft touch suddenly descended.

Extremely light, like the brush of a butterfly's wing.

Yet it was like a billion-volt thunderbolt, instantly piercing all his defenses, penetrating every nerve ending!

Daziel's eyes snapped open, his body trembling violently and uncontrollably!

An indescribable, never-before-experienced strange sensation, like a bursting flood, instantly swept through his limbs and even the depths of his soul!

Extreme shame, towering rage, and a hint of… a strange and trembling palpitation that even he himself couldn't understand…

Countless extremely complex emotions churned and exploded wildly in his chest, almost tearing him apart!

Acheron's movements were initially extremely clumsy, one could even say… awkward.

She couldn't compare to Asta, or even Lynx…

It wasn't comfortable.

Like a newborn baby who had just come into the world, bewildered by everything, she was using the most instinctive way to explore this bizarre, unknown world.

She kept her eyes tightly closed, entrusting everything to the instincts that had been silent for countless years, almost forgotten.

The tip of her tongue, with a barely perceptible tremble, cautiously extended.

Full of probing, full of bewilderment, and also full of do-or-die courage.

Finally, it touched that warm, unfamiliar territory.

Hum!

It was like a soft sound at the beginning of the universe, or the sound of some invisible barrier being suddenly shattered!

Something that had been silent within her for too long, so long it had almost completely vanished, with this touch, awakened with a roar!

A strange, completely indescribable taste, like the faintest yet most brilliant electric spark.

On her already numb, non-functional taste buds.

Suddenly exploded!

It wasn't the vague sweetness of peaches from her memory.

Absolutely not!

It was a… scent a thousand times more complex than peaches, so vivid it made one's soul tremble! With a slight metallic tang, like the sharpness of a newly forged divine weapon. Mixed with some indescribable salinity unique to the origin of life, like the call of the ancient ocean. And a hint… extremely faint, yet incomparably clear, like the freshness of a grassy field struck by lightning after a downpour?!

The taste was very faint, so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Yet it was incomparably clear, incomparably real, like the deepest brand in the universe!

Daziel felt the timid, trembling touch of her tongue on the head of his cock, and his entire body shuddered. The humiliation and rage still boiled, but beneath them, an electric current of pure lust began to surge—a goddamn traitor in his own body.

"Shit… she's terrible at this… but…" he thought, grinding his teeth.

Acheron's movements were, indeed, pathetically clumsy. She lacked Kafka's malice or Topaz's surprising technique. It was like watching a newborn trying to figure out a puzzle. She just licked the tip, hesitant, her eyes squeezed shut as if concentrating for a final exam.

But then, something changed.

That taste… that reality… flooded her soul. Nothingness was retreating! For the first time in eons, she felt. And she wanted more.

Her hesitation turned into a desperate hunger. The shyness gave way to a raw instinct. She no longer wanted just a taste; she wanted to drown in it.

Her lips, once trembling, closed around the head of Daziel's member. The contact was wet, hot, and unbelievably soft. For Daziel, it was like a shock. The groan he'd been holding back escaped, a low, guttural sound of mixed agony and pleasure.

Acheron's mouth was unbelievably tight. Not from technique, but from sheer inexperience. It was a raw, almost suffocating pressure. She began to move her head up and down, a short, robotic motion, still learning to breathe through her nose while doing it. The wet, obscene sound of her saliva mixing with his precum echoed in the silence of that mental space.

Gluck. Gluck.

"Fuck… this suction…" Daziel cursed internally, feeling the blood rush south, making his cock even harder and more throbbed. His body was reacting shamefully and uncontrollably.

Acheron, for her part, was in sensory ecstasy. The salty, musky taste filled her mouth, growing stronger. She could feel the texture of the skin, the veins pulsing against her tongue, the heat radiating from him. It was the most real thing she had ever experienced in centuries.

Driven by this overwhelming need, she opened her mouth wider and plunged down harder, without warning. The head of Daziel's cock hit the back of her throat.

"Hkk—!"

A gagging sound escaped her, her eyes flying wide in shock, tears instantly welling up. But it wasn't pain she registered. It was… more! An even more intense, more overwhelming sensation. Nothingness stood no chance against it.

Daziel felt the impact and nearly exploded right then and there. Her throat was incredibly narrow, tightening around him like a vise. He instinctively grabbed her silky black hair, not out of dominance, but to steady himself, to keep from losing control.

"Deepthroat… this damn girl… she doesn't even know what she's doing… But… Why is it so good?"

But she did. Not consciously, but her body, her soul, knew. To defeat Nothingness, she had to fill the void. And she filled it with him.

She pulled back, gasping, a string of saliva connecting her lips to his member. Her red eyes, now bright and alive, met his for a second. In them, there was no seduction, only a frenzied determination and a shocking vulnerability.

And then, she dove back in. And again.

Gluck… Hkk… Gluck…

She wasn't good at this. It wasn't sensual. It was desperate. Fierce. She was attacking his cock as if it were the source of life, the only thing that could save her from annihilation. Her teeth scraped him lightly now and then, and her gags were constant, but none of it mattered. The tightness of her throat, the way she tried to swallow every inch of him… it was the hottest thing Daziel had ever felt. The humiliation was gone, replaced by a pure, overwhelming lust.

"Fuck… Acheron…" he growled, her name escaping his lips for the first time.

Hearing her name seemed to break her last barrier. She stopped bobbing and just held her mouth at the bottom, at the base, sucking with all the force she had, her body trembling violently. Her small nose was crushed against his groin, his pubic hair brushing against her pale skin.

Daziel felt the final pressure building. He wasn't going to last.

"I'm gonna… Shit, I'm gonna cum!" he warned, his voice strained.

Acheron didn't stop. Maybe she didn't understand. Or maybe she didn't care. She just wanted more of that feeling.

With one last desperate tug on her hair, Daziel exploded. A hot, thick jet of cum shot directly into the back of her throat. And then another. And another. The volume was absurd, a consequence of the pent-up humiliation and excitement.

Acheron's eyes rolled back completely, showing only the whites. Her body went rigid, and she swallowed the first jet on pure reflex. But it was too much. The thick fluid began to leak from the corners of her lips, trickling down her chin. Bubbles of cum formed in her nostrils as she tried to breathe.

For ten long seconds, he continued to pulse inside her. She swallowed spasmodically, trying to contain the deluge, the overwhelming taste flooding all her newly awakened senses. It was salty, hot, alive. It was the absolute antithesis of Nothingness.

When Daziel finally regained his senses, he pulled out with a wet sound.

Pop.

Acheron collapsed to the ground, coughing and choking, her face a complete mess. Cum dripped from her lips and nose, her face was flushed, and her eyes, now coming back into focus, were filled with tears and a blinding, manic light. She was ruined. And she had never felt so alive.

She slowly lifted her head, her beautiful face still carrying a trace of daze and confusion. Her lips were stained with that crystal-clear, milky liquid. Under the reflection of the surrounding grotesque lights, it shimmered with a strange and bewitching luster.

She looked at Daziel, her eyes extremely complex, as if containing the birth and death of thousands of stars.

"This taste…"

Her voice was a bit hoarse, carrying the rawness and trembling of someone tasting the flavors of the world for the first time.

"…"

She seemed to be struggling to find the right words to describe this perception-subverting experience.

"It's a bit like… the sea breeze after a thunderstorm in my hometown, Izumo, blowing over rusted iron anchors, carrying a salty bitterness…"

The mischievous smile on Stelle's face deepened, like a child whose prank had succeeded, yet also like a god who saw through everything.

"Oh? It seems the effect is outstanding, isn't it?"

Her tone was light and easy, carrying a clear hint of smugness.

"How does it feel? Compared to that bland, tasteless broken peach in your memory, which is better?"

Acheron didn't immediately respond to Stelle's teasing.

She slowly stood up, her movements still a bit stiff, as if still adapting to this sudden return of "weight."

She raised her hand, her fingertips gently caressing her own lips.

The sensation there… had also become incomparably clear!

Her fingertips could clearly feel the softness, moisture, and temperature of her lips!

No longer the numbness and dullness as if through a thick fog!

She took a deep breath.

The cold, misty air rushed into her lungs.

Mixed with the unique damp-earth-like fragrance of this consciousness space.

And… from Daziel's body, that faint, masculine scent unique to men…

Smell!

Her sense of smell… had actually come back!

No longer an empty void, unable to distinguish any scent!

But a real world filled with various complex, real, even somewhat pungent smells!

Immediately after, like a chain reaction, was her hearing, which had once been fading!

The "pitter-patter" sound of the transparent raindrops hitting the invisible ground.

Stelle's almost inaudible breathing, tinged with a hint of teasing and playfulness.

