I, The Aeon of Trailblaze, Trailblazing the Multiverse

Buzz—

A figure composed of light slowly appeared beside March 7th, the radiant silhouette gradually solidifying.

The figure's silver hair seemed woven from starlight, and its eyes were vast galaxies slowly rotating.

An indescribable aura enveloped everyone who beheld it, an overwhelming presence that struck directly into the hearts of those present.

In that moment, everyone who saw this being instinctively understood what it was.

Intelligent life might not have encountered a "god" before, but upon seeing one, they inherently grasped its nature—a mere glimpse revealing a fragment of its divine might and majesty. Yet, this was only the surface. Without the god's permission, no one could acquire power simply by witnessing it.

The reason intelligent beings recognized a "god" on sight lay in the essence of divinity itself. Divinity was, at its core, rules.

Wherever a "rule-bound entity" existed, its inherent rules would naturally exert influence over its surroundings.

However, Aeons were not merely rules—they were concepts, sentient celestial bodies, embodying Paths comprised of countless rules and overarching concepts.

...

"The Aeon of Trailblaze…"

Everyone gazing at Elias in a daze involuntarily muttered the words.

To see the Aeon of Trailblaze was to behold the Path of Trailblaze.

In an instant, their consciousness was swept into the infinite Will of Trailblaze.

For those with even the faintest potential to walk the Path of Trailblaze, they would immediately become Pathstriders of Trailblaze.

This might have been true in the past, but Elias was not Akivili. He would not indiscriminately open the Path of Trailblaze to anyone simply because they aligned with its ideals.

He cared about character. If someone's nature did not lean toward positive traits, they would never be granted access to the Path of Trailblaze, no matter how suitable they seemed.

For example, someone like Oswaldo Schneider—the former Nameless and now a corporate executive at the Interastral Peace Corporation's Marketing Development Department—would never have been permitted under Elias's rule. Such an extreme personality would not qualify to tread the Path.

Although the students' consciousnesses were immersed in the Will of Trailblaze for only a fleeting moment, to ordinary humans, it felt like an eternity.

...

Saeko Busujima was the first to regain consciousness. Her initial panic shifted to shock, and finally, to clarity.

She now understood the Will of Trailblaze, and in that instant, she resolved to tread the Path.

As she awakened, she found herself in a dark expanse of the cosmos, where silver light cascaded down like the glow of a galaxy.

Looking up, an endless sea of stars unfolded before her eyes.

But these were not stars. They were a pair of colossal, indescribable eyes.

The light composed an immense body, one so vast it defied description.

[Trailblaze means exploring the unknown, refusing to bow to the unknowable.]

[Explore the unknown within yourself. Confront and master your lust for slaughter. Refuse to be consumed by it, seize control of it, and ultimately blaze a trail through your own uncertainties.]

[Trailblaze is not so simple a concept. Anything unknown or unknowable can be Trailblazed.]

Saeko felt an indescribable power awakening within her body.

In the next moment, she realized this was the power of the Path of Trailblaze.

As she snapped back to reality, her body erupted with surging energy. Fiery light burst from her form, coiling around her like serpents of flame.

"Wow!"

"Huh?"

As Saeko regained consciousness, the other students also began to wake, their faces filled with absolute terror.

The heat from the flames surrounding Saeko scorched the air slightly, causing the nearby students to reflexively cry out.

At that moment, they fully understood what had just happened. Their brief immersion in the Will of Trailblaze had imparted vast amounts of information.

"The Aeon of Trailblaze, Lord Akivili!"

"Nameless, Pathstriders!"

"The Path of Trailblaze!"

The students were a mixture of fervent zeal, awe, and terror, their expressions reflecting an extreme reverence for the divine.

After all, gods and supernatural powers required no brainwashing to inspire fanatical devotion in students prone to daydreaming.

March 7th scratched the back of her head, looking at Elias beside her. "Huh? Lord Akivili, you're here too?"

