I, The Aeon of Trailblaze, Trailblazing the Multiverse

As Elias was still immersed in the aftermath of replacing Akivili's existence, the system promptly issued a warning.

However, it wasn't Aha's true form that appeared, only an avatar. If it had been the true form, Elias would've started panicking.

After all, the Aeon of Joy was one of the top-tier Aeons, a Tier-0 level existence. Their imaginary magnitude was conservatively estimated to be between Universe Structure and Multi-Universe Level.

Even though all Aeons are immensely powerful, the gap between them is still vast.

For example, the Aeon of Propagation was killed with just three strikes by the Aeon of Preservation. While the Aeon of Propagation wasn't as strong as the Aeon of Trailblaze, for someone like Aha—who shares the Tier-0 with the Aeon of Preservation—defeating a freshly revived Aeon of Trailblaze like Elias would have been easy.

That said, given Aha's nature, they were far more likely to be interested in the "return" of Akivili than to start a fight.

Besides, according to Akivili's knowledge, he and Aha were friends—though not exactly close ones.

"Ahhh~ Aha has been discovered! Long time no see, my dear friend~"

A clown mask appeared out of thin air in front of Elias, speaking in a cheerful tone.

"Hahaha! You actually resurrected—and you're even stronger than before! This is something that's never happened in the recorded history of the universe!"

"Come on, come on, tell Aha! How did you come back? Where did you go? What did you see? What did you experience? What did you gain? My heart feels like it's being scratched by countless tiny claws~"

Elias stared at the spinning clown mask in front of him, his face expressionless, though his emotions were a complicated mess: shock, confusion, excitement, and more.

Who would've thought that after crossing, he'd experience so many monumental events—and now even the Aeon of Joy was in front of him.

At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel at the system's power.

The Existence Replacement process was flawless, so much so that even a Aeon like Aha hadn't detected anything unusual.

Well, it made sense. If the system could erase the existence of a Aeon, how could the other Aeons notice anything amiss?

Elias snapped out of his thoughts and crossed his arms, staring at the incessantly chattering clown mask. "Aha, do you really think I'll generously share anything with you? And stop calling me your dear friend—are we even friends?"

Knowing Aha's nature, Elias understood that as the resurrected Aeon of Trailblaze, he had undoubtedly become their greatest source of entertainment. To uncover his secrets, Aha would likely pester him in ways he couldn't even imagine.

The clown mask froze for a moment before its grin turned into a frown. "Ah~ Akivili, you wound me deeply! Of course, we're dear friends, kindred spirits who climbed the branches of the Imaginary Tree together~"

"If you're still upset about me blowing up your Astral Express back then, I'll apologize, alright?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Aha is guilty beyond redemption! Boohoohoo1…"

Elias couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth as he watched Aha's antics, resembling a clown straight out of a circus.

"Enough, Aha. I'm not interested in being your plaything."

"Besides, even if I don't tell you, you'll just keep spying on me. You're an insufferable, sneaky bastard!"

The clown mask instantly reverted to a grin. "Oh, to hear such high praise from my dear friend—it's a privilege beyond compare! Hahahaha~"

"Preservation is a fool, Erudition is a pile of scrap metal, Destruction is a lunatic, Hunt has no sense of humor, Nihility is nonexistent, and the rest of the Aeons are self-absorbed idiots."

"But you, my friend Akivili, are one of the rare kind-hearted, generous souls in the universe. Truly a wonderful—"

Crack!

Before Aha could finish, Elias shattered the clown mask with a single strike.

"So annoying."

Aha was like a persistent piece of gum that stuck to the sole of your shoe—once he found something interesting, he'd cling on until he got bored or ran out of amusement.

If Elias didn't outright dismiss him, Aha would undoubtedly tail him everywhere.

Elias felt a tinge of frustration.

Having just replaced Akivili's existence, he now found himself entangled with someone as troublesome as Aha.

Although Aha wouldn't pose a true threat to his life, his antics would be akin to a toad climbing up one's leg—not harmful, but deeply annoying.

He needed to quickly expand the Path of Trailblaze by adding more concepts—at least enough to rival Aha.

The Path of Elation was the strongest Path below Nihility. No one knew exactly how many concepts it encompassed, but it was estimated to be no fewer than fifteen, potentially including even super-concepts like Destiny.

Ripping apart a Path involved plundering concepts shared between your own Path and another's, similar to how Harmony devoured Order.

Elias turned his focus inward, sensing his own Path.

Since Akivili had fallen several eras ago, the Trailblazers had lost their guiding light. By the current era, the number of remaining Nameless had dwindled to just a handful.

Only one Astral Express remained operational: the one helmed by The Explorer of the Stars, Himeko.

The rest of the Astral Expresses had been stranded, abandoned due to a lack of energy.

"My Trailblazers, your leader has returned!"

Elias sent a message through the Path, reaching all the Nameless.

His next move was clear: he needed to add new concepts to the Path of Trailblaze, broadening it further.

Adding new concepts required the Nameless to embark on their own Trailblaze journeys, realizing their ideals along the way. These ideals served as concept seeds.

When a Nameless adventurer advanced to the level of an Emanator by realizing their ideal, that ideal would bloom into a fully-formed concept.

This was the system's sole ability: to help ideals bear fruit as concepts.

Other Aeons couldn't achieve such a miraculous feat. Their Emanators were either personally chosen or advanced on their own by delving deep into the Path.

If other Aeons wanted to broaden their Path, they had to engage in battles, tearing concepts away from rival Paths.

...

At the same time, Nameless across the universe heard the voice resonating through the Path.

"My Trailblazers, your leader has returned."

The Nameless erupted in fervor, their hearts overflowing with emotion. Tears streamed down their faces as they became overwhelmed with excitement.

"Ah! Trailblaze has returned! He, who left us long ago, has come back!"

"Our Akivili has returned!"

"Akivili, the God of the Nameless, welcome back!"

"Aeon of Trailblaze!"

"Akivili!"

"Waaaah1… You didn't perish, Akivili…"

Across the universe, Nameless reacted as if they were lost children, suddenly discovering their long-thought-dead parent was still alive.

Unlike other Aeons, Trailblaze didn't act like a distant deity but more like a comrade, a father, and a leader. During Akivili's time, he lived among the Nameless, forming an unbreakable emotional bond.

Thus, his sudden disappearance left the Nameless heartbroken.

Now, aboard the sole remaining Astral Express, which was still traveling through the universe...

In the observation car, where cleaning duties were underway, the plush mascot-like conductor, Pom-Pom, who wore the iconic conductor's top hat, clutched a broom and began bawling uncontrollably.

"Akivili! Waaaaah! You're alive after all! Pom-Pom thought you were really dead! Waaah… You even managed to fool Pom-Pom!"

"When you return to the train, Pom-Pom is going to make you drink Himeko's most horrible coffee as punishment!"