The group did not linger in a prolonged fight with the Titan of Strife.
After finding Phainon, they relied on Trianne's power to forcibly withdraw from the trial.
When they returned to the Vortex of Genesis, Phainon had already fallen unconscious. Aglaea hurriedly sent him to the Marmoreal Palace and entrusted his treatment to a physician.
As for the others, they all went to rest and recover.
Some time later inside the Marmoreal Palace.
Stelle, Dan Heng, and Mydei were all waiting outside the door like Phainon's family members.
Seeing that there was still no movement from inside, Mydei said in a low voice, "...I did my best."
No one blamed him for not doing enough. In the battle just now, it was thanks to Mydei's sudden burst of power that everyone had been able to retreat so easily.
"No one is blaming you. You've already done more than enough."
Dan Heng comforted him briefly, then said, "The Coreflame trial is indeed no place for the weak. Let's just hope that Phainon gets through this."
Just then, the door opened, and Aglaea walked out from inside.
Facing everyone's worried gazes, she gently parted her red lips and said, "There is no need to worry. His soul is in a stable condition. With ample rest for both body and mind, he'll be up and about in no time."
Castorice also walked out from behind Aglaea and gently spoke "The greatest fear in the depths of his heart... Lord Phainon must have been forced to relive his past during the trial and revisit his homeland that had fallen to the black tide..."
"He needs some time to calm his mind."
Calm his mind… Everyone recalled the scene they had witnessed during the trial.
But speaking of which, Stelle and Dan Heng had already heard the name "black tide" many times, yet knew very little about it.
Seeing that Castorice had brought it up, Dan Heng couldn't help but ask, "Since coming to Amphoreus, we have heard many talking about this "black tide." Could you tell us more about it?"
"Let me." Aglaea spoke softly. "It is one of the culprits that drives the people of Amphoreus to madness. It was during the Era Bellica that this... unspeakable thing first appeared, like a plague, alongside the Three Titans of Calamity."
"Nobody knows where it came from or how it came to be. What we do know, however, is that it is steadily encroaching upon what little remains of this tranquil land, much like a rising sea closing in on an island from all sides. It is for this very reason that it became known as the "black tide.""
As she spoke, Aglaea's expression gradually turned solemn, her mind recalling the records related to the black tide.
"Those who succumb to it lose their reason and humanity, becoming vicious, mindless monsters. Mortals are not the only ones susceptible to its influence, even gods and Titans cannot escape from it."
Seeing Aglaea stop, Castorice continued, , "According to Gnaeus, Nikador, though one of the embodiments of Calamity, also bears the responsibility of fending off the black tide..."
"And perhaps that is also why Lord Phainon threw himself into the trial of Strife so readily."
Stelle and Dan Heng silently mulled over Aglaea's and Castorice's words in their hearts.
But Aglaea had already shifted her gaze to Mydei.
With Phainon still unconscious, she was already preparing to arrange the next trial candidate.
"So, Aglaea, what should we do now?" Mydei asked.
"You know very well the decision doesn't lie with me."
"As the successor to Kremnos, Mydei, you know better than anyone that if it were simply about emerging triumphant on the battlefield of Strife, you and your people could manage it with ease."
"But ultimately... the heavy burden of divinity can only be borne by one."
"It is foolhardiness and indecision, not the unclaimed seat of divinity, that pushes this world into the deathly fog."
Aglaea did not avoid Mydei's gaze in the slightest, meeting his eyes directly.
This warrior, Mydei, actually turned his head away, his expression unsettled as he avoided her stare.
...
: Sigh, Mydei really has it hard too.
: Feels like every Chrysos Heirs has their own burdens.
: Aglaea directly called Mydei out. A leader is still a leader, there's no room for too much sentimentality or roundabout talk.
: Can't be helped. If no one inherits the fire seed of strife, then everything really will be over.
: Mydei has it so rough. He just finished venting, and now he has to face the pressure of becoming a god.
: Honestly, this kind of portrayal of a hero facing unavoidable dilemmas and choices is really well written.
: Luckily there's Aglaea, this leader who can arrange everything no matter the situation.
...
With Phainon having failed to ascend as a Demigod, the audience could all feel the pressure gathering on the screen.
