Chapter 581: The Shape Beauty Took

'This light!'

Argenti had never seen such a beautiful light before. Standing before him didn't seem to be a person, but the very embodiment of the ideal beauty he had always longed for.

But Argenti quickly rejected that notion. The girl in front of him possessed a kind of human beauty he had never encountered before: an inner beauty, an outer beauty, and a beautiful soul that aligned with every human ideal of perfection.

Argenti could no longer find words to describe her. He even felt that this girl before him was Idrila herself.

Yet Argenti knew she wasn't Idrila. Pure beauty existed in all things of the universe. Compared to Idrila, the girl before him was only a fragment of that ideal—but absolutely a fragment that represented the human aspect of pure beauty. 

Or… could she be part of Idrila herself?

Pure beauty was present everywhere in the cosmos. For Idrila to descend into this world once more, taking on a human form: wasn't that within the realm of possibility? The galaxy held endless possibilities, and this was certainly not an impossible one.

Regardless of which truth it was, in the face of this beauty that should not exist in the mortal world, Argenti offered Elysia the highest of his respects.

Elysia was briefly startled by the knight who suddenly gazed at her with reverence. But in that instant, she already understood why he was doing so. This person, too, walked the path of Beauty, and he had walked very far along that path. 

Encountering someone like her, a special existence... it was understandable...

Understanding this, Elysia smiled and firmly pulled Argenti to his feet. "Don't be like that~ I'm not the Aeon of Beauty, and I'm definitely not the being you worship. My name is Elysia. I'm Ah Guang's adjutant and lieutenant, and one of the elite warriors of the MOTHs under the Earth's United Nations. It's a pleasure to meet you~"

"Miss Elysia... I am Argenti, of the Knights of Beauty. I offer you my greeting with the weight of a rose." 

Normally, Argenti would present a beautiful lady with a flower. But now, he felt that Elysia standing before him was enough. Her very existence was so perfect that offering a flower would only tarnish her beauty.

Elysia: "Don't be so formal~ Just call me Elysia~"

Argenti: "Are you... the embodiment of Beauty itself?"

Elysia: "If you ask me that, let me think... I'd say no~ Everyone has a different understanding of beauty. As for me, I'm just a normal girl who likes pretty clothes, dressing up nicely, and cute things... and cute girls too~"

Elysia's playful tone lifted Argenti's gaze. Though what she said sounded completely ordinary and normal, Argenti could still sense the exceptional beauty within her.

He didn't know how to describe it. Argenti took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to pray toward Elysia. 

If his first impression of her was that she might be a part of Idrila, or someone acknowledged by Idrila herself, then after even this short conversation, he was certain; this girl before him was the very embodiment of human beauty within Idrila.

At that moment, Argenti couldn't help but kneel to the ground in prayer. His heart felt the baptism of pure beauty, and at the same time, he advanced even further along the path of Beauty.

Seeing the devoted knight in front of her, Elysia didn't interrupt him. She simply stood there with a gentle smile on her face. 

She knew she was not Idrila. At her core, she had been a Stellaron sent to pollute Earth and the solar system. But through a series of accidents, she gained sentience, obtained a human body, felt the beauty of humanity, and chose to stand firmly on the side of mankind.

But did her birth have anything to do with Idrila? No one knew. After all, this was the Aeon of Beauty. Though it had disappeared, the Path of Beauty had not been swallowed by any other path to this day, nor had it given birth to a new Aeon. 

That alone spoke volumes.

Whatever the cause of her existence, ever since she had unintentionally acquired the Robe of Beauty through Pei Guang, she knew it was her role to help those like Argenti, who sought beauty, dispel the fog in their hearts.

Yes, Elysia could see it clearly. The knight before her carried a fog deep within—a fog related to Beauty. 

This fog had only grown denser over time, but the moment he met her, it began to dissipate. He had reaffirmed his beliefs, found his goal, and understood what he must do.

Seeing such a devout Argenti, Pei Guang walked over to his side and lightly patted his shoulder. 

"Dear Knight of Beauty, you have the ability to see through the nature of beauty, but at this moment, you have yet to truly understand the nature of Elysia. Let me tell you her story, so that you may truly understand what kind of perfect, flawless girl she really is, alright?"

At that moment, Elysia felt an ominous premonition.

If someone else had said such things, she would've simply giggled and accepted the praise.

But who was the man standing before her?

Leader of the solar system, head of the Earth's United Nations, supreme commander of the Earth Resistance, the founder of Earth's technological revival, a Trailblazer of the Astral Express, the wielder of a planet-destroying warship, supreme commander of Grey Wind nanomachines, master of the Herta puppets: and those were just a few of his countless titles!

Of course, these were just some minor accomplishments Pei Guang had picked up along the way. His true identity was that of a player! Whether he was opening a unique path or just being a player for fun, ever since Elysia had met Pei Guang, she knew: if he got serious about something, it was never going to end well.

Wait, no, that's not quite right. If Pei Guang set his mind to something, he would absolutely accomplish it. But what happened in between? Nobody could predict.

Look at Kevin: after one encounter with Pei Guang, now he greeted the Antimatter Legion's minions with a barrage of Judgment of Shamash, and if one blast wasn't enough, he'd follow up with ten more, emptying ten bars of HP in a single minute.

Now look at this knight… he was definitely going to get led astray by Pei Guang. But then again...

"Maybe that's not such a bad thing~"

Pei Guang had a strange kind of magic: those who spent time around him would become increasingly pure of heart, and they would inevitably be influenced by the light within him.

But Elysia also understood something else: Pei Guang's inner light was dangerous. Where there is light, there are shadows, and the brighter the light, the deeper the darkness it could cast.

Even so, Elysia felt that kind of thing was unlikely to happen. She could tell that as long as March 7th and Stelle were fine, even if everyone else died, Pei Guang wouldn't undergo any catastrophic change.

And the key to preserving that kind of pure-heartedness in a player was simple: bonds.

Without the ability to load saves, no player would ever willingly destroy a save file they had painstakingly built up over countless days and nights. And if someone did dare to destroy that save file… in the worst-case scenario, they'd end up as a well-preserved seat ornament floating in formaldehyde.

NOTE: 

Hi everyone!

Just as a quick update, I wanted to let you all know that I won't be able to keep up with translating two chapters a day at the moment, as I'm currently in the middle of my exam period.

Studying is taking up a lot of my time and energy, so I need to slow down a bit for now, but as soon as things calm down, I'll get back to the usual pace. 

Thanks a lot for your patience and understanding!