"The sound came from the 'Stellar Chasing Atrium.' Let's hurry."
Castorice led the way, with Caelus following close behind.
They hadn't gone far before spotting Trianne.
Mem, however, was trapped below, surrounded by a horde of strange beasts.
"Hoo-wah… Little Gray, Little Cas! Something's wrong—something big is wrong!" Trianne pointed toward Mem's location.
Although Mem looked like she was in trouble, she insisted she was fine.
"It's nothing… Mem (It's fine… good partner, I'm okay…! It's just that my body feels… a little bit hot…!)"
"(But… it would be even better if you didn't let me become a snack for these little things…!)"
The strange beasts around her let out low growls.
Mem immediately apologized: "(Sorry, I shouldn't have called you little things…!)"
[ As expected of the Trailblazer's pet—she's got that abstract energy. ]
[ Hahaha, abstract? She's straight-up surreal. ]
[ At first Mem was pretty normal, but now she's really letting loose. ]
[ Isn't that normal? Look at Dan Heng—after spending so much time with the Trailblazer, even he got weird. ]
— —
Afterward, everyone began looking for a way to rescue Mem.
Caelus deliberately "accidentally" activated a miracle, switching to the Dawn spacetime.
Mem was instantly submerged in water.
"Glub glub glub… (Mem Good job, partner!)"
"Glub glub glub… (Mem I feel… so much cooler now…)"
[ Hahahahaha! ]
[ I can't take it. ]
[ Unbelievable! ]
After some twists and turns, Caelus and the group finally rescued Mem.
Just then, Calypso appeared out of nowhere once again.
She explained to everyone:
Thanks to the mishap, the amber Mem found was actually the remnant of Mnestia's Coreflame. If they used the "Golden Bough Oath" to gather the lingering embers before them and offer them to the divine butterfly, they could proceed to the throne at the tree crown.
Once more, Trianne took out Aglaea's Goldweaver and tested Calypso with it. The reaction was surprisingly normal.
The group returned to the passageway and presented the embers to the butterfly of divine intellect. The path opened straight to the Enlightenment Throne.
Just then, the butterfly of divine intellect emitted the voice of the Mnestia Titan.
Calypso smiled faintly. "I'll be right back."
The phantom of Mnestia let out a sorrowful Titan hum.
Calypso replied, "Of course, we already had an agreement… It's just that now… it's my turn to offer myself."
The rest of the group was completely dumbfounded throughout the exchange. Only Castorice understood the entire conversation.
"At this point, I'll start… You are actually Cerces herself, aren't you?"
"Mem? (Wh-what's going on? You? The Titan herself?)" Mem stared at Calypso in disbelief.
"Ah, children of man… You've finally passed the final test." Calypso laughed cheerfully. "I was wondering when you would expose me. How did you find out?"
"The riddle-like trials, the suspicious yet sincere personality, calling Mnestia 'my beloved,' and… the true name of the leader of the 'Lotus-Eating School' is Medea, not Calypso."
[ Wait, is Reason actually involved with Romance? ]
[ Don't pry into Titan business. ]
[ Is this even reasonable? This doesn't seem reasonable, right? ]
[ What's unreasonable about it? ]
[ But Aglaea is the demigoddess of Romance, so does that mean the heir of the Reason Titan is going to… with Aglaea? ]
[ It's fine as long as they don't elbow each other. ]
[ Heh… ]
— —
"Since you knew from the beginning that I wasn't who I claimed to be, why only expose me now?" Cerces looked quite pleased with Castorice.
Castorice responded solemnly, "Because I couldn't believe that Cerces would walk the earth in human form, and I feared the Titan might have been corrupted by the Black Tide, putting us all in mortal danger… Also, 'every word must have evidence'—this is the valuable knowledge I learned while studying in the Grove."
"Heh… very good. To gain such vitality even in the face of death—fate truly is profound and unfathomable."
"In that case… shouldn't you tell us why you went to such lengths to set up these riddles?"
"Hmm, the reason is simple." Cerces paused. "I need help. Just as you were wary of me, I also needed to ensure that you were not villains seeking to seize the Coreflame and that you had the ability to deal with the immediate threat."
Castorice recalled everything she had seen along the way. "This 'threat' is related to the Black Tide?"
"Exactly. It is also connected to the lost item from earlier. Its owner is a silent and suspicious hunter who seems to have emerged from the Black Tide and arrived alongside it. I was powerless against him, so I had no choice but to split my form and flee to avoid harm. I bided my time, seeking help. Unfortunately, this was not a long-term solution."
"Hmm… so you mean you hid your own Coreflame?" Castorice asked.
"Precisely. I divided it into three parts. One portion is hidden within the 'Golden Bough Oath,' another is sealed together with Mnestia's remaining embers inside the amber…" Cerces looked toward the direction of the throne. "As for the final portion… it is currently inside Anaxa's body, urgently awaiting repair."
Castorice was somewhat surprised. "What? You mean you used this method…"
"Hehe. After all, the scholars of the Grove were willing to throw themselves into fire and blades to defend my Coreflame, facing death with calm resolve… As a revered god, how could I simply watch the children of man sacrifice themselves for my sake? That would be too shameful. Especially that heretic named Anaxa—who did not hesitate to shatter his own soul as a cornerstone, triggering a miracle to lay a vast net across the Grove, trapping the Black Tide's creations in a cage so they wouldn't harm others. I found such a line of thought so extraordinary that it would be a shame to let it vanish with the Black Tide, so I lent the child of man a hand. Of course, I was also able to hide myself… Well, this is another aspect of 'equivalent exchange,' isn't it?"
Caelus blinked and glanced at Mem. "Summary?"
Mem said: "Mem Mem (Ah, I get it! So you want to use our hands to piece your Coreflame back together and save Anaxa at the same time!)"
Cerces nodded. "What a clever little rabbit. In that case, I can regain my true form, and you can retrieve both the Coreflame and your honored teacher back to Okhema… Additionally, we can hunt together at the throne and capture that black-clad swordsman in one fell swoop."
Trianne asked from the side, "But… Cerces, aren't you the Titan of Reason?"
"Hehe… Although I do not hold the authority of 'Strife,' I am still a god, am I not? I only need all of you to buy me some time under that warrior's blade… Once the Coreflame is reforged, I will be able to test my edge."
Hearing this, Caelus pulled out his baseball bat. "Leave it to me. I'm the best at stalling."