On screen, Stelle once again embarked on the journey.
The audience, who had been discussing the contents of the first half nonstop, also began focusing again.
....
: MiHoYo is still pretty kind, family, the good stock is finally breaking through the box.
: So excited, but also a little scared, the connection between Phainon and the Flame Reaver.
: Right now the most likely possibility is that the Flame Reaver is Phainon's future self.
: Judging from this appearance, the Flame-Chasing Journey should have gone pretty smoothly."
: Please don't have too many knives!
: But honestly, there isn't really much left to stab, right? So many people are basically already as good as dead.
: Hopefully so ...
: And also the seal of the Lord Ravager, I'm seriously curious about that too, still don't know what's going on with Lygus and Herta there.
....
The audience was filled with anticipation.
But regardless of whether Phainon and the Flame Reaver were connected, or what kind of state the Lord Ravager was in inside Amphoreus.
All of these questions would soon be answered.
....
"The river of souls is quiet."
Outside Styxia, Stelle walked onto the bridge she had crossed before.
The river of souls had already receded, and what enveloped this place now was ordinary darkness.
"Yeah, I wonder if Little Cas is doing okay over there. If someone wrote a letter and sent it drifting in a bottle, would she receive it?" Mem floated beside Stelle and spoke softly.
The two felt sentimental for a while before arriving at the gate.
The moment they stepped inside. Mem frowned, as a familiar aura reached her nose.
"This scent... feels kind of familiar..."
Stelle also cutely sniffed around: "Feels like... yeah, kinda familiar huh."
The two became alert and cautiously moved forward. But before they could get close, the sharp-eyed Stelle spotted a torn piece of cloth on the ground.
The thing was far too conspicuous, lying right in the middle of the path they had to take.
Stelle picked it up and examined it a little. The cloth was full of holes, the edges completely rotten, as though it had been burned by fire for an entire night, and the overall color was pitch black.
"A piece of black cloth?"
"It looks so familiar, haven't we seen it somewhere before?"
Mem rubbed her little chin with her paw, pulled out the enormous book As I Have Written, and began flipping through it.
Inside the book were many memories of her traveling together with Stelle. The two temporarily couldn't remember.
But the audience had already started panicking.
Damn. Isn't this the cloth on the Flame Reaver?!
Holy crap!? Whatever you think about comes true?!
....
: Fuck, he's chasing after them?!
: This fast?!
: We're screwed!
: Even though I really wanted to know Phainon and Flame-Chasing's story... isn't this a little too fast?!
: Scared to tears!
: Holy shit, are we starting with a huge battle right away?!
....
The audience watched in fear.
After finally realizing this belonged to the Flame Reaver.
Before Stelle could even complain, she heard heavy footsteps coming from behind.
Even though she still hadn't seen the person. The clothing fragment belonging to the Flame Reaver in her hand was already enough proof that the one behind them was him.
But before Stelle could react, someone tugged at the corner of her clothes.
Tugged her clothes? Stelle's hairs instantly stood on end.
She almost instinctively turned her head and looked over. And with just that one glance, Stelle's eyes widened so much they nearly popped out.
Mem, who turned together with her, also subconsciously hid behind her.
The camera shifted.
Behind the two of them was astonishingly the Flame Reaver standing right there nearby!
"..." The Flame Reaver remained silent. Beneath the mask came only rough breathing.
But the more he stayed like this, the stronger the pressure became.
"Prepare for battle!"
"Mem!"
After recovering from the shock, Stelle instinctively pulled out her bat and clenched her teeth.
What terrible luck.
She had only just revived from the river of souls, and now she was directly facing the Flame Reaver.
Could it be that Styxia was not only the place of her resurrection, but also the place destined for her death?!
Under such immense pressure, Stelle still, as always, let her imagination run wild in her head.
There was no helping it. Previously when fighting the Flame Reaver, even a whole group had struggled to gain the upper hand, let alone now when it was only them here.
