Those with insight knew that the minor civilizations, which had only gained deep-space navigation capabilities through interstellar exchange, were acting on blind decisions born of superstition. Their hostility and suicidal attacks against the Human Federation posed no threat to its foundations.
The true targets of concern were the major civilizations capable of mutual destruction.
While it was true that in an environment where everyone could demolish their neighbor’s home, no one tended to do so lightly... if other civilizations began to provoke sensitive boundaries under the interference of the "Star" civilization, even Lei Ting could not guarantee that events would trend toward a better outcome.
To put it bluntly—the "Star" civilization’s control over the galaxy had lasted too long. It had endured until every existing rule in the galaxy was inextricably linked to them.
No one could achieve victory under rules established by the enemy.
Therefore, whether it meant establishing his own rules or returning the existing ones to their primordial state, Lei Ting had to change everything.
Thus... the selective destruction of that which necessitated destruction—such as the supporters of the current unspoken rules—was a mandatory means to an end.
Lei Ting knew that in his operations to purge the pollution, there would be collateral damage.
There would certainly be "accidental injuries."
***
The civilians had been settled, and the rebel army remained stagnant in the starry void. They were captives, yet they were not fully controlled. Morgan had decisively activated a chain of self-destruct systems prepared for a countdown at any moment, and he had not told the Federation what would trigger them, merely claiming that the system was linked to more than just this single fleet.
After the countdown nearly began several times due to the Federation’s technical intrusions, Susanna—negotiating on behalf of the First Legion—permitted their continued existence out of a sense of responsibility toward the psychological state of those tens of billions of civilians... or rather, out of fear of triggering an even greater catastrophe.
Naturally, weapons and long-range navigation systems remained locked down.
As an S-class, Shane had been stationed here with his troops for several months.
His spirit seemed utterly withered. On several occasions, he had nearly killed members of the rebel army who provoked him due to fluctuations in his superpowered output. Few knew his true stance, and one of those who did was dead—
Well, that person’s death was precisely the reason for his current state.
"It shouldn't be like this..." From a distance, Lei Ting heard Shane muttering to himself. "It shouldn't be... He was always someone who knew how to maneuver. How could he..."
Lei Ting knew what he was talking about.
Yes, Evanheiler’s mental state was profoundly wrong. Compared to ten years ago... no, even compared to three years ago, he had lost too much of his lightness, his poise, and his capacity for rational thought.
Facing the current Lei Ting, his mind had formed a preconceived notion that this was "the enemy," a target to be resisted and fled from. He had begun to be controlled by "sensibility," even to the point of rashly attacking Lei Ting.
But he was clearly not that kind of person. He was a powerhouse, a man in whom reason and emotion coexisted, one who understood the art of advance and retreat.
Lei Ting knew him; the man of the past was nothing like this, just as Evanheiler knew Lei Ting...
From his memories, Lei Ting could see that not long ago, Evanheiler had still been offering cruel but undeniable suggestions to the rebel leader, Morgan, from a rational perspective.
The change that had occurred in Evanheiler was too abrupt and too terrifying.
Perhaps it could be attributed to a decline in cognitive ability caused by psionic chaos. Because "thought" determines "cognition," and "cognition" determines the "self."
Research from the Federation’s medical system showed that once a person’s "Tianyan" was damaged, leading to hormonal imbalance and reduced thinking capacity, their cognition and personality would naturally undergo unpredictable changes—and generally, they were not changes for the better.
But Lei Ting did not believe this was the case.
Currently, Evanheiler’s hormonal system and superpowered organs had vanished along with his physical body.
Logically, his "Ling-si" should have begun to return to normal, perhaps even instinctively growing closer to the master of the energy that nourished it.
Yet now, even though his hostility toward Lei Ting had largely subsided, he was still instinctively fleeing from him.
Why?
Within Evanheiler’s Ling-si, amidst the pollution causing his mental chaos, Lei Ting had found a trace... a trace that set off alarm bells in his heart.
For this reason, he had come here specifically before attending to his official duties, standing silently behind Shane.
While Shane was immersed in the despair of thinking, *'I’m telling you, this development seems even more of a pitfall than last time, ahhh!'* Lei Ting suddenly spoke.
"He has been influenced."
Shane was struck with terror. With a start, he leaped up, spinning around to hurl a bolt of explosive energy.
Lei Ting caught it casually. The orange-red light, shimmering with a faint purple hue, settled into his palm. Then, before Shane could set aside his confusion and shout a warning of the danger, Lei Ting looked at him with a flat expression...
And closed his hand, crushing the energy—enough to blow apart half a military starship—into his palm.
