"I will not. As I said, I remain neutral."
Lygus' stance was very clear, he remained neutral.
Seeing the assassins charging in so aggressively... The audience couldn't help but find it both amusing and ridiculous.
They obviously didn't believe that a few insignificant thugs like these could do anything to Dan Heng.
What they couldn't understand was... What was the point of this?
Was Caenis, that mad dog, planning to disgust someone one last time before dying?
Just as everyone leisurely watched to see how Dan Heng would deal with these clowns.
The scene suddenly shifted.
Stelle and Cipher's treasure-hunting journey in Styxia ended at an astonishing speed.
Not because they found the treasure. But because they never really started.
Cipher surveyed the location, and Stelle used the power of Time to provide some assistance.
Yet, for some reason, Cipher didn't continue. Instead, she marked the location, then sent Stelle back to Okhema.
Although the confused Stelle scratched her head, unable to understand why... Cipher promised that she would return later and take Stelle along to retrieve the treasure.
So Stelle didn't say much more. Her only concern was whether Cipher was planning to trick her and monopolize the treasure.
However, that concern was quickly forgotten.
Because Phainon came looking for her.
With the Citizens' Assembly finally concluded, Phainon now carried a burden he had never expected.
And with it came pressure. He sought out Stelle to train together at the Grove.
Stelle naturally agreed without hesitation.
The two arrived at the at the Grove of Epiphany.
At the place where they had once fought the Flame Reaver in a bloody battle, Stelle and Mem connected themselves to Phainon's memories.
Allowing him to once again meet the Flame Reaver within his memories and temper his own abilities.
At this moment, the battle had reached a critical stage.
...
Two greatswords collided.
Using the reflection on his blade, even within his memories, Phainon still forcibly suppressed the sense of despair in his heart.
"Answer me! Why do you stand in our way... Why do you want to take the Coreflames!?"
The Flame Reaver in his memories naturally did not answer.
Remaining silent, he unleashed unimaginable strength and sent Phainon flying.
After fighting for so long, Phainon had already reached his limit.
The next attack... There was no way he could withstand it.
"Oh no! He can't hold on anymore!"
Mem's voice echoed from outside.
"Drag him back here, friend!"
As the words fell... The surrounding scenery rapidly receded and dissolved.
Still maintaining his sword stance, Phainon panted heavily before slowly opening his eyes.
"Huff... Huff..."
"Are you okay?" Mem floated over next to Phainon and asked.
"I'm okay. I can handle that kind of hit now. But a few months ago, that would've knocked me out."
After catching his breath, Phainon finally relaxed.
Stelle sighed helplessly.
"Always keeping me on edge... What if I accidentally fell asleep? Wouldn't you be done for?"
Being killed by a memory was no joke.
If Phainon were completely slain by the Flame Reaver within his memories, his real body would also suffer severe damage, potentially even resulting in brain death.
Phainon gradually left his combat state behind and revealed his usual clean smile once more.
"Ha... That's why I made sure you were well-fed and rested on the road."
"Thanks for the help. To face Aquila and other potential threats, I must sharpen myself with the most aggressive methods."
Stelle shook her head.
Meanwhile, Mem smiled and said, "Even so, it's impressive you thought of this training method. Battling the phantoms of the past in the river of time... It's just like the "Hyperbolic Time Sanctum" that the bards describe."
Phainon spread his hands and laughed. "Ha, it's working pretty well, wouldn't you say?"
More than obvious. His improvement was enormous.
But Stelle didn't say that aloud.
Besides the improvement, Phainon had also discovered his own shortcomings during battle.
"But combat isn't just about strength and skill. You also need the right weapon. Compared to that guy's weapon, mine feels like I'm swinging a lump of iron. I can't tell you how many swords I've gone through since the training began."
Phainon shook his head, looking troubled. The weapon in the Flame Reaver's hands was indestructible.
No matter how it was swung, there was never any concern about it breaking.
But the weapon Phainon carried was different. It was merely an ordinary great sword.
Not only was it incomparable to the divine weapon wielded by the Flame Reaver, but even in daily training and combat, it had to be used carefully.
Chips, cracks, broken edges, problems common to ordinary weapons were all things he had to consider.
As the audience watched the two converse, a realization suddenly struck them.
By this point in the story, the relationship between Phainon and the Flame Reaver was already becoming increasingly obvious.
Yet there was still room for speculation. For example, that uniquely designed weapon.
And now that Phainon had voluntarily brought up the subject of weapons... It seemed likely that previous theories were about to be confirmed.
Still, the audience secretly hoped that the connection between the Flame Reaver and Phainon was not merely a simple past-and-future twist.
After all, this was Honkai: Star Rail, wasn't it? They believed MiHoYo still had some tricks left to surprise them.
...
: It should be getting confirmed now.
: Damn, if that's the case, then the paradox is about to appear.
: At this point, Phainon still doesn't have a weapon that truly suits him. But because of the pressure from the Flame Reaver, he starts looking for one.
: That greatsword wielded by the Flame Reaver probably originated from that very decision.
: Right. But the problem is that this creates a closed loop, the classic chicken-or-egg problem.
: Phainon only had this idea after seeing the Flame Reaver. So we can't simply view the Flame Reaver as Phainon's future self, is that what you're saying?
: Exactly. This is probably connected to Amphoreus' cycle of reincarnation.
: Reincarnation, huh? Now that's interesting. The future story definitely won't be as straightforward as we imagined. It won't simply be Phainon becoming the Flame Reaver...
: It's starting to get mind-bending.
...
The audience vaguely felt that MiHoYo was using the weapon as a clue to remind them of something.
They couldn't simply view Phainon and the Flame Reaver through the conventional lens of past, present, and future.