Elias teased, "Oh, little March, am I not allowed to come?"

March 7th waved her hands quickly. "No, that's not what I meant! I just thought you'd stay on the Astral Express, sipping tea and watching us."

Elias smiled and patted her head, like a parent teaching a child. "Before becoming a Aeon, I was just a mortal. How could I act like some old man lounging on the Astral Express?"

Both Akivili and Elias had been ordinary humans before becoming Aeons.

"Oh, and by the way, Akivili is my god-name. When I'm with everyone here, just call me Elias, my mortal name."

March 7th tilted her head in slight confusion but eventually nodded, albeit a bit muddled. "Oh, Lord Elias. So that's your name from when you were human."

As realization dawned, she pouted in frustration. "Lord Akiv—uh, I mean, Lord Elias, you must've come because you thought I'd mess everything up, right? I'm not dumb."

Elias glanced casually at Koichi Shido, who was trembling in terror, unable to move as though frozen.

"Little March, you didn't mess anything up. You just ran into a kind of human depravity you're not equipped to handle."

"Nameless are rare throughout the cosmos. Each one of you is precious to me."

In other words, Elias was protective of his people, unwilling to see someone as innocent and lively as March 7th attacked by such base human flaws.

March 7th wasn't suited to dealing with this sort of malice.

And Elias had been watching from the beginning. Once he realized which anime world this was, he had already decided on a new recruit for the Astral Express.

His attention remained fixed here because Saeko Busujima was his chosen candidate for the next Nameless, with Shizuka Marikawa, the school nurse, as a potential addition.

As for the other girls? Pending evaluation.

Moreover, his arrival had already altered the worldline of this world.

In the original timeline, Takashi Komuro, Hisashi Igou, and Rei Miyamoto weren't in the same school, nor were they neighbors.

March 7th, though innocent, wasn't foolish. She quickly understood what had happened.

Turning to Koichi Shido, who was drenched in sweat, his face twisted with fear, she placed her hands on her hips, fuming.

"So you're a bad guy! You were trying to hurt me earlier, weren't you?"

Koichi Shido, trembling uncontrollably, tried to form a rebuttal. But having experienced the Will of Trailblaze and seen the Aeon, he had been utterly consumed by terror, unable to muster his usual cunning.

"I… I… I…"

The brief immersion in the collective consciousness of the Will of Trailblaze had allowed the students to glimpse fragments of each other's thoughts.

The students glared at Koichi with fiery hatred. If the Trailblaze Aeon hadn't been present, they might have already torn him apart with their bare hands.

Rei Miyamoto gritted her teeth, spitting venom. "Scum." She was certain this wretched man was doomed now that he had provoked the Nameless.

Not to mention, the Aeon himself had descended. There was no way Koichi would leave this place alive.

Saeko Busujima, her expression filled with fervent reverence, briefly glanced at Elias before lowering her gaze. She gripped her wooden sword tightly and strode toward Koichi Shido.

The Imaginary Energy within her transformed into fire, igniting her wooden sword in a blaze.

Having become a Pathstrider of Trailblaze, she fully understood the Will of Trailblaze and knew precisely what the Aeon desired.

So, she acted without hesitation.

"No, no, no—aaaaaahhhhhh!" Koichi Shido screamed, his voice filled with anguish as the flames came down upon him. His body turned to ashes before he could finish his cry.

The students showed no fear; instead, they seemed to think, That scum deserved it.

Death didn't faze them anymore. They had already witnessed far too much of it.

March 7th, wide-eyed, covered her mouth. "D-Did he… just die?" Yet, she didn't panic.

As a Nameless who had journeyed across countless planets, she was long accustomed to death. She had even killed humanoid monsters herself.

Saeko Busujima, her face flushed with a mixture of exhilaration and satisfaction, turned toward Elias, her expression devout.

"Lord Trailblaze Aeon, do I have the honor of joining the Astral Express and becoming a Nameless?"