*Thump!!!*
Following a muffled boom, the intense energy fluctuation triggered an alarm. Lei Ting looked down, his thumb brushing over his uninjured palm, and deactivated the alarm with a thought.
"...Lord 'Sun Star.' No, I mean, greetings, Legion Commander." Shane’s pupils shook as he quickly lowered his head. "I am very sorr—"
"Cease the small talk, S-class Shane," Lei Ting said deeply. "I discovered an abnormal shift toward 'excessive sensibility' within Starstream’s mental plane. Do you know anything about this?"
In his memories of the "previous time," no such abnormal shift had existed... but that time, the mutation and pollution Evanheiler suffered had been far deeper than this.
During their previous confrontation, if Lei Ting’s energy pressure hadn't forced Evanheiler’s consciousness into a deep sleep, that mutated part of his spirit would never have surfaced now.
Because the Evanheiler of that moment was still far from his true limit.
The "last time," he had endured until a third of his body had mutated before actively seeking death at Lei Ting’s hands.
Hearing this, Shane looked at Lei Ting blankly, seemingly realizing something from his behavior. "Wait... he’s not dead? Was this all an act you two put on?"
"..."
Lei Ting’s expression remained unchanged. "I cannot tell you."
Shane’s face lit up, his entire mood becoming jubilant. "Right, right! I understand! I mean, 'excessive sensibility'..."
He paused, catching the keyword, and instinctively slowed his speech. "...Wait, excessive..."
"...Sensibility."
A voice echoed within Lei Ting’s mind.
The voice was magnificent and gentle, yet it carried a sorrow like a mountain-toppling tsunami. It crashed down toward him, covering the sky and earth, overwhelming him completely.
In this moment, everything seemed to freeze.
The flow of air, the fluttering of fabric... Shane was frozen in place as if time itself had stopped, his mouth open as he spoke, halted at that very second.
A blazing gold burned around Lei Ting, nearly obscuring his features.
For the first time in history, his energy was being consumed with such rapidity; every second required an output equivalent to the total reserves of a C-class esper.
But because of this, he was not hindered by the stasis. Instead, he silently raised his eyes, looking toward a higher plane.
In that moment, he transcended the barriers of the world and saw a stone statue of an angel, over a hundred meters tall.
It was pure and flawless white. Its wings were loosely folded around its body, and its hands covered its face as if in extreme sorrow.
And between the gaps of its fingers, in the crevices where palms pressed against cheeks, glaring crimson blood flowed in a steady stream.
...It was weeping, Lei Ting thought.
Human sensibility... was weeping.
This was the condensation of all human emotional thought. All feelings, whether positive or negative, gathered within it...
What a magnificent power, what a magnificent existence... It was the protector of love and beauty, the beginning and the end of all art.
It was tenderness, passion, sincerity, desire, and hope. It was also malice, resistance, falsehood, hatred, and despair.
The most sensitive side of humanity, the most beautiful side, the most unsightly side...
Whatever they were, it was.
This was the "Lover," also known as "The Lover of All."
Its weeping was the weeping of the human heart.
And such weeping seemed to have existed for an incredibly long time...
***
Even though he had anticipated it, this scene at such close proximity still stirred Lei Ting’s heart.
Amidst a soft, spontaneous sorrow, he remained silent.
Though his perspective had transcended humanity, his self-identity was still "human."
Therefore, strictly speaking, the "Lover" was actually a part of him, just as he was a part of the "Lover." Its power would protect him, but at the same time, he would uncontrollably be affected by it.
While such influence was negligible to him, its very existence was a melancholy warning.
One of the two most powerful superpowered entities of the Human Federation, the one representing "Absolute Sensibility," was completely uncontrollable.
Though the entity seemed to possess "thought," even he found it difficult to understand...
"...Greetings," Lei Ting said softly, "esteemed 'Lover of All'."
A magnificent, dull roar echoed—a cry that was both terrifying and deeply empathetic. It reverberated throughout the vast, dark space.
Lei Ting’s brow furrowed. A deeper layer of influence descended. The energy around him flared violently, successfully countering that power.
"Do you intend to be my enemy?" he questioned coldly. "The sensibility of humanity, a part of the collective spirit of all mankind, wishes to oppose me?"
The Lover’s weeping grew more agonized.
Such heart-wrenching pain, like loss, like destruction, like the echo of death left in the world... it resided eternally in its heart.
Then, cracks began to appear upon its body. Upon the pure white statue, dense, shocking crimson cracks spread everywhere.
It bowed its shattered body, reaching out its arms in a phantom red light, as if to touch Lei Ting.
And within its embrace, a rain of corrosive blood began to fall.
***
