[The Weight of Guilt]
BOOM!
A golden burst of solar fire flared and vanished instantly as Cynthia slammed her trembling fist directly into the glowing emerald roots of the Tree of Life. Tears of pure anger and frustration burned down her faceplate, evaporating into wisps of steam before touching the moss.
"Dammit! Dammit all!" Cynthia roared, her voice cracking under the agonizing weight of Ruta's sacrifice. "I was supposed to be the vanguard leader! I was supposed to stand in front of everyone! Because of my weakness... because I couldn't dodge that strike... Ruta had to throw his life away! He got completely erased because of me!"
Techyon stepped beside his sister, placing a steady, firm hand on her shoulder to anchor her flaring aura. He turned his head toward the central trunk, where the radiant figure of emerald light and woven roots hovered gracefully.
"Arcon of Life," Techyon asked, his voice dead serious. "How can we beat the Void Drachoon? What kind of monster are we even dealing with?"
The Arcon of Life floated down gently, her ethereal green glow softening the atmosphere, though her expression grew unusually grave as she listened to the name.
"Void Drachoon?" she mused, her voice echoing like rustling leaves and ancient melodies. "I have never heard of anything by that name. I do know of the ancient Drachoon... he was once a terribly strong Dragon, so dangerous that he was punished and sealed deep within the underworld of hell. But millions of years ago, a singular entity completely destroyed hell itself. I never thought he would have left Drachoon alive after such absolute annihilation."
Yoru narrowed her dark bangs, her dual-colored aura flickering as she caught the implication. "Do you mean... this is some kind of necromancy? That someone pulled his remains from non-existence and corrupted him with Void?"
"That is very possible," the Arcon of Life replied softly, her hands weaving a gentle wave of restorative mana across the squad. "A puppet reanimated by an higher power would explain its lack of normal life-force."
[The Flame of the Sun Goddess]
Neweland shook his head, his face dark as he leaned heavily on his trident. "Necromancy or not, that isn't even the worst part. The main thing was his weapon... he has that sword. The Sword of Supernova."
The moment those words left Neweland's mouth, the Arcon of Life's translucent emerald eyes widened in absolute shock. Her aura vibrated violently, sending a soft tremor through the golden roots beneath their feet.
"What...?" she gasped, her voice trembling for the first time in eons. "How is that even possible?! That sword's real owner was the Goddess of the Sun! But she died millions of years ago during the Great Cataclysm! I was certain her legendary blade was destroyed along with her domain!"
"It definitely wasn't destroyed," Captain Carod gritted out, his mechanical vents venting cool steam as his chassis finished repairing. "That thing didn't just cut our attacks... it literally burned the concept of distance and erased Ruta's entire existence in a single frame!"
Lapis rubbed his aching eyes, his multi-layered pupils dull from over-exertion. "If it belongs to an ancient Goddess of the Sun, no wonder it ignores mathematical logic and space warping. It operates on conceptual authority."
"And without SK's broadcast deck," Saina added, adjusting her cracked star-glasses as she checked her blank interface. "We're completely on our own. SK stopped streaming the moment the feed glitched out on the Third Floor. There are no live comments, no orbital support, and no galactic call-ins. Just us."
"Good," Gaia spat bitterly, wiping her tear-stained cheeks as her rocky armor reformed. "We don't need an audience to watch us fight for our lives. We have seven days before that gate settles on the First Floor."
Techyon looked at his sister, then at the rest of his bruised and battered squad. His twin hilts hummed with a quiet, white-blue resonance.
"Seven days," Techyon declared softly, his gaze locking onto the Arcon of Life. "We need to know how to extinguish a conceptual flame."
"There is only one way to not get erased by the Sword of Supernova," the Archon of Life said, her voice dropping into a solemn, ancient tone. "And that is to consume the Eternal Flame."
Gaia stepped forward, her brow furrowed in disbelief. "But as far as I know, only an Arcon of Flame can consume that! And Ruta himself wasn't even able to fully consume the Eternal Flame during his lifetime!"
"That is true for ordinary flame-wielders," the Archon of Life replied, her translucent emerald eyes shifting gently toward the center of the squad. "But we have someone among us who is very special when it comes to flames."
In unison, every single member of the vanguard—Techyon, Yoru, Carod, Lapis, Saina, and Nefa—turned their heads to look directly at Cynthia .
Cynthia's solar crown flickered weakly, her eyes widening as she felt the collective gaze of her team.
"Cynthia," the Arcon of Life proclaimed, extending a radiant hand woven of white roots toward her. "You will become the new Arcon of Flame."
Silence instantly gripped the cavernous roots of the World Tree.
Captain Carod vented a quiet stream of cooling exhaust, his mechanical optics glowing dimly. "A new Arcon... If anyone's solar output can withstand the baseline heat, it's Cynthia. Her fusion flare is already anomaly-tier."
"It makes sense," Yoru murmured, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "If she ascends to the Arcon rank, her flame will possess conceