Keeping his words to himself for now due to the tense atmosphere in the room, 'Hertatomb' didn't ask Herta outright what she meant by that.
Luckily, the standoff didn't last much longer.
"It seems the other Madam Herta is growing impatient. Moreover, I cannot allow her to continue like this."
Zandar could see everything happening on Amphoreus.
After infiltrating, the other Herta had immediately used her access to craft an identity for herself as 'the Thirteenth Titan descended from beyond the heavens.'
Light from a distant galaxy spilled across the land.
Helping the people of Amphoreus disperse the darkness and hold back the Black Tide.
As for the appearance of that Thirteenth Titan…
'Hertatomb' looked it over and thought it had a distinctly Tiga-esque style to it.
Did she just pluck imagery from her own tokusatsu memories and use it directly?
But no matter how much 'Hertatomb' grumbled internally, Zandar, now suppressed by the combined efforts of 'Hertatomb' and the other Herta, couldn't find an opening to delete this new data.
He could only watch helplessly as the Emperor's Scepter became infected with the peculiar virus.
He wasn't as obsessed with the Irontomb project as he once was, but that didn't mean he was willing to accept his hard-earned research being recklessly sabotaged by a junior.
If possible, he would much prefer the Irontomb to connect to the Droid Head, allowing him to verify his own deductions firsthand, rather than having the conclusion handed to him by an outsider.
--+--
And as the new divine oracle integrated into Amphoreus's calculations, the Digimon code, carrying the Seeds of Light within it, spread with the oracle to every individual within the simulation.
The quiet evolution from electrical signal to digital life had begun.
Unsurprisingly, the thirteen chosen Chrysos Heirs were the first to sprout.
After all, the Emperor's Scepter's computational power was immense, and those individuals were already infinitely close to being living beings.
But beyond these thirteen Chrysos Heirs, there was one most unique individual.
He showed significant changes almost the instant the Digimon virus reached him.
That was the Flame Reaver.
Of course, he wasn't yet in the state seen in the game—cloaked in black robes, mind addled.
Instead, he still wore Phainon's face, and the multitude of Coreflames within him hadn't yet grown enough to shatter his will.
Just as 'Hertatomb' had guessed earlier, at this point in time, the endless cycles had only just begun.
At least, they hadn't reached the exaggerated scale of millions upon millions of lifetimes.
But even though the Coreflames weren't yet a burden on his will, the moment he evolved into a Digimon and truly became a living being, the multiple Coreflames burning in his chest, along with the lengthy memories of numerous cycles, all transformed into his power.
The torrent of complex data allowed this Flame Reaver to complete his first evolution.
The burning Coreflames no longer scorched his chest, but instead became raging flames under his control.
And it was precisely this exceptional performance that simultaneously drew the attention of both Zandar and the other Herta.
Beyond the world, 'Hertatomb' saw the Flame Reaver being approached by the other Herta, and Zandar hurrying off to Okhema for some unknown purpose.
The original Phainon, upon inheriting the memories and Coreflames of thirty million cycles, gained Nanook's acknowledgment through his rage.
And if those vast memories and data could become sustenance for a Digimon… 'Hertatomb' truly couldn't imagine what level Amphoreus could evolve to with the boost of thirty million cycles' worth of data.
But then again, this Flame Reaver probably wouldn't get to experience thirty million cycles now.
In fact, with such a massive variable thrown into Amphoreus, even without the Trailblazer, they should be able to rely on their own will to forge a Path of Hope for Amphoreus.
No need to bitterly wait through thirty million cycles of reincarnation.
'Hertatomb' had no objections to this.
She wasn't so heartless as to insist on seeing what kind of overpowered entity thirty million cycles could create.
As for Herta, she had already followed the Chronocognitive Anchor into Amphoreus, ready to use the Emperor's Scepter as a game board and have a proper match with her senior.
But Screwllum didn't enter with her, instead choosing to stay by 'Hertatomb's' side.
"Screwllum, why did you stay out here?"
"Deduction: With two Madam Hertas simultaneously challenging Zandar, they would not allow interference in a duel between geniuses. Moreover, someone must remain outside to prevent… disruptions from other parties."