Even the faint "swish" of Black Swan's silk veil rubbing against itself outside the void space.

And… Daziel's ragged, chaotic gasps, suppressed with shame and some strange emotion…

Everything, everything, became incomparably clear, incomparably real, pouring into her ears like a tide!

Then, the full recovery of her sense of touch!

The faint stinging sensation of cold raindrops hitting her exposed skin.

The sticky, cold, and somewhat heavy feeling of wet clothes clinging to her body.

The slippery yet solid feel of the ground under her feet.

The gentle tickle of the breeze blowing through the strands of hair on her forehead…

…

Her five senses, which had been stripped away by nothingness and sealed for who knows how many long years…

At this moment, in this absurdly bizarre situation, like a volcanic eruption, had all revived!!

Acheron stood there in a daze, her figure trembling slightly, as if struck by lightning from the heavens!

A huge, indescribable shock and ecstasy, like the Big Bang, instantly swept over and submerged her entire inner world!

She greedily felt it all, feeling the shape of the wind, the temperature of the rain, the scent of light, the color of sound…

Feeling the weight and beauty of "existence" itself!

Her eyes, completely uncontrollably, quickly became moist.

These were not tears of sorrow, but… an ecstasy and catharsis like being reborn after losing everything!

"How… how can this be?"

She murmured to herself, her voice trembling violently, as if it would shatter in the next second.

Her gaze suddenly shot towards Stelle, who had a look of watching a good show, her eyes filled with extreme confusion, disbelief, and a… hidden reverence.

"What on earth… is going on?!"

Why… why is it like this?!

Just… just by doing that… could it dispel the erosion of nothingness that had accompanied her for countless lonely years like maggots on a bone?!

Stelle shrugged lazily, her expression so relaxed it was as if she had just casually brushed off some dust.

"It's very simple, not complicated at all."

She explained slowly, her tone carrying an understanding that saw through to the very origin of things.

"Daziel's… ahem, his life origin, or you could say his 'yang energy,' contains an extremely powerful and pure life force."

"This kind of power has a natural restraining effect on dispelling various negative states, and the effect is outstanding."

"And you," Stelle's gaze turned to Acheron, "although the 'Nothingness' you are stained with from walking the Path of Nihility is of a very high rank and sounds intimidating."

"But in essence, it's just the highest level of a 'negative effect,' a curse of 'withering' on the existential level."

Stelle's gaze turned back to the flustered and disheveled Daziel, making up a nonsensical explanation with a straight face.

After all, she couldn't really tell Acheron about the existence of the System…

"So, the situation now is that he, completely unknowingly, even one could say very unwillingly, helped you dispel the nothingness on your body."

"Letting you experience the color and temperature of the 'real world' again."

"From the result, he has indeed done you a favor big enough to change your destiny."

A playful arc curved on Stelle's lips.

"Tsk tsk, think about it. You were about to draw your blade and cut him down without hesitation just now."

"And now… isn't it a bit… hmm? Unjustifiable?"

Acheron's gaze couldn't help but fall on Daziel again.

At this moment, Daziel was flushed, fumbling to pull up his pants, his movements clumsy and flustered.

His eyes darted around, not daring to meet anyone's gaze. Besides the lingering blush on his face, there was more of a post-disaster embarrassment and helplessness.

Compared to the burning humiliation and anger from before, he now looked a bit… pitiful?

Acheron was silent, a long silence, as if digesting this sudden, massive amount of information and the complex emotions churning within her.

After a long while, she faced Daziel and slowly, solemnly, bowed slightly.

This gesture, for her as an Emanator, was extraordinarily significant.

Her posture was so solemn, carrying a sincere apology and gratitude from the depths of her soul.

"Thank you."

Just two simple words, spoken from her lips that had regained their warmth.

Yet they seemed to contain a thousand words, carrying an indescribably complex gratitude.

And a hint of… a strange emotional fluctuation that even she herself hadn't sorted out.

Daziel was completely stunned by Acheron's sudden, solemn thanks, his body subconsciously shrinking back a little.

Then, an even stronger embarrassment washed over him like a tide.

He waved his hands hastily, his tone stumbling and extremely unnatural.

"…N-no need to thank me…"

"I… I didn't… didn't do it on purpose…"

He really didn't know how to respond to this bizarre situation before him.

Funnily enough, although he had shown a brutal side when facing Robin and Sparkle, when facing Acheron, he was as shy as a child!

