Pei Guang's Swarm was still evolving as it fought—but the Tribunal of Life's declaration had already shocked lifeforms across the cosmos.
"What the hell is the Tribunal of Life?"
"Aha made it?"
"They can judge Aeons now? And who the hell is Pei Guang?"
While Pei Guang had already clashed with Tayzzyronth, he still wasn't a household name across the entire universe. But now? With the Tribunal of Life's formation and Aha's universal broadcast declaring the Aeon of Propagation guilty, the entire galaxy was in uproar.
But Pei Guang didn't let all this attention go to waste. He broadcast a new message to the universe, one that marked the arrival of a very special individual who would now join his side.
[After seeing the Amber Lord join the Tribunal of Life, Louis Fleming followed in His footsteps, preparing to align himself with Pei Guang's cause.]
[With Pei Guang's support, the Interstellar Peace Corporation expanded rapidly. The Corporation vowed to offer everything to the Amber Lord. Pei Guang fully endorsed Louis Fleming's ideology, even lending military aid to accelerate the company's growth.]
[As the Interstellar Peace Corporation continued to flourish—gathering resources for the Amber Lord—it also helped Pei Guang establish planetary trade networks across the galaxy.]
[Zerg technological levels underwent a qualitative leap. Planetfall Obliteration completed.]
[Zerg technological levels underwent a qualitative leap. Angel of Tranquility completed.]
...
A seemingly endless string of technologies flashed through Pei Guang's system logs—each one a perfect fusion of Zerg and science.
These weren't your average weapons. Every last one of them was a biomechanical war machine, constructed from various Zerg components as the base framework—fused into something grotesquely beautiful.
And with the power of immortality thrown into the mix, these living weapons were, in some aspects, even more terrifying than conventional tech. As the arsenal grew, so too did the Swarm—and Pei Guang finally decided: it was time to launch the campaign against the Aeon of Propagation.
[More worlds joined ToL. After centuries of siege and pursuit, with help from the Trailblazing faction, Pei Guang's Swarm successfully surrounded the Aeon of Propagation.]
[Mortal beings could not withstand an Aeon's might. Pei Guang's troops dissolved like snowflakes.]
The Aeons were on a different level entirely. Sure, Pei Guang's Swarm was monstrous: without an Aeon intervening, it could easily sweep through galaxies. But in the presence of a divine force?
It wasn't enough. Not yet.
But even as his troops fell like petals in a storm, Pei Guang remained calm. He had a plan. With every Zerg that died and every new one born, Pei Guang could feel it: his grasp on the Propagation Path was strengthening.
And the Aeon of Propagation? Growing weaker.
The Aeon only knew how to spawn—just birth, propagate, and more birth. But Pei Guang's analysis was clear: this mindless birthing obsession only captured half the essence of "Propagation."
It was the proliferation part, not the nurturing. Real propagation was part of immortality—and all of Pei Guang's Zerg were infused with immortal essence.
When the war began, even the Propagation Path itself recognized the truth—Zerg with immortal power were more suitable vessels for this destiny. Not only that, Pei Guang's interpretation of the path was more aligned with its essence.
Sure, the Aeon of Propagation was mighty—but His offspring were not. He could obliterate hordes of Pei Guang's swarm, yes. But the Vidyadhara Zerg—Pei Guang's elite Zerg—could easily cull His spawn.
The Aeon could spawn new minions by killing Pei Guang's swarm… but so could Pei Guang. His forces could convert enemy corpses into fuel and spawn even more of their own.
His memetic contamination was terrifying—but for Pei Guang? Child's play.
Larvae born at player bases were absolutely loyal to the player. Sure, some Zerg were born under divine influence and came out looking like Aeon clones—but they all still served Pei Guang. Every last one of them marched straight into war against their own divine progenitor.
Because at the end of the day, propagation is just propagation. Even if that Aeon's ascension had incorporated bits of other Paths, it wasn't enough to override player mechanics. The Aeon could birth life—but who that life chose to follow? That was out of His control.
[Pei Guang's troops melted like snowflakes. But the Swarm birthed countless new Zerg. These newborns were unwavering in their goal to annihilate the Aeon of Propagation. In turn, Tayzzyronth spawn melted like snowflakes too.]
[The Aeon of Propagation's power was waning. Pei Guang's grip on the Propagation Path was growing stronger.]
According to Pei Guang's plan, if things kept going like this—push and pull, back and forth—it might take a century or two, but eventually, he'd grind the Aeon of Propagation to death.
…But plans never go as expected.
Aboard Akivili's train, Aha arrived, bringing the latest frontline intel to the Vidyadhara Zerg Sovereign.
The Vidyadhara Zerg Sovereign, first of their kind. The first Zerg to fully embody Pei Guang's vision.
Blessed entirely by Aha, the Aeon of Elation and raised by Akivili, the Aeon of Trailblaze.
Following Akivili, she had witnessed the grandeur of this universe, and had seen how her kin protected it.
As Pei Guang's loyal subordinate, and having witnessed the beauty of the universe, the Vidyadhara Zerg Sovereign was moved. Under Aha's instigation, she felt she had to do something.
[The Vidyadhara Zerg Sovereign vowed to hunt down those who killed her kin. She had witnessed the beauty of the universe and wanted to uphold justice. The Aeon of Propagation was rampaging through worlds, disrupting pioneer routes, destroying universal order, and killing countless of her kind.]
[The Vidyadhara Zerg Sovereign ignited the path of the Hunt. Pei Guang gained the full power of the Hunt, and the Vidyadhara Zerg received all blessings of the Hunt.]
At that moment, Pei Guang, who had been happily commanding his swarm to battle the Aeon of Propagation, suddenly froze: "Wait, wait, wait—where did the Hunt power come from? I don't need the Hunt's power; I can kill with just my subordinates! Damn it? Wasn't she doing just fine hanging around with the Trailblaze Aeon? Which bastard turned her into an Aeon? Who did it?"
Right now, Pei Guang was not happy. Sure, his side had been losing a lot through attrition tactics, but the gains were just as visible. Wearing down the Aeon of Propagation and obtaining all of its power was only a matter of time.
And now suddenly his subordinate had become an Aeon of Hunt? And it wasn't even part of his plan?
It was like playing a competitive game, fighting back and forth with the opponent, and just when you've already seized total advantage and are about to win, one of your teammates suddenly goes into a heroic frenzy and unleashes full power.
Sure, you still win—and win even easier—but for a player, something that wasn't planned or controlled feels like a mixed bag.
"Good grief, this is the second time already, right? This has to be Aha's doing."
[Pei Guang realized all of this was the doing of the Joyseeker Aha. Pei Guang decided that the next time he saw Aha, he'd whip Him with a willow branch and broadcast the footage across the entire universe.]
[Pei Guang's favorability toward Aha dropped significantly. Aha stated He were just a memory within the memory world and that it didn't matter if Pei Guang's opinion dropped. He just wanted to see Pei Guang's helpless face when he wanted to punish Him but couldn't. After all, the real Aha would take the blame~]