But fortunately, there was Aglaea. Even in such circumstances, she would still shoulder the hardest scenes and plan the next step for the Chrysos Heirs.
Whether or not that step matched everyone else's wishes. That, after all, was a leader's duty.
The scene shifted at this moment. Stelle and Dan Heng had already left the scene.
"An "unspeakable" thing of "unknown origin"... What comes to your mind when we put these keywords together?"
Dan Heng rubbed his chin and asked.
"Uh…" Stelle scratched her head and blurted out all the answers she could think of.
"A Stellaron?"
"An Aeon?"
"Or maybe… Uhh... a Leviathan? A cosmic mega octopus?"
Dan Heng didn't think Stelle's thinking was too scattered.
Instead, he nodded. "..A hypothesis like that has never occurred to me, I must admit. But considering how the Leviathan hasn't been sighted in the universe for hundreds of Amber Eras, I think the possibility of it being the culprit is minuscule."
"Let's think about the various characteristics of Amphoreus instead. An isolated world of eternal night being eroded by an unknown power..." He silently distracted Stelle from thinking of more absurd answers.
"This has been bothering me for a while now. Everything we have seen thus far suggests that Amphoreus wasn't always isolated from the rest of the universe. Be it the birth of the Titans or the encroaching black tide, none of these can be explained as a "natural progression" of a civilization."
"There must be other reasons for its current state of isolation. It's just... if the Cancer of All Worlds is truly the culprit, then we should have observed certain phenomena — explicit or otherwise — by now, but that isn't the case."
Hearing this the audience suddenly perked up. Although they didn't know what Dan Heng had discovered, from his words just now, everyone could tell that Dan Heng was at least seventy percent certain that there really was something like a Stellaron within Amphoreus.
"Clues?" Stelle followed Dan Heng's line of thought and began recalling her own experiences, but she couldn't seem to find any evidence that directly pointed to a Stellaron.
"The evidence I've found is rather abstract." Dan Heng didn't elaborate on the evidence itself, and instead said directly, "Suppose… a place has a Stellaron. Then what would it definitely encounter?"
"Stellaron Hunters!" Stelle's eyes lit up, and she immediately replied.
"Correct. From past experience, Stellaron Hunters are certain to appear on a world with a Stellaron."
Dan Heng nodded and continued analyzing. "There are several other unanswered questions, too. My gut feeling is that things here are not as simple as they seem..."
"Furthermore, what happened in Penacony also proved that the appearance of a world may not necessarily be due to the influence of just one Path."
The audience couldn't help but praise Dan Heng's calmness once more.
...
: Honestly, it's a good thing it wasn't March and Stelle who came down this time. Otherwise I feel like this place, Amphoreus, would've been blown up. Neither of them can ever figure out what's going on.
: Holy crap, bro, Stelle and March's IQs are also good.
: But seriously, will the Stellaron Hunters really come?
: If we can see the Stellaron Hunters here, the plot probably won't be limited to just this region anymore.
: Will a Titan face Kafka? Or someone else?
...
The comments flashed past.
On screen, Stelle neither agreed nor disagreed with what Dan Heng said.
"No sweat! The Trailblaze can tackle even ten Paths if it must!"
Stelle raised her hand in a bold V-sign, full of confidence.
That sight made Dan Heng shake his head helplessly. "sigh... It's good to be motivated at least."
They could only take it one step at a time. But without a doubt. Black Swan was right.
At least, based on the clues revealed so far, it was already clear that as long as they finished blazing this area, the pressure about the fuel on the Astral Express would ease a lot.
Next
The scene shifted.
Inside the Marmoreal Palace.
Mydei stood with his arms crossed, looking like a student, staring blankly at the red-haired girl in front of him.
"Don't worry, De. This isn't the first time he's been like this. A long time ago..."
Tribbie tried to comfort the dejected Mydei.
But Mydei directly interrupted her and said, "I'm not worrying about him."
Tribbie froze for a moment, then raised a finger to her lips. Lowering her head, she stammered, "Oh... Alright. You're a little quiet, though."
Classic tsundere. It made the audience laugh.
Every time they saw the story between Mydei and Phainon, no one knew how many dream-girls would instantly pass out from shipping them too hard.