Acheron slowly straightened up, her fingertips unconsciously caressing her own lips, the residual sensation still clear.

She took a deep breath. The cold rain mixed with the smell of earth, the rust of metal, and the faint masculine scent of Daziel rushed into her nostrils.

The world was no longer a monotonous grey and black, but filled with countless subtle yet vivid scents.

This long-lost richness almost made her dizzy.

Her regained five senses, like countless sharp little knives, pierced the thick cocoon that enveloped her soul, making her perception of this world unprecedentedly clear, sharp, and even tinged with a bit of pain.

But it was precisely this "reality" that made her more clearly realize that the war between herself and the all-devouring "Nothingness" was far from over.

This brief warmth was like a bonfire suddenly lit in an endless cold night.

It illuminated the path ahead, but also highlighted the boundlessness of the darkness.

She turned her head sideways, looking at the slightly uneasy Daziel beside her, a very complex hesitation flashing in her deep red eyes.

Finally, the desire for "reality" overwhelmed all hesitation.

"…"

Acheron's voice was very soft, carrying the rawness of someone tasting the sounds of the world for the first time, as if afraid to disturb this fragile gift.

"If… I still need help."

Her gaze unconsciously lowered, then quickly lifted again, looking directly into Daziel's eyes, where a faint light was reflected.

"Can I… come again… to seek your power?"

Between her words, there was a hint of hope that even she herself hadn't noticed, like a drowning person grasping for the last piece of driftwood.

"I am a… a Self-Annihilator cursed by 'Nihility.'"

Acheron's voice became heavy, each word as if having trekked laboriously from the past.

"My hometown… my world… a long time ago, completely perished under the gaze of IX."

"In order to fight against that destined end, I embarked on this journey with no visible end, searching for a way to sever the concept of 'Nihility'… The price is that my own existence is also gradually being eroded by nothingness, losing its color, losing its perception."

"Your appearance… your original power…"

She paused, as if searching for the right words, "has allowed me to see… a glimmer of light towards reaching the 'IX Mechanism.'"

Daziel was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

He looked at Acheron's deep red eyes, which had regained their spirit yet still held an endless loneliness.

Feeling the almost desperate determination in her words, and the rare vulnerability she now showed.

Rain slid down his forehead, bringing a cold touch.

He was silent for a moment, as if weighing the gravity of this request.

Finally, Daziel nodded, his voice steady.

"Of course, you can."

"If you really need it."

He was no saint, and even to achieve the so-called justice in his heart, he would sometimes show an almost extreme side. But facing such a seeker of the Way, who carried the pain of a world's destruction and struggled forward in despair.

He always felt an indescribable stir in his heart, perhaps a resonance from also being a "traveler."

Daziel's tone suddenly changed, his gaze sharpening.

"However, before that."

"Can you tell me."

"In the deepest part of the dreamscape, that place called 'Dreamflux Reef.'"

"What exactly… is hidden there, that you would obstruct me so?"

This was the core purpose of his trip, related to the past of the Astral Express crew, and also to the truth of Penacony.

At the mention of "Dreamflux Reef," Acheron's expression instantly became incredibly grave, as if a taboo had been touched.

The rain washed over her pale cheeks, making her look like a fragile porcelain doll.

"Dreamflux Reef…"

She slowly uttered these three words, her voice as deep as an echo from an abyss.

"That is a… a special place that even the power of 'Nihility' has difficulty eroding."

"It hasn't been assimilated by Nihility…"

Acheron's tone carried a deep wariness.

"But rather… it has been completely occupied by another, more terrifying power."

"The decadent music of Xipe, like an invisible spiderweb, fills every corner, every crack there."

"That is not true harmony, but a… coercive order that strips away individual will, making one indulge in sweetness and ultimately perish."

"Its power is all-pervasive, assimilating all who are different, making them one of Its thousand-person choir."

"Even I," Acheron took a deep breath, the cold of the rain seeming to calm her slightly, "dare not venture deep into it."

"The danger there is completely different from Nihility, yet… equally fatal, and even more treacherous."

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze drifting towards the gloomy sky in the distance, as if seeing something through the rain screen.

"I once promised someone…"

Acheron's voice carried a hint of imperceptible wistfulness.

"That I needed to… help your Astral Express crew out in Penacony."

"It's just that I never expected…"

She turned back to look at Daziel, a helpless, wry smile on her face. The rain had wet her eyelashes, like coalesced tears.

"That in turn, I would first owe you… such a huge favor."