The mysteries of Amphoreus had yet to be fully unraveled. The connection between the Flame Reaver and Phainon was likely far more closely tied to the cyclical nature.
The first thing that came to the audience's minds was a movie called Triangle.
In that story, the protagonist and the enemy were actually the same person, just versions from different points in time.
Together, they formed a loop.
And Phainon and the Flame Reaver already seemed to be hinting at something similar.
However, the cycle presented by Honkai: Star Rail was clearly far more complicated than that of Triangle.
Not only did it involve cyclical timelines, but also the powers of Time and Fate that constantly accompanied Phainon.
This only made everyone more eager to uncover the hidden secrets behind it all.
Filled with curiosity and anticipation, he audience continued watching.
.....
After training ended. The group agreed to take a break.
Since the Grove of Epiphany was currently deserted, Phainon also wanted to introduce Stelle to some of the things he had seen here during his childhood.
The group arrived at the library. They flipped through the stone tablets scattered across the floor.
Honestly speaking, the scholars of the Grove of Epiphany were quite something.
They talked about academics all day long, but what they did in private was another matter entirely.
Forbidden Love: The Tree and the Butterfly.
And One Punch God: Aquila.
The audience couldn't help but smile when they saw those titles.
Until a heavyweight tablet was unearthed.
"My Professor Can't Possibly Be This Shy?"
"Holy crap, this is fanfiction written by some absolute madman."
The moment Stelle saw the title on the book in her hands, her expression changed instantly.
And with such a forbidden title, filled with an indescribable sense of impropriety... An image of Castorice immediately appeared in Stelle's mind.
"Right." At that moment, Phainon, who was also searching through the tablets, suddenly remembered something and joked with a smile.
"Some of the works here were actually written by Castorice. Back when she was studying, she loved this kind of stuff."
"Eh?!" Stelle's eyes widened instantly.
The barrage exploded on the spot.
...
: Amazing. Is the Grove of Epiphany this wild behind the scenes?
: HAHAHAHAHA, they even have fanfiction books. I can't take it anymore.
: Let me see!!
: Oh my god! My favorite episode!
: Is there anything better than suddenly exposing fanfiction right before the ending arrives?!
: Wait, why would Castorice write fanfiction?!
: I can already picture it, hahaha.
: Good lord, so Castorice had this hobby too?!
: Shocking! Not only is Castorice a Death Titan, she's also a hardcore fanfiction writer!
: I want to read it! I want to read it!
...
The audience's curiosity had already reached its limit. Thankfully, the stream immediately gave a close-up of the stone tablet.
Below it appeared the inner monologue Stelle imagined.
"T-that, Professor... I'm only an intern. If we do this now, wouldn't it be... too soon?"
"I finally worked up the courage to say it. Do you expect me to waste all that preparation? You idiot!"
"At least... wait until after class."
"I'm sorry, Professor! I'll do anything to make it up to you!"
"Anything~?"
Just a few disconnected lines.
Yet the audience already felt as though their faces had been run over by a truck.
By the time they realized what they had just read, it was already too late.
Stelle had already grabbed her head and held the tablet as far away from herself as possible.
"Holy crap, what am I even reading?"
Stelle tossed the tablet aside.
"I feel like my brain isn't clean anymore." Not wanting to look at such stories any longer, Stelle glanced around.
Phainon was still completely absorbed in reading some tablets, while on the other side, Mem was also staring intently at a tablet in her arms.
Curious, Stelle quietly walked over behind Mem.
"Month of Cultivation, Curtain-Fall Hour, a time to feast on grains, but a poor time for fishing..."
"But then again, are there even any spots left to fish in Amphoreus these days?"
Mem muttered to herself while reading. She was actually looking at materials related to divination.
Soon after, she started reading about divination cards.
Things like interpretations of "Ruler"... "Weaver"... "Traveler"... "Healer"... divination cards.
While Stelle was secretly peeking at Mem, Phainon also walked over.
"Divination? I didn't expect Mem to be interested in this sort of thing."
The sudden voice startled both Stelle and Mem. Mem quickly put down the tablet and smiled awkwardly.
"Ahaha... I just think divination is actually quite meaningful."
"Superstitions, superstitions, don't buy into them." Stelle didn't seem convinced.
"What if divination predicts something bad?"
"Divination is only meaningful when there are both good and bad outcomes." Mem shook her head seriously and argued back.
"Even bad omens serve as guidance. They can help keep us alert, right?"
Before Stelle could respond, Phainon suddenly let out a surprised sound.
"Strange... That person I knew used to say similar things. Looking back, whenever she interpreted a card for me, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. Even though I never believed in the outcomes."
"Maybe it was her tone? Cyrene... she could paint a complete fantasy so vividly, it utterly captivated me as a child."
Prompted by Mem's words, Phainon was drawn into old memories.
"Right. I still carry a card she once used. Do you want to see it?"
Both Stelle and Mem nodded immediately.
This was the first time Phainon had talked about memories from the past that weren't filled with regret.
Without hesitation, Phainon took out a well-preserved card. The figure engraved on it looked remarkably similar to him.
The audience, who had been carefully digesting every word of the conversation, immediately became alert.
Their minds couldn't help but start running wild with speculation.
However, just as Phainon was about to explain the story behind the card... A series of footsteps suddenly echoed around them.
The camera slowly pulled back. Revealing the identity of the newcomers.
Assassins! The exact same kind that Dan Heng had encountered.
?
Now the audience was truly confused.
Trying to assassinate Dan Heng was already a brainless decision.
Why would they also send people after Stelle and Phainon? Do they have a death wish?
And haven't didn't they understand Phainon's strength? The audience simply couldn't understand.
Could it be... That Caenis had really gone completely insane?