However. The focus of this scene wasn't their bond.
But rather…
"...I'm sorry" Mydei took a deep breath and apologized to Tribbie. "That was rude of me. What I meant was, I know that man can pull through for sure."
Tribbie looked up and said cutely, trying to comfort him. "Hehe, it's alright! Being straightforward suits you better."
Then her gaze drifted a little. After hesitating for a long while, she finally said, "Actually, De, there's something we are curious about... What did you see in Nikador's trial?"
"..." Mydei was silent for a moment before honestly replying, "...Something that terrifies me."
Such frankness from Mydei left Tribbie not knowing how to respond.
"Isn't that ironic? There shouldn't even be a word for "fear" in the Kremnoan language."
Hearing that, Tribbie bit her finger and asked nervously, "Do you think... you stand a chance? Against that thing that terrifies you?"
There it was. Hearing this, Mydei showed an expression as if he had expected it.
The biggest difference between Tribbie and Aglaea was that Aglaea could easily say something like that.
But Tribbie couldn't. She was completely honest, like a little girl, unable to hide her true intentions with words. She was too kind and pure.
He said in a low voice, "Is this also part of your grand scheme?"
"Aglaea knew that Phainon might fall ...And she expected me to take his place. That was the plan all along, wasn't it?"
Only then did the audience suddenly realize. Some even felt dazed because of Mydei's words.
So, from the very beginning, Aglaea and Tribbie never thought Phainon would succeed.
Phainon was just a catalyst. A catalyst to break through Mydei's mental knot.
During the Nikador trial, the audience had long seen that Mydei didn't want to take over the Coreflame of Strife at all.
After understanding this link. Everyone finally understood why Tribbie had looked so guilty and nervous just now.
As Mydei's companion in Okhema, that identity made her show such conflicted emotions when trying to speak to him.
She felt it was cruel to Mydei, yet she still had to ask.
That was why her gaze had hesitated earlier. But Mydei clearly wouldn't blame her.
"I have no intention of condemning you for it."
"The Flame-Chase Journey is not a game, and I have long understood this."
Mydei said in a deep voice, "With the downfall of Strife and the ever-growing threat that the black tide poses, if Cerces and Oronyx are also impacted, the ramifications will be dire."
Mydei's honesty made Tribbie relax a lot. She nodded vigorously. "Mm-hmm. They are the only two Titans who are still lucid and willing to coexist with humanity."
Mydei didn't hesitate or get sentimental. He just looked at Tribbie and said, "Regrettably, I do not hold the key to completing the trial. If I wish to conquer that fear, I need the assistance of my fellow Kremnoans."
"Give me some time to speak with my people... It won't take long, I promise."
Without hesitation, Mydei accepted Aglaea's arrangement. Even though he was unwilling a hundred times over in his heart.
Tribbie's hands cutely kneaded the corners of her clothes. She was moved, yet didn't know how to comfort Mydei about his choice.
In the end, she said, "De, your people... They have been eagerly awaiting a new king all this time, haven't they?"
"If you take on the divine role, they will have no reservations about following your lead... After all, you're the hero of Castrum Kremnos."
"I once was. But Lady Tribios..."
Mydei's eyes were deep, carrying a trace of painful remembrance. "Therein lies my deepest fear."
When the words fell, Mydei turned and left.
"...We'll talk again later. I'll be back."
Tribbie looked at his back and suddenly called out to him.
"De. Regardless of what happens, we will always be there for you."
She said in a small voice.
If it weren't for the Black Tide, Tribbie would rather everyone live according to their own wishes, instead of being forced onto this path.
"Mm. Thank you."
Mydei slightly turned his head, showing a restrained smile, and then disappeared from Tribbie's sight.
The audience was already immersed in the atmosphere.
A segment of pure dialogue. The helplessness and struggle of two Chrysos Heirs.
Both were portrayed vividly and to the fullest.
Black Tide, apocalypse, choices, struggle, and fate.
So many words, conveyed through the story itself, reached the audience's minds and echoed within them.
Without knowing when it started, many audience had already begun to desperately long to see the road these heroes would ultimately walk, and the ending that awaited them.