Daziel understood upon hearing this.

He could, of course, guess that the "someone" Acheron mentioned was that respectable predecessor who had passed on the will of Trailblazing.

As for the "favor" Acheron now mentioned, he didn't take it to heart.

"Don't mind it."

Daziel's tone was calm yet carried an undeniable firmness, the rain outlining his resolute jawline.

"If we were to stop, or even turn back and give up, just because the path ahead is full of thorns and obstacles."

"Then that would not be in line with the spirit of Trailblazing passed down through generations of us 'Nameless.'"

Acheron stared at Daziel and asked in return, "Tell me, why do you insist on going deeper? Is it just for the so-called legacy and wealth hidden by the Clockmaker?"

Daziel met her gaze and responded frankly, "To us Nameless, that is not just wealth, but the precious relics of a former partner of the Astral Express. We have a responsibility to find it, to let the soul of a Trailblazer rest in peace… Besides that,"

"There is also the matter of uncovering the filthy truth behind 'The Family' in this golden dreamland. On this point, I think you, who walks in the shadows, probably know no less than I do."

Acheron quietly looked at Daziel.

Looked at the frankness and determination on his face, completely unconcealed.

The cold rain had wet the tips of his hair, water droplets sliding down his cheeks.

But his eyes were still bright, like stars piercing through dark clouds, emitting a scorching light.

At this moment, Acheron, in a trance, seemed to see another figure in Daziel.

A… stooped old man, also burdened with a heavy past, trudging along yet never stopping.

A… Nameless, who also, without hesitation, burned himself out to let the sacrificed rest in peace.

That resolve, that persistence of going forward even if thousands were against him.

Across time and space, at this moment, bore such a striking resemblance.

Acheron's gaze couldn't help but become somewhat distant and complex.

About that Astral Express, about that old man's two former companions, about that trailblazing journey that was stopped by a terrifying swarm disaster and sealed in the Memory Domain… about his narrow escape from death, and his encounter with the Galaxy Rangers…

And that hometown he could never return to—Penacony.

Countless fragmented memories seemed to flash and intertwine before her eyes through Daziel's figure.

The sound of the rain pattered, washing away the residual aura of nothingness in this deep dreamscape, and also, it seemed, washing away the imprints of time.

Acheron stared at Daziel, her deep red eyes, which had regained their spirit, reflecting an indescribable emotion.

She murmured softly, with a deep apology and an unshakable helplessness.

"Since that is the case, then continue forward on the path you believe to be correct."

Rain dripped silently from the tips of her black hair, sinking into the wet ground at her feet, the sound so faint it was almost inaudible.

"I'm very sorry… I'm afraid that in Penacony, I cannot become the… sharp blade for you to cut through this illusory dream."

Daziel's brow instantly furrowed, a clear look of incomprehension on his face.

"Why? What's going on now?"

He was very surprised. Given the power Acheron had shown and her identity, she should have been the most crucial link in breaking the stalemate in Penacony.

A very faint, bitter smile graced the corner of Acheron's lips, like a petal fluttering powerlessly in a bleak wind and rain, gone in a flash.

"The 'head' of The Family… personally sought me out."

Her voice lowered, carrying a heavy sense of inescapable fate.

"It 'invited' me… to leave Penacony as soon as possible."

"Frankly, I also didn't expect my identity… to be exposed so quickly."

"It seems this so-called 'Planet of Festivities' cannot tolerate a 'Self-Annihilator' puppet like me, who symbolizes 'nothingness,' after all."

"Those who live in the shadows, in the end, cannot walk onto that brightly lit stage built on lies."

She turned her face slightly, as if unwilling to let Daziel see her complex expression at this moment, her gaze cast towards the dreamscape outline blurred by the rain screen in the distance.

"My coming to this deep dreamscape to wait for you and tell you these things… in itself, is already breaking the rules."

"After I finish telling you this… I must leave."

Daziel, hearing this, felt a wave of turmoil in his heart, mixed with a bit of incredible shock.

This was a huge departure from his previous speculation.

"I thought… you would have agreed to Aventurine's plan and reached some secret agreement with the Corporation."

Daziel said thoughtfully, "At least… you would have symbolically cut him once, using your 'Emanator'-level power to forcibly tear an irreparable breach in Penacony's dreamscape structure."

"And only then be forcibly 'invited' out by The Family…"

Acheron shook her head gently, the rain sliding down her smooth black hair, wetting the thin clothes on her shoulders.

