"It is not yet time." Firefly shook her head. "You shouldn't know this much, lost Self-Annihilator."

"I've said it before… My memory isn't very good, so you don't need to worry. What's next? Stelle was taken away by Black Swan. Are you going to look for her?"

"There's no need… It doesn't hurt to tell you. In Penacony, the only instruction Elio gave me was—'Make the Astral Express chase the grand legacy together'." Firefly paused. "The Astral Express is not your enemy. If your target is the The Clockmaker's Legacy, go investigate the Family. They not only covered up the existence of 'Death' but also buried the past and truth of the dreamscape."

"I am already doing so." Huangquan turned to leave. "Before we part ways, let me offer you a piece of advice—"

"No matter what ending you and I walk toward, death (Nihility) is always the destined finale. Even if we say 'farewell' in the mortal world, when Terminus ascends to godhood once more, we will still have one final reunion—in Penacony, this is also true."

"...I have already been to Dreamflux Reef. This isn't a secret that's hard to uncover," Firefly said.

Huangquan did not look back. Her sigh was light, like a breeze sweeping across this silent dream: "...Then, it is a pity that you do not yet know how 'lucid' you are. It is precisely because life dares to slumber that they can wake up."

Firefly watched Huangquan's receding back: "'Ascends to godhood once more'—even if she (Huangquan) is an Emanator, she shouldn't…"

Shinigami.

"Terminus… To actually mention It again, it's a bit strange."

Shunsui Kyoraku furrowed his brows slightly, feeling that the name "Terminus" had been mentioned a bit too frequently lately.

"Strange?" Tōshirō looked at him in puzzlement.

"Yeah." Shunsui Kyoraku sighed. "Huangquan just mentioned that Terminus 'ascended to godhood once more', but the strange thing is, isn't Terminus an Aeon? Why would there be a saying of 'ascending to godhood once more'? Could it be that, like Fuli, It hasn't been born yet? Furthermore, similar ascensions to godhood didn't just happen once, but several times?"

There were simply too many questions all at once. Shunsui Kyoraku put down the wine bowl in his hand and vigorously massaged the space between his eyebrows.

"If it's similar to Fuli, then there should be countless divine body fragments like the 'Anāsrava Pure One' in the universe, devouring each other until one ultimately emerges victorious and ascends to godhood." Tōshirō shook his head. "But so far, there has been no mention of Terminus having similar divine body fragments."

"No, I don't think so."

"You think Terminus's divine body fragments have appeared?" Tōshirō was slightly stunned.

"No, it's why should we rigidly apply 'Fuli's' situation to Terminus? 'Remembrance' is like a seed that slowly takes root and sprouts, but 'Finality' is not. What if there exists a juvenile form of an Aeon that slowly grows over time and ultimately ascends to the divine throne?"

"A juvenile form of an Aeon… Does such a thing really exist?"

"I'm not sure either. Just like how 'The Propagation' ascended to godhood amidst loneliness and fear, the emergence of Aeons may or may have not logic. But what Huangquan mentioned was Terminus 'ascending to godhood', rather than birth… Can we understand it as: the primordial Aeon entity similar to the Anāsrava Pure One has already appeared, but because it hasn't walked far enough down the Path of 'Finality', it has yet to become a god."

【The distant past surfaced once more...】

【Firefly sat in the passenger seat of the sports car. She and Blade were dressed in formal suits, looking as though they were attending a grand gala.】

【"After today, Jepella's name will vanish from the history of the galaxy, and the Everflame Mansion will take its place, receiving an invitation in the near future—"】

【"The Land of Dreams, Penacony."】

【Blade rested his hands on the steering wheel and said calmly, "I wish you find the answers you want there… Or, release."】

【"Thank you, and I also hope—"】

【Before she finished speaking, Firefly's pocket suddenly buzzed.】

【"Eh… A call? At a time like this—"】

【Kafka's voice came from the other end of the line: "You can refuse him. You know what I'm talking about."】

【"But Elio said that I am the most suitable candidate."】

【Blade raised an eyebrow: "A candidate? Elio has finally reached a conclusion?"】

【Firefly nodded: "Mhm, he said he has seen through the fourth destiny and there will be no other accidents. He also chose me as the 'Last Survivor', just like Stelle."】

【"Which Path is it?"】

【"'Nihility'. After it submerges everything, I must become the last remaining survivor, exhausting everything to turn the tide."】

【Kafka let out a deep sigh. Even though she intentionally concealed it, the pity in her voice could still be heard: "How cruel."】

【"However, it's slightly different from the other three. Before that, there are other things I need to keep in mind," Firefly said. "As long as it's possible, I must prevent Stelle from being tainted by the power of 'Nihility', even by a fraction. After everything she bears is not only heavier, but also more precious."】

【Kafka repeated meaningfully: "'As long as it's possible'—that's a bit vague."】

【"I think, when necessary… Even if I must die for it, I cannot run away."】

One Piece.

"Nihility submerging everything… Wait, won't a crisis similar to Iron Tomb appear once again?!!"

Nami's face instantly lost all color, and her hands grew cold. The fear brought by Iron Tomb back then swept over her like a tidal wave. That gigantic figure capable of shielding the Celestial Screen, the stars destroyed by its single gunshot, the overwhelming red light, and that sense of powerlessness, watching helplessly as the long spear fell into despair…

"Nami, calm down."

Zoro gently patted her shoulder, and Nami shuddered violently all over, gradually snapping out of her memories.

"You're too nervous. The disaster caused by 'Nihility' hasn't happened yet," Zoro said. "Besides, according to Elio's intentions, Firefly is probably acting in Cyrene's former position, serving as the one who reverses everything, using her to negate the disaster triggered by 'Nihility'."

"However, she is just a Glamoth Iron Cavalry…" Nami tilted her head up to look at Firefly sitting in the passenger seat within the Celestial Screen, where the cracks of Entropy Loss Syndrome were spreading along her cheek. "She is indeed strong, but not strong enough to reverse all of this, right? She's just a Pathstrider after all; how could she fight against Nihility single-handedly?"