As for who those 'other parties' were, it went without saying.
"…I always thought Herta was the type to prefer ganging up on someone over a fair fight."
Hearing 'Hertatomb's words, Screwllum showed a rare hint of a smile:
"If Madam Herta heard that, she would likely be upset with you again, Lady Bai Ming."
'Hertatomb' shook her head with a light laugh, dropping the subject.
She was almost getting used to it.
From their very first meeting, Herta had either been hissing at her or seemed on the verge of doing so.
No wonder they said Herta was stubborn and held grudges.
Holding onto something for centuries, thinking about it every day.
Not that it was particularly hateful. After all, Herta wasn't unreasonable.
Her concern was genuine.
The Space Station's resources were freely available, Herta City was open to her.
So in truth, Madam Herta was quite fond of her, right?
Just now, she had looked positively possessive.
Feeling that if she continued down this train of thought, Herta's image in her mind might warp into something strange, 'Hertatomb' actively stopped her internal musings about Herta and changed the subject:
"Do you think Zandar's speculation is true? Or is he just overthinking things?"
"Deduction: While maintaining skepticism toward the unknown, your accomplishments are more than sufficient to warrant the title of Genius. Forgive me, but I cannot imagine a reason for Nous to ignore you."
Screwllum's understanding of Nous couldn't compare to Zandar's, but while maintaining a spirit of doubt, he also leaned toward agreeing with the guesses of Zandar and Herta.
"So you think so too…"
'Hertatomb' had earlier been internally grumbling about how Nous had glanced her way so many times yet still hadn't sent her any certification.
"Lady Bai Ming, you could stand to raise your self-assessment. You are someone worthy of admiration even among Geniuses."
--+--
While 'Hertatomb' and Screwllum chatted and watched the show, on the other side of the cosmos, the Lord Ravager, Celenova, received a message from Phantylia.
"The intel you got was right. The Interastral Peace Corporation, who knows where they got their info, has joined forces with other major powers and is camped outside our not-yet-born colleague's doorstep."
"Understood."
"Don't rush off. I've got another piece of news for you. Take a look at this."
Phantylia sent over a video.
In the silent void, soundless flames erupted from nothingness.
And within those flames, a clearly anomalous massive form, like a cross of bones, appeared there.
It then effortlessly breached Amphoreus's barrier.
As easily as opening one's own front door.
"…What is that?"
Even through the screen, Celenova could sense the overwhelming aura of Destruction emanating from it, almost spilling out of the display.
"No idea. But from what I observed, the scent of Destruction on that one is stronger than yours or mine."
"The Eighth Lord Ravager? But why hasn't the Aeon informed us?"
"That's the strangest part. Back when it was the other Celenova, we were told to monitor the situation. This time, not a peep. But, doesn't this scene feel somewhat… familiar to you?"
Phantylia's playful voice came through the communication line.
The response was a long silence.
Familiar?
It really was familiar.
Though Celenova hadn't witnessed it herself, a new Lord Ravager appearing out of nowhere, actively seeking out another, backed by a large force…
This moment was truly like that moment from before.
"I'm going."
After contemplation, Celenova made her choice.
She immediately commanded her avatar, coordinating her armies to change course, heading toward Amphoreus's location.
"I knew you'd do that. Well then, good luck~"
Phantylia cut the communication.
Lord Ravagers typically operated independently.
As for why these two seemed so chummy, well, that was Bai Ming's fault.
It started with Celenova being utterly fed up with those Xianzhou people, who kept showing up every so often to spout nonsense at her.
So she actively sought out Phantylia to inquire about her other self's whereabouts, hoping to drag that other version of herself out and toss her to the Xianzhou, so they'd leave her alone.
After centuries of searching back and forth, they'd naturally become familiar.
This time, Celenova had also asked Phantylia to verify the strange intel she'd recently received.
Her instincts told her she might find something at Amphoreus.
So, immediately after confirming the intel's accuracy with Phantylia, Celenova changed her army's direction without hesitation, marching toward Amphoreus.
--+--