"Revived, you say?! Just a mere nap, and her sister revived just like that?!"
Anaxa, speaking in a slightly agitated tone while glancing at Polyxia, was completely stunned and could hardly believe what Tribios had explained at all.
He couldn't help it—the one thing he had dreamed of day and night could actually be achieved so easily!
When he was five, the black tide attacked his homeland, and his sister died in that disaster, which was why he began studying alchemy, the art of human transmutation.
However, it was known as a taboo, so if he were to be discovered, he would be sentenced to a pyre in the Grove, burned alive.
Yet, despite the risk, he still did it anyway.
Unfortunately, after all his efforts, the result had been failure, and he even lost one of his eyes in exchange for nothing more than a single chance to see his sister again.
He had already prepared himself to face a new life and accept his sister's fate, yet now someone had come forward claiming the dead could actually be revived.
It struck straight at his very core, forcing him to rekindle hope, especially because the evidence before his eyes was truly undeniable.
Polyxia, standing right before him, was solid proof, and Tribios herself was a reliable witness, so he had no choice but to believe.
Now, the thought of reviving his sister burned in his heart stronger than ever before.
"Hurry, tell me, where is Lucian?! I want to see him!" Anaxa, rarely emotional, shouted frantically, looking visibly shaken.
In his heart, he had already decided—if he could bring his sister back, he was willing to do anything for Lucian.
"I understand your impatience, but he's not here right now—not in Amphoreus..." Tribios said gently, then sighed helplessly.
"Of course... as always, when you need the help of a god, the god is nowhere to be found..."
Anaxa quickly calmed down, his emotions returning to stillness and calm indifference. "Forget it. If he comes, please make sure to tell me."
"Professor Anaxa actually said 'please'... that's so rare." Phainon teased from the side.
"Phainon, it's Anaxagoras!" Anaxa's voice turned cold. "More importantly, when have I ever taught you to mock your elders?"
"Ahahaha..." Phainon scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh.
"Whatever." Anaxa shook his head and regained his composure. "Let's go. I know you want the Coreflame of Reason. Cerces is inside."
In the end, he decided to join the group.
Even though he did not accept Aglaea's motive and did not want to involve himself in Titan affairs, the fact that someone could actually revive his sister left him with no choice.
Just like that, Anaxa led the group through the entrance to the Luminary Throne, and soon, they saw a woman seated upon a wooden throne.
"I heard all of your conversation just now. I am very curious about the one who can revive a Titan."
With her eyes closed and branches adorning her body that made her look almost like a dryad, the woman turned her head toward the group and spoke softly.
"Teacher..." Polyxia instinctively called out.
Upon seeing the woman, she instantly recognized her as none other than her teacher from the previous cycle, Calypso, who was now the current cycle's Reason Titan, Cerces.
"Thanatos? Why do you call me a teacher?" Cerces turned to Polyxia and asked gently. "I do not recall ever having a Titan as my student."
"Well, it's normal..." Polyxia smiled faintly. "After you became a Titan, you lost your past memories, so you don't remember me. But before we became Titans, I really was your student—Calypso's student."
"Calypso... that name I do remember..." Cerces muttered in surprise, then smiled slightly. "Since fate ties us so, then you may forgo the trial and take the Coreflame of Reason."
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.
Was it really this easy?
Just by claiming ties, could they directly take the Coreflame of Reason?
It seemed far too easy—too good to be true.
Perhaps this was the Reason Titan's true test?
Just as everyone was rejoicing, a purple-black portal suddenly opened nearby.
*Thump—*
From within the portal, a swordsman clad in black stepped out.
He was tall, holding a black blade, his body shrouded in a black coat and hood, while his face was hidden behind a mask that rendered his appearance completely unrecognizable.
"Who are you?!" Mydei exclaimed, instinctively feeling hostility and wanting to strike the swordsman down.
Phainon, on the other hand, froze upon seeing him.
