The differences between Earth and Xianzhou were miles apart. Things that would not be noticed by the former would fall onto the latter's radar. The impending influence of an Aeon was one such case.
{Reminder. An incoming complex information bearing the concept of Hunt is predicted to strike this area. The estimated destruction range totals fifty million kilometers.}
The earlier space warfare was completely overturned by the sheer number of Borisin packs. The forward teams sent by the two Xianzhou Flagships, Yuque and Luofu, started falling under their swarm tactics.
Without them, the Flagship under attack, Fanghu, started battling the surviving borisins who crashed onto it. It was the closest to the frontlines, and as such, suffered the most cruel fate.
Several ships were boarded by these werewolf-looking monsters before the pilots and other combatants started fighting with them onboard. Both sides had means to survive in space, thus it was turned into a melee.
Needless to say, the army of Abundance far outnumbered them.
'Their arrows, I see…'
Aleph knew the decision to 'attack' wasn't a mindless one. It was purely done to keep the Borisin packs in one place. By the time Lan's Lux Arrows fall and disintegrate them, they wouldn't be able to do anything but die.
Of course, the sacrifice of those at the frontlines was a necessity. That was how it ended based on his knowledge.
With the sacrifice of 120,000 and a portion of Fanghu, they were able to turn the tides and win the Third Abundance War.
Rumble-!
The shaking of the ground occurred for the nth time. Aleph saw numerous ships crashing straight into various parts of Fanghu. The loud explosions and the hectic flow of people added to the chaos.
Everyone who came across him ran as if he wasn't there. There are some people who ran through him, only for them to pass on his body.
This was the next level of Sphere Boundary. It adhered to the concept of being "one with the world". Aleph could make it so that the 'world' (i.e., him) does not intersect with another world (i.e., outside world).
By then, removing his 'existence' momentarily was nothing but a trifle—something he was demonstrating now.
Just then, he stopped to look at a certain point of the dark void. His eyes reflected a planet-sized being gravitating towards the flagship he was standing on.
"Tsk, tsk. Another planet. Do I have some animosity against them..?"
It was a living planet whose surface was filled with numerous black branches. It was an eerie sight to begin with, not to mention how it was gravitating towards the planet-sized Fanghu.
Aleph felt the increasing despair of the people on-board. A glint passed his eyes as he finally enacted his plan.
"Let me see how it would look…" He muttered before continuing, "My Path."
The translucent light in his fingertips flickered before disappearing to the night sky, followed by Aleph's disappearance.
Then…
Zoom-!
…distance became meaningless.
*****
Xianzhou was at the peak of military readiness. Orders were being flown left and right. It was destined to be a sleepless day for its denizens.
The Seat of Divine Foresight saw these changes. It was the office of the Arbiter-General who held the highest authority in Xianzhou Luofu. The room measured more than five hundred square meters.
A wide table which projected the entire battle scenario on the Yaoqing and Fanghu was present along with several staff who gave out the Arbiter-General's orders to the relevant departments.
Bam-!
The loud bang briefly halted everyone's steps. The pink-haired girl with a small stature possessed an imposing aura. She looked at the tall white-haired man with utmost seriousness.
Fu Xuan did not mind her breathlessness as she traveled from the Divination Commission into the Seat of Divine Foresight.
As if knowing her thoughts, the latter heaved an exasperated sigh.
"You do not have the authority to—"
"You didn't say it was my teacher!"
The sleepy-looking Arbiter-General did not respond.
"Did he tell you something beforehand?"
She asked with a hint of anger.
"...It would not change the fact you did not have the authority to use it. Even if we are in wartime, you will be held liable just for bringing out the Cloudpeer Telescope. Your teacher took that role."
"..."
The current battle situation was bleak. Fanghu was isolated when the surprise attack of the Abundance began. Although Luofu and Yuque sent forward teams composed of ten fleets, it still wasn't enough to prevent the abominations of Abundance from boarding Fanghu and wrecking havoc.
The nearest Flagship was Yaoqing, but even they needed enough time to send their army in full.
Coupled with the Ketu Mirage, a living planet under Abundance's rule, Fanghu's fate was to be destroyed along with most of its inhabitants.
It would be the biggest loss Xianzhou had incurred after hundreds of years. The last time they felt that kind of pain was when Xianzhou Cangcheng got completely annihilated by Rahu, another living planet.
The Arbiter-General, Jing Yuan, fell silent before he decided on something.
"Your teacher called me beforehand. Whatever plan you come up with, and if it is not within your authority… he will take upon your role."
"..."
Fu Xuan looked at the floor, then to her feet. Her mind blanked the moment she heard his words.
As a Diviner, she was taught the majesty of Fate. It is nearly unchanging, with the exceptions being Aeons. Whatever diviners foresee, it would happen one way or another.
It was a river whose currents could not be fought. Everything will, in the end, happen as dictated.
Fu Xuan opposed that view. She did not accept her teacher's words of fate being predetermined; that they should not confine themselves to 'predetermined fates' to limit their possibilities.
Their opposing viewpoints caused her to escape from Xianzhou Yuque—the center of Xianzhou's divination—and went to Luofu.
"Was it…"
Her arms started shaking at the thought of something horrific.
The biggest… or rather, the worst lesson Fu Xuan had when it came to fate was what her teacher divined:
She was fated to kill her teacher with her own hands.
It was the turning point that caused her to leave. She wanted to prove that the future was not predetermined. The divination made by her teacher would not come true.
Looking at the current situation…
She sent (killed) her teacher to his death… with her own hands.
Jing Yuan kept his silence. Rarely did he see their Divination Commission's head as crestfallen as now.
Buzz-!
The changes on the Projection Table soon caught his attention. What he saw caused him to frown. It then caused his eyes to widen.
His fingertips touched the projection with a feeling of incredulousness.
"This…"
Fu Xuan heard his surprised voice and turned to look at the table.
There, she saw the lone Fanghu sitting still amidst the dark void.
"...Where..? Where are they?"
The lone Fanghu did not answer her doubts… nor anyone else's.