The audience instantly became tense as well. They stared fixedly at the screen.
One second...
Two seconds...
Three seconds...
The atmosphere gradually sank into an irritating stalemate.
The guarded Stelle, and the silent Flame Reaver. Neither of them moved.
What was going on? This didn't seem like the Flame Reaver's style.
"The river of souls..." Suddenly, the Flame Reaver spoke.
The moment he opened his mouth, Stelle and Mem subconsciously tensed up even more, waiting for what he would say next.
"...hides big fish... few bones, lots of meat..."
That hoarse and deep voice slowly spoke again, yet what came out was completely incomprehensible nonsense.
"Ah?"
"...Ah?!"
Stelle and Mem instantly froze, as though they were meeting the Flame Reaver for the very first time.
On the comment screen.
Countless "ah?" and question marks instantly flooded the screen as well. But the Flame Reaver paid no attention to the two of them, continuing to mutter to himself:
"The Flame-Chasing Journey..."
"Stop it..."
"Meow... meow..."
Holy shit?
Meow? Then he's really good at hissing.
So everyone guessed wrong? Turns out you were a fish lover all along?!
During the brief pause. The audience began wildly brainstorming. Trying to understand the bizarre things the Flame Reaver was saying.
Some people even proposed a bold theory: the Flame Reaver wasn't just Phainon alone, but a collection of multiple people, which was why he had started meowing.
People were crying on the spot. The audience was truly too kind. They were actually seriously analyzing the Flame Reaver's words.
"It's over, I definitely didn't revive properly." Stelle held her head, feeling like she'd gotten poisoned from eating black sea bass.
"M-Meow?" And the Flame Reaver immediately stiffened.
No one knew whether the Flame Reaver had truly gone insane, or if he had always been like this.
Looking at the dumbfounded pair, he suddenly began letting out crafty laughter in that hoarse accent of his.
That raspy voice, sounding like it came from a ruined throat, was actually going "hehehehe."
"Heh... hehehehe..."
"...HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The laughter grew more and more unrestrained, until in the end, a familiar female voice emerged from within it.
At that moment, everyone reacted.
"Cipher!!"
Coming back to her senses from the shock, Stelle instantly pointed a finger at Cipher.
Bang! Smoke spread everywhere.
When the smoke cleared, the one walking out from within was unmistakably Cipher herself.
"Hahahahaha... sorry about that. Seeing you two standing there completely defenseless, I just couldn't resist scaring you a little."
Cipher held her stomach, laughing so hard she was practically doubled over.
And the audience, after suffering a round of psychological trauma, all looked equally embarrassed at having been completely played.
....
: Good person! Bad cat!
: Holy crap, kitty was way too evil, I was totally fooled!
: Man, the Flame Reaver's presence in that outfit was just too oppressive. I never even considered this possibility.
: I was wondering if the Flame Reaver had lost their mind.
: Damn it! Bad cat!
: That seriously scared me to death.
: And we were analyzing it all seriously too, grass!
....
"Your character is terrible. I'm leaving, I'm leaving." Having recovered, Stelle complained while already dragging Mem along to leave.
Cipher hurriedly stopped them with a grin. "Aiyo, don't run, don't run. I was just teasing you two a little, don't be mad~"
Then her expression turned serious. "I only did this to remind you that Amphoreus isn't safe at all. Threats are everywhere, including that swordsman in black... No matter where you are, stay alert."
Seeing Cipher apologize, Stelle finally crossed her arms and huffed.
"I'm terrifyingly strong. I don't need that at all."
"Oh really?"
Cipher slyly exposed her. "But just now, weren't you so scared your fur practically stood up? You were even hissing at me~"
"The one hissing was Mem!"
"Mem! You hissed too! Mem saw it!"
Stelle and Mem stared at each other with wide eyes.
"Alright, alright, let's go~" Cipher laughed even harder.
...
