Phaethon did not answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the even more distant void, piercing through layer upon layer of cloud barriers, coming to rest upon the land he had fought for tooth and nail, sworn to protect with his life.
"I'm looking at this world I love." He said softly, his voice so light it was almost scattered by the wind.
In truth, Phaethon was silently sorting through the turbulent thoughts and burdens known to no one else here.
The Re-creation was imminent, yet he could not foresee his own place after it. The system, the scepter, the "Administrator" from beyond this world...
And him? Merely an anomalous variable in Amphoreus's grand cycle, an accident that should never have existed.
*What if my very existence is an exception? What if I cannot, like Phainon, naturally step into the next cycle...* A cold thought brushed silently across the depths of his heart.
But the next moment, that thought was shattered by countless images from the journey thus far — Even without knowing the outcome, he would still have chosen to set out. More important than pursuing a flawless ending was the heart that chose to act in this moment.
*So... even if the final outcome is that only Phainon can embark on the path of Eternal Recurrence... before that happens, I have to scheme against that bastard Lygus hiding behind the curtains one more time!*
Although his words were always filled with disdain and trash talk towards Lygus, Phaethon had never truly underestimated this opponent in his heart.
On the contrary, precisely because he deeply understood the other's terrifying past of having once personally created a "god", he approached every plan, every confrontation with extreme caution.
Those seemingly arrogant provocations were merely psychological tactics, carefully calculated to goad his opponent and force them to reveal a flaw.
Withdrawing his wandering thoughts, he turned his gaze from the distant void back to the pink-haired girl who had been by his side all this time.
"And now," his tone was calm and natural, carrying a hint of barely perceptible gentleness, "I'm looking at someone I love."
"Huh?!" Cyrene had never anticipated such a response. Her cheeks flushed a noticeable red, and her speech became stammering. "L-little Phaethon! You, you you, what nonsense are you saying? Words like that... words like that are so easily misund—"
"My words mean exactly what they say." Phaethon's eyes, which always seemed to hold too many cares, now clearly reflected Cyrene's somewhat flustered appearance. "Although you, Phainon, Mydei, Castorice, Hyacine, Teacher Tribbie, Lady Aglaea... everyone who has fought by my side, everyone I treasure, are all reasons why I protect this world."
"But..." He paused, his voice soft yet exceptionally clear, "you are indeed the most important one in my heart."
His bluntness made Cyrene's heart skip a beat. The temperature in her face rose even higher, her eyes darting everywhere, just not daring to look at Phaethon.
"L-little... Phaethon, you..." She felt her tongue was almost tied in knots. "Have you suddenly become enlightened... or... have you been corrupted by Castorice's novels..."
But... right at this delicate moment, as Cyrene was stammering—
"Everyone—!"
Hyacine's sudden exclamation sharply cut off the conversation between the two! Her voice carried unprecedented urgency and shock!
"The 'Sky' Coreflame just sent a warning..." Hyacine's face had turned pale. "Just now... Okhema's Dawn Device... has gone out!!"
This news was like a bolt from the blue, instantly shattering all the subtle heart-flutters and unspoken words!
The Dawn Device was Okhema's final bastion maintaining light, the core energy source resisting the Black Tide's erosion, and the ultimate symbol of hope in the hearts of countless survivors!
Its extinguishing could only mean one thing: Okhema, and indeed the entire world, had reached the final, most dangerous juncture! Okhema's last battle had already begun on the ground, unbeknownst to them!
Everyone's heart sank like a stone.
...
When everyone passed through the faintly glowing Infinity Gate and returned to the Dawncloud cliff, the sight that met their eyes made everyone's hearts sink even further.
The Civic Square was densely packed with almost all the surviving people of this world.
They came from Okhema, from The Grove, from Castrum Kremnos, from Janusopolis, from every remaining settlement.
But now, without exception, they were all looking up at the sky, their faces filled with bewilderment, fear, and dread of the darkness.
The Dawn's Light that had illuminated the holy city for millennia, seen as an eternal hope, had been extinguished. Only the emergency light sources at the edges of the Dawncloud cliff emitted a weak, uneasy glow.
"Phaethon, Phainon, you've returned." Aglaea's voice came through. She walked briskly towards them. The usually composed and elegant Golden-Weave Lady's brow was now etched with an unshakeable gravity, her voice lower than ever before.
"Lady Aglaea", Phaethon's tone was steady, quickly informing her of the situation. "The 'Sky' Coreflame has been successfully retrieved by Hyacine. She should be at the Vortex of Genesis returning it now."
"Mm... I understand." Aglaea nodded, but her gaze turned to Phainon, her expression complex. "Phainon, the 'Worldbearing' Coreflame... you must also prepare yourself. The final moment is approaching." Her tone held a rare trace of weariness.
"I will, Aglaea." Phainon responded solemnly. But then, his attention was drawn to the commotion at the center of the square.
A group of people clad in Prophecy Priest robes were gathered together, anxiously flipping through one ancient tome and engineering schematic after another.
"Aglaea... what are they..."
"The Dawn Device at Kephale has gone out without warning," Aglaea explained, her gaze also falling upon the priests. "They are searching through all relevant archives and blueprints, hoping to find the cause, trying to..."
Her voice suddenly cut off. Her emerald-green eyes widened sharply, staring fixedly in the direction where the priests were gathered.
Aglaea's gentle, beautiful face rapidly paled, even her lips losing their color. A mist of tears visibly shimmered in her eyes.
Because, at that very moment, an enormous commotion and cries of shock erupted from among the priests!
Mixed in were disbelieving, altered shouts: "What?! This... this record states! When the High Priest passed away, that 'Trickery' Demigod — Cipher actually infiltrated the priesthood at Kephale?!"
"She... she even brazenly left clues about herself on the energy core of the Dawn Device?! And what does this 'Prophecy of the Three Hundredth Dawn' in this book mean?!"