Soon enough, memories of his homeland, Aedes Elysiae, flooded his mind like a tidal wave, overwhelming him.
He remembered clearly that his homeland had been utterly destroyed by this very swordsman—even his childhood friend, Cyrene, had been killed by him.
"He's a demon!" Phainon shouted in a furious tone, his eyes burning with hatred. "He's the executioner who destroyed Aedes Elysiae! It's him!"
Upon hearing this, everyone instantly became fully alert.
Polyxia: "What an overwhelming presence… We might not be able to win."
Mydei: "In Kremnoan's dictionary, there is no word for retreat."
Anaxa: "Two of you are demigods, and one of you is even a Titan. Can't you gang up on a single man and win?"
Tribios: "No... I can feel his power is beyond measure... Honestly, I'm not confident..."
Cerces: "..."
"Hand over the Coreflame."
Ignoring everyone's reaction, the swordsman spoke while pointing his blade at them—his voice deep and hoarse, devoid of any emotion.
If Lucian were here, he would have instantly recognized him as the Flame Reaver, also known as Pie-non, aka Black Phainon or Dark Phainon, bearing the memories of more than thirty million recurrences.
In order to prevent the arrival of Era Nova, he had stolen all the Coreflames to lock the final cycle in every recurrence.
Not long ago, however, he had suddenly realized that in this recurrence, the dispute over the Coreflames had been resolved far too early—two years too early, and without his interference.
As a result, fearing that his old friends might gather all the Coreflames and trigger the Era Nova, he had no choice but to seize the Coreflame of Reason first.
By chance, he unexpectedly ran into them, but the moment he demanded the Coreflame, he felt something was terribly off with his old friends, especially as his gaze passed Tribios and Polyxia.
'Lady Tribbie... Grown up? Castorice... No, the Death Titan...?'
Pie-non's mind stalled as he gazed at Tribios, then at Polyxia, who truly resembled Castorice.
Across more than thirty million recurrences, everything had always been the same—unless he personally interfered, events and people unfolded exactly as before.
Yet this time, he had not even acted, and things were already different.
He had never once seen a grown-up Tribbie, nor had the Death Titan, Thanatos, ever appeared in the previous recurrences.
What had gone wrong?
"Who are you two?"
Pie-non asked again as he pointed his blade at Tribios, then at Polyxia, but this time, his voice trembled a little.
Clearly, changing the flow of events that occurred in this recurrence mattered to him more than anything.
"YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO ASK, EXECUTIONER!"
Phainon, having no intention of talking, shouted in anger before rushing forward to attack.
Mydei was the same, ruthless and silent, charging in beside Phainon.
As both of them attacked from both sides, a sword swinging and a spear thrusting, Pie-non just casually raised his hand.
"One slash..."
As these words fell from Pie-non's mouth, his shadow-like clone appeared out of thin air and struck Mydei down.
*BANG!*
In just a single clash, Mydei was sent flying like a broken kite.
"Two slashes..."
Pie-non's low voice rang out once more.
*BOOM!*
Another shadow-like clone appeared, and with one strike, Phainon was crushed to the ground.
A skilled swordsman and a demigod—both were overwhelmed the instant they met him.
However, just then, black liquid radiating terrible corrosive power suddenly pooled beneath Pie-non's feet.
"It's my sister!" Polyxia cried out, then glanced at Tribios. "Let's help as well!"
"Let's go!" Tribios nodded seriously.
In the next moment, both of them joined the battle.
From the nether realm, Castorice sensed her sister was in danger, so she rushed over to help, emerging before everyone through a purple portal, with black, deathly liquid surging from her hands.
'Castorice is... a Death Titan? Two Death Titans...?'
Pie-non froze upon sensing Castorice's special presence, which was identical to Polyxia's, and couldn't help but question reality.
'What's going on?'
'How could there be two Death Titans?'
'Is this normal?'
'Of course not!'
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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