"The determination of those two reached its peak. Their powerful will caused even the steam to change color. The flames of their fighting spirit, wrapped in steam, shot straight into the sky, blocking out the sun and making it impossible to see…
Since we can't see the match clearly… we might as well listen to a story about a 'King' while we wait, right?"
"Do you still remember the legend of the 'Gorgon Lion Hunt' mentioned by that old warrior? The protagonist of the story… the main lion, was not the only overlord. There was also a sword antelope that could stand against it as an equal.
Long before the Golden Age, the two beasts had already begun their life-and-death struggle on the plains of Treitos. The lion saw the antelope as its next meal, while the antelope saw the lion as a towering wall of contempt, oppression, and suffering that it swore to topple with its horns…"
"And so, for tens of thousands of years, the two beasts chased and fled across the wilderness—"
Then the screen went black. Nothing could be seen.
But the faint sounds of two men's labored breathing could be heard.
"It trails behind."
"It gazes upon their backs."
"It has no path of retreat."
"It has no wings to fly."
At this moment, the entire screen was filled with question marks.
[ ????????? ]
[ Is this something I'm allowed to watch? Wait, allowed to listen to? ]
[ Why black out the screen? Do you think we can't handle it? ]
[ miHoYo, you're playing big this time! ]
[ For some reason, this black screen actually made me smile strangely. ]
[ I suggest everyone wear headphones. My mom is already looking at me weirdly. ]
[ Taiji Eight Desolations. ]
[ Why black it out? Just show it openly and give me unlimited room for imagination. ]
[ ??? Is this okay? This doesn't seem okay! ]
— —
The Bathhouse Sprite's voice rang out passionately, "On the land of Amphoreus, some lives end at dusk, some at dawn, and some—they are destined to perish under the blazing sun at noon!"
"Finally! The most scorching moment of the day has arrived. A powerful fate has been summoned forth."
[ What exactly are you burning for? ]
[ Tail: Defying the heavens. ]
[ Tail: You're defying the heavens too. ]
[ Tail is still way too overpowered. ]
[ What the hell? Why am I involved? ]
— —
Light gradually returned to the screen.
Phainon and Mydei were standing in front of a massive pot.
Both of their bodies were trembling nonstop.
At that moment, a bathhouse attendant approached them. "Your Excellencies, would you like me to lower the temperature a bit?"
Mydei let out a very cool "Hmph."
Phainon's voice trembled as he mocked, "Wh-what? Heh… You're chickening out?"
Mydei finally squeezed out one word: "Scram."
The attendant looked confused. "You… you want me to scram, or…"
Mydei forced out a full sentence, "You… figure it out yourself…"
"Then please excuse my transgression, Your Excellency."
— —
"Sigh…" Hyacine, Tribbie, and Aglaea all closed their eyes tightly.
A sense of indescribable melancholy filled their hearts.
They felt that Amphoreus's tomorrow was nowhere in sight!
In the end, Aglaea gave a summary of the situation:
"They really… made quite the spectacle of themselves."
"Challenging the people of Castrum Kremnos without knowing your limits—this is the result." The corners of Mydei's mouth curved into a confident arc.
[ So what exactly are you being proud of? ]
[ Just thinking that these are the two strongest fighters in Amphoreus makes Aglaea's vision go dark. ]
[ I can't anymore. My mouth hasn't stopped smiling. ]
— —
Aglaea pointed at the bathers lying unconscious nearby. "I mean… your little game ended up dragging quite a few people into suffering as well."
Mydei remained dismissive. "Those bathers who fainted from the killing intent—we will send them away safely."
"That's… not fair…" Phainon, who was lying on the ground, finally spoke. "You're… wearing… much less than me…"
Hyacine glanced at the fully armored Phainon, then looked at Mydei. "Diving into a high-temperature bath fully armed—is this some new trend?"
"Don't look at me like that… He issued the challenge. The dictionary of Castrum Kremnos does not contain the word 'retreat.'"
Aglaea interrupted their exchange, wanting to end this farce quickly. "Alright, that's enough of this farce, warriors. It's time to get moving."
Then the screen went black, and a line of subtitles drifted by.
"After recovering, Phainon and Mydei escorted the fainted bathers away from the scene…
In this escort competition, Phainon won by a narrow and astonishing margin of 27 to 25."
[ A narrow and astonishing margin! ]
[ These two are still competing, hahahaha. ]
[ I can't take it, hhhhh! ]
— —
Watching the bathhouse gradually return to normal, Aglaea couldn't help but sigh.
"Heh… The flame-chasing journey is truly long and full of obstacles."
"But thanks to those two, the sad atmosphere has completely vanished," Tribbie said, finally breathing a sigh of relief. "Although we just went through a farce, the Cloudstone Celestial Palace is rarely this quiet. Why don't we continue with our previous plans? Little Hyacine, would you like to join us?"
Facing Tribbie's invitation, Hyacine had no reason to refuse. "Such an empty bathhouse is a rare sight…
I originally came to relax after the surgery anyway, so I'll gladly accept Lady Tribbie's invitation!"
Tribbie was already leading the way ahead. "Then let's go to the largest bath!"
The scene shifted.
Hyacine and Aglaea were already bathing in the pool.
Tribbie sat at the edge, dipping her little bare feet into the water and playfully splashing the surface.
[ Don't panic, everyone—one sip each. No hogging! ]
[ One ladle. Don't be greedy. ]
[ Quick, take screenshots! ]
— —
Noticing that Tribbie was only sitting at the edge of the pool and not entering the water, Hyacine felt puzzled.
At that moment, Aglaea explained that due to the influence of the Titan of the Gate, Tribbie could no longer tolerate the temperature of the pool water.
Tribbie herself explained it quite frankly.
Tribbie was once a mature adult. However, after obtaining the power of the Gate, the price she paid in exchange was the splitting of her soul.
Aglaea added from the side:
"Every time the 'Hundred Realms Gate' is opened, it deepens the effects of the split on Tribbie and the others. From body to mind, they are gradually regressing toward infancy."
Hyacine immediately recalled the massive Hundred Realms Gate that opened in the sky during the battle against Nikador.
"Doesn't that mean…?"
Tribbie didn't mind. "There's no helping it. The flame-chasing journey was never going to be smooth sailing."
After a moment of silence, Hyacine said solemnly, "Perhaps… there is a way. The core research of the Intellectual School is the soul. Whether it's mitigating its loss or restoring a dissipated soul… as long as the research continues, there may be new discoveries.
We will do our best."
Aglaea smiled with relief. "Your first reaction is actually denial? As expected of Anaxa's disciple. I look forward to your good news, Hyacine."
Tribbie showed a sweet smile. "Hehe, now there's one more reason to look forward to tomorrow…"
Just then—
Tribbie suddenly clutched her forehead in pain. "Ugh!"
Hyacine's instincts as a healer kicked in. She quickly moved to Tribbie's side to check on her.
"Lady Tribbie?! Wh-what's wrong?"
"Something… doesn't feel right. A strong signal came again… It's Trianne—no, not this time… It's Trinnon! Trinnon is in danger…!"