---o---
"Hah... hah..."
Cipher had no idea how far she had run, but she could feel the man in black still close behind her, like a hyena waiting for the moment she became weak and let her guard down to leap from the shadows and sink its teeth into her throat.
Thinking of the fate that awaited her, Cipher couldn't help but curse her own foolishness.
"Honestly, why do I do such stupid things... It's just like you, Fu Zhu, that day you charged back into the lord's fortress to kill that bastard, without a care for anything else... Maybe I'm just as crazy as you are."
Cipher stopped, slumping onto a tree stump. She clutched her chest, breathing in ragged, painful gasps as she stared into the shadows of the grove before her.
"You've been chasing me for so long. Isn't it about time you showed yourself?"
The silhouette of the man in black materialized from the shadows. He walked slowly toward Cipher and pressed the tip of his straight sword against her throat.
Cipher met his gaze, hidden in the shadows of his hood, without a trace of fear.
"How about we make a deal?"
The man in black said nothing, but he did not press his attack. His silence seemed to urge Cipher to continue.
Cipher grinned. "Weren't you asking me who I was before? I'll tell you the answer and hand over the [Coreflame]. In return, you have to tell me who you are. How about it?"
"Hand over... the [Coreflame]..."
Cipher couldn't help but grimace. Could this guy only say these few words?
But she had no choice. She reached into her pocket again and took out a [Coreflame]. Just as she was about to hand it to the man in black, the straight sword at her throat pushed forward, instantly piercing her skin. Golden blood trickled down from the wound.
The man in black raised the crescent sword in his left hand and swung it directly at the [Coreflame] in Cipher's hand, instantly slicing it in two. Once broken, the 'Coreflame' revealed its true form: a can, split in half, no different from the last 'Coreflame' she had given him.
The man in black immediately glared at Cipher with rage. Cipher gave a dry laugh.
"I gave you the wrong one. Would you believe me?"
"Hmph... Demigod of [Trickery]... Cifera!"
Hearing her true name spoken by the man in black, Cipher's face paled. In that same instant, her appearance changed, reverting to her original form.
Cipher looked up at the sky in a panic. The moment her identity was exposed, the Eternal Day was once again replaced by the black of night.
It was over!
At that moment, observing all of this from the sky, Lygus felt a surge of delight. Even though he was just an Intellitron now, he was overjoyed.
"Khaslana, I truly didn't expect that the one to help me restore the night would be you! If only you were lucid at this moment, what a beautiful scene this would be!"
Sure enough, as long as Fu Zhu was dealt with, everything would proceed smoothly!
---o---
Meanwhile, the group of Stelle and the others, who were riding MK2000, also noticed the change in the sky. When they saw the night descend, every one of them wore a grim expression.
Stelle frowned, her eyes glued to the dark sky.
"Didn't they say the sky only changes because of my brother? Did it suddenly turn from day to night... Don't tell me... my brother decided to take a nap?"
The atmosphere had been tense, but hearing Stelle's words, the others on MK2000's back almost lost their composure.
Dan Heng, in particular, couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
"Stelle, this is not the right time for jokes like that."
Stelle noticed the strange look Phainon was giving her and scratched her head, embarrassed.
"Sorry, sorry, it just slipped out."
She couldn't help it. She really couldn't imagine how her brother could possibly be forced to retract the Eternal Day. The only possibility she could think of was that her brother had done it willingly, unless someone else had the power to do so.
Phainon averted his gaze from Stelle and patted the side of MK2000. "A little faster, MK2000."
MK2000 let out a low roar. The group on its back immediately felt a powerful push from behind. Stelle, who hadn't been holding on tight, was nearly thrown off. Luckily, Dan Heng was beside her and helped steady her, preventing her from being flung off completely.
---o---
On the other side, seeing her disguise exposed, Cipher kicked the blade aimed at her to the side. She then nimbly got to her feet, pulled a coin from her pocket, and with a flick of her thumb, her figure instantly vanished from before the man in black.
The next second, the man's body contorted as he was suddenly sent flying backward as if struck by a heavy blow.
Cipher's figure appeared beside him like a phantom. She grinned playfully and said, "Sometimes, when you unmask a kitty, it hisses. Be careful you don't get scratched!"
Just as Cipher was about to land a final blow, the man in black, who was still flying backward, let out a sudden cold snort. His figure gradually faded until it disappeared completely.
Seeing the man vanish, a terrible premonition welled up in Cipher's heart. She immediately spun around to scan her surroundings, only to find that the man in black had somehow appeared at the spot where she had first flicked the coin. He raised his hand and caught the falling coin.
Seeing this, Cipher's hair stood on end. Combined with the fact that the man in black had just exposed her identity... could it be...
This guy can even see through my high-speed trickery?!
What happened next was just as Cipher had feared. The man in black suddenly released the coin, letting it fall. Cipher was forced to rush toward it, attempting to catch the coin.
However, the man in black seemed to have anticipated this. He raised a hand and clamped it directly around Cipher's throat, instantly crushing her throat bone. He then forcefully threw her into a nearby boulder.
Cipher crashed heavily into the rock, shattering it. The bones in her body were all fractured. She wanted to scream in pain, but with her throat crushed, she could only manage a muffled grunt as she collapsed weakly to the ground.
The man in black walked over slowly, raising his straight sword to finish Cipher off.
"...I promise you... the pain will be fleeting..."
Hearing these words, Cipher's eyes, which were already glazing over, suddenly widened. She looked at the man in black with disbelief, and with ragged breaths, she managed to speak.
"Are you... connected to... the Chrysos Heirs?"
The man in black didn't answer. He just tightened his grip on his straight sword, preparing to strike.
But just as the sword was about to pierce Cipher's chest, a massive tail whipped out with afterimages trailing behind it and slammed into him.
BAM!
With a sonic boom, the man in black was sent flying, crashing through the dense forest until he was out of sight.
At that moment, Stelle and the others jumped down from MK2000 and surrounded Cipher. Dan Heng immediately began to check her injuries.
Phainon, the only one who knew Cipher, asked nervously, "Cifera, are you alright?"