"The so-called 'Emanator ambushed,' 'Interastral Peace Corporation executive deceased,' is indeed a good excuse that can be used to cover up many things, but…"

She looked towards that deeper, more dangerous area in the distance, her eyes as deep as an ancient well.

"But it's far from enough."

"Even if one or two horrific murders really happened in Penacony."

"It would ultimately only affect a very small number of people who know the inside story. It would not be enough to stir up a real wave capable of shaking the foundation of the entire beautiful dream."

"…"

Acheron's tone became exceptionally grave, carrying an unprecedented wariness. "Now it seems, my not drawing my blade on the surface of Penacony, not letting anyone enter Dreamflux Reef, is perhaps… the best choice."

Her words seemed to carry a bone-chilling cold, making the surrounding rain feel even colder.

"In that 'Land of the Exiled' that The Family is trying so hard to cover up… the sleeping, surging Sins of Desire and impulses are simply too many, and too terrifying."

"That is a place where all the forbidden sounds, all the desire-emotions and dregs that have been exiled, devoured, and assimilated by 'The Harmony' for an Amber Era have accumulated."

"If I really, regardless of everything, completely split open this false dreamscape barrier…"

Acheron's voice trembled slightly, as if foreseeing that terrifying scene.

"The filth and madness accumulated for an Amber Era… would be instantly released like a flood from an opened dam!"

"The consequences…"

"Would be unimaginable."

Daziel's heart suddenly clenched. He clearly felt the mountain-like weight in Acheron's words, and that fear from the depths of her soul.

"Is it… that serious?"

That sounded far more horrifying than the threat of "The Family" itself.

Acheron suddenly turned her head, her gaze as sharp as a blade, stabbing directly at Daziel.

"I am not joking, Daziel."

Her tone was firm and resolute, carrying an undeniable warning.

"Not letting you, and your companions, step into that Land of the Exiled, is also for your own good."

The solemnity and warning in her eyes were incomparably clear.

Stelle, who had been silently watching like an outsider, suddenly let out a light laugh of ambiguous meaning.

Like a stone thrown into a deep pool, it broke the momentary solemn atmosphere.

Stelle walked to Daziel's side, extended her fair fingers, and seemingly casually patted his shoulder.

"You can rest a hundred and twenty percent assured. I'm here watching."

Her tone carried her usual ease and confidence, as if everything was under control.

"He, ah, won't be easily polluted by those messy things."

Stelle's gaze then turned to Acheron, a hint of elusive playfulness in the depths of her eyes.

"However…"

She drew out her tone, with a bit of teasing.

"His other women, well… that's not necessarily the case, you know?"

Hearing this, Acheron was slightly taken aback. A look of pure confusion flashed clearly in her deep red eyes, which had regained their spirit.

"…What do you mean?"

She clearly didn't understand this suggestive, even somewhat provocative, statement from Stelle.

A look of unconcealable annoyance instantly appeared on Daziel's face. He raised his hand and rubbed the space between his eyebrows forcefully.

The cold rain wet the back of his hand, bringing a chill, but it couldn't extinguish the anxiety welling up in his heart.

He sighed heavily, his voice carrying an undisguisable worry and a hint of urgency.

"Among the companions traveling with us…"

Daziel's voice was a bit dry, as if trying very hard to choose his words, or perhaps confirming a cruel fact.

"There is one person…"

He paused for a moment. The air seemed to freeze at this moment, leaving only the sound of rain hitting the ground, exceptionally clear.

"I'm afraid right now… she has already entered that… Land of the Exiled."

The sound of rain, the sound of wind, all seemed to bizarrely stop at this moment.

Time seemed to be frozen.

The calm and helplessness on Acheron's face, which had just stabilized, like a mirror struck by a heavy hammer, instantly shattered!

Shock! Disbelief!

Her deep red eyes, which had just regained their brilliance and reality, suddenly widened to their absolute limit! Her pupils contracted sharply!

"Wha—at?!"

Her voice suddenly rose, so sharp it was almost out of tune, filled with an uncontrollable horror and panic!

The "reality" she had just regained, at this moment, not only did not bring comfort, but instead made her lose some of her former composure, making her feel even more clearly, more painfully, that the crisis was approaching with unstoppable momentum, imminent!

Acheron stared intently at Daziel, her eyes urgent, as if wanting to see through him, eagerly awaiting confirmation, or… denial.

___

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