[ I'm really stalling here! ]
[ Was I too nice to you usually, or has your rebellious phase finally arrived, Caelus? ]
[ Damn, the Bible is still chasing me? ]
Through observation along the way, Castorice had exposed Calypso's true identity, revealing that she was none other than Cerces, the Titan of Reason.
Cerces acknowledged her identity and entrusted Caelus and the others to help her reach Anaxa's location to reforge the Coreflame, so they could apprehend the true culprit behind the Grove's destruction—the nameless black-robed swordsman.
The group pressed forward, and the Enlightenment Throne finally appeared ahead.
At that moment, Mem's expression turned troubled. "Mem? (Ah, this… Partners, do you feel it?)"
Trianne asked in confusion, "Little Mi, what's wrong?"
"Mem (The memories here carry an extremely strong scent… It smells of rush grass, flying sand, and scorching sun.)"
[ It must be foreshadowing! ]
[ Dude, are you overthinking everything because you're confused? ]
[ When there's too much information, everything starts looking like foreshadowing. ]
Just then, the device recording the phantoms activated once more.
Anaxa held his left eye as he advanced step by step with great difficulty.
"Heh… I can't see with my eye anymore…"
"No matter… As long as I place this body into the array's core…"
"For Amphoreus… bury yourselves with me, Titan."
...
[ Nooo, Teacher Xia! ]
[ Bro, I feel like someone's about to get stabbed here. ]
[ Hahaha, bring on the blades even harder! ]
[ Flat-front pants, flat-front pants, stab whoever, I don't care! Hahahaha! ]
Following the phantoms, the group reached Anaxa's location. However, the black-robed swordsman that Cerces had mentioned was also there.
Castorice's brows furrowed tightly as she prepared for battle at any moment. "Cerces was right. He really is here."
Trianne looked at the black-robed figure and asked, "That black-robed guy is…?"
Suddenly, Mem became extremely tense.
"Mem (This person… it's the source of that scent and those memories from earlier… No, it is the memory itself!)"
"Mem (The burning wonderland, the shattered sun, and…)"
"Mem (Slaughter, death, and destruction.)"
[ That's a lot of information. ]
[ It feels like there's deep meaning here. Could it be some kind of evil memory conglomerate? ]
[ So this black-robed person is someone's memory? ]
[ Wait, it mentioned Destruction. Could Amphoreus's third Path be Destruction? ]
[ Prophet, get stabbed first. ]
[ I feel like Mem is basically Cyrene? ]
[ Does it even need to be "like"? It's practically spelled out already. ]
— —
At that moment, the black-robed figure slowly turned to look at the group. "..."
Castorice immediately caught the movement and raised her hand to warn everyone:
"Everyone, get ready… This must be the hunter born from the Black Tide that Cerces, the Titan of Reason, mentioned earlier—the owner of that 'black' 'blade' and 'cloak'… the master of those tattered veils who brought the deathly mist of the Titan of Death, Thanatos, from the north wind."
Everyone nodded immediately.
The black-robed figure slowly let out a hoarse, scorched-sounding voice:
"Not… demigods. Retreat. Or… die."
This sentence shocked Mem so much that she started speaking coherently again.
"Run! Mem (Everyone… run quickly! Only us… we can't win against it…!)"
[ Look at how panicked the little one is—she even started speaking normally. ]
[ Is Firefly inside that black robe? ]
[ Why does this scene feel so familiar? ]
[ SAM: Leave now and no one gets hurt! ]
[ Not gonna lie, it really does feel like that! ]
— —
Caelus immediately pulled out his baseball bat. "It'll be fine once the Titan joins the fight."
Castorice nodded in agreement beside him. "Yes, we'll buy as much time as we can for Cerces."
Although Trianne was trembling all over, she still spoke up: "T-Trianne will protect everyone too! Trianne is very brave!"
Castorice turned her head and stared intently at Caelus.
"My lord… just this once… may 'Death' protect you and me!"
"Careful!"
Castorice raised her right hand high. Thick, dark matter flowed from her palm as she prepared to summon the authority of Death.
However, at that very moment—
The black-robed figure extended a single finger. "First slash."
A doppelganger identical to the black-robed figure suddenly materialized from the space in front of them and delivered a slash that interrupted Castorice.
Before the group could react—
"Second slash."
The second doppelganger swung toward Trianne.
Fortunately, Trianne flapped her wings at high speed to dodge the fatal blow, but she was still sent flying dozens of meters by the powerful sword edge.
Caelus immediately rushed forward and caught Castorice, barely stabilizing her.
In the next instant, the black-robed figure clasped his hands together and slowly spread them apart. A pitch-black, shattered greatsword gradually materialized in his grasp.
The dark blade pointed straight at the group before him. "Third slash… will be enough."
[ Holy shit! This is so cool! ]
[ Damn, this boss has insane pressure! ]
[ This scene is way too awesome! ]
[ Am I the only one who noticed Caelus hugged Castorice for a second? ]
[ I remember Castorice is supposed to be the "touch and you die" type. ]
— —
The black-robed figure swung his greatsword in a horizontal slash toward the group.
The sword was too fast.
Castorice and Caelus had no good countermeasure and could only block with their weapons.
Bang—
After a deafening crash, both Castorice and Caelus were sent staggering backward repeatedly.
However, the black-robed figure's assault did not stop there.
Four more doppelgangers appeared behind him and began attacking the group. Not only were his attacks sharp, but the main body could freely switch positions with the doppelgangers, leaving Castorice and Caelus completely unable to defend themselves.
"With your soul's breath… offer it to the flames. Turn into… dead ashes!"
The black-robed figure's words seemed to deliver the final judgment upon them.
Sensing the danger, Castorice summoned the Death God's scythe once more. "In that case…"
But a moment of hesitation flashed in her eyes.
Suddenly—
A hand directly pierced through the black-robed figure's chest.
Countless golden flames erupted outward.
In the next instant, the black-robed figure quickly retreated.
His broken body slowly restored itself piece by piece.
"You failed to kill me in one strike…" Anaxa looked at his right hand. In his palm was a piece of black cloth, along with flames that were still burning.
"As expected, you are no ordinary person."
Seeing Anaxa stand up again, Castorice understood that Cerces had finished reforging the Coreflame.
With the help of a Titan, the group now had confidence in victory.
However, the black-robed figure slowly rose and turned his gaze toward Anaxa.
In the next instant, his body vanished from where he stood.
When he reappeared, the pitch-black blade was already right before Anaxa's eyes.