After this little incident, Stelle and Mem became curious about Cipher's abilities.
That Flame Reaver imitation had simply been too realistic. Even the oppressive aura coming from her had felt lifelike.
Ordinary illusions couldn't possibly reach that level. When they asked Cipher about it, she didn't hide anything. Instead, she proudly explained the secret behind it.
"Disguise? Deception? Neither."
"This is the power of Trickery."
"Let me give you an example. Just now, after you thought that scrap of cloth belonged to the Flame Reaver, what was the first thing that came to mind?"
Cipher asked.
"Um... Could the Flame Reaver be nearby?" Mem answered first.
"Exactly!" Cipher snapped her fingers, the corners of her lips curling upward. "Then you heard footsteps. I deliberately made those sounds. At that moment, what were you thinking?"
"Oh no, it's definitely Prosperity Slaughter." Even now, recalling her earlier reaction left Mem shaken.
"That's right~!" Cipher looked at Mem approvingly. "That's exactly it. All I did was use various hints and suggestions to make you completely believe in something that never existed..."
"Lies. That is Zagreus' signature. As long as everyone believes it to be true, even falsehood can become reality."
...
: Whoa, damn, so that's her ability?
: Feels kinda similar to the concepts on the Enigmata side.
: Pretty interesting, and the upper limit seems insanely high.
: If used properly, wouldn't that mean even imagined things could be materialized through Trickery's divine power?
: History Fictionologists?
: Good lord, why is this stuff everywhere?
: Come to think of it, Amphoreus keeps bringing up concepts from other Paths. It doesn't feel like just a Triple Path at all, but way more.
: Yeah, Castorice's philosophy of Equilibrium, and now Cipher's power feels a lot like Fictionologists too.
.....
Completely absorbed in the explanation, Mem sighed while shaking her fluffy head.
"That really scared my pink fur straight up."
But Stelle remained wary. "With someone like you, who knows whether anything you say is true or false."
Cipher chuckled.
"Afraid my words are a trap? Hahaha, there's no need. Aglaea trusts you that much, and she has her reasons. Honest people like you are impossible for a girl like me to scam, so, there's no harm in telling you. Besides, you're my good partner~"
The conversation gradually returned to the main topic. This time, Stelle had indeed come for the treasure Cipher mentioned.
But it wasn't only about treasure. After the three of them finally reached the inner waterways of Styxia, Stelle stopped walking and casually asked: "By the way, if we really manage to recover a huge amount of treasure this time, where are you planning to go have fun?"
"Have fun?" Cipher laughed softly. Though the mischievous smile still lingered on her lips, there was now a trace of genuine emotion in her eyes.
"You've probably heard my prophecy before: 'You shall walk alongside greed, and perish for a single penny.'"
"But I don't believe in that. As long as I keep finding treasure, I'll never end up with nothing, right?"
"As long as my desires don't bring harm to others, that doesn't count as 'greed,' does it?"
Though the Cipher was usually full of chaotic and silly ideas, when it came to serious matters, she showed an unexpectedly reliable side.
At this point, Cipher paused before looking at the gray-haired girl with a smile.
"As long as I keep running down this road, things like destined prophecies and fate... will never catch up to me."
"My divine speed is fast enough to escape even death."
Cipher's explanation finally put Stelle at ease.
That was also one of the reasons she had come here. After all, in Amphoreus, the Astral Express Crew had already become tightly bound to the Chrysos Heirs.
It wasn't just the Chrysos Heirs who wished to see the Flame-Chasing journey through to the end.
Stelle felt the same way. Cipher, despite seeming like someone with a chaotic-neutral personality, was still an important demigod on the Chrysos Heirs' side.
If possible, Stelle hoped she wouldn't be influenced by the prophecy either.
Without even realizing it, after leaving the Astral Express behind, she had also learned a deeper way of thinking and had grown.
Stelle was gradually becoming more and more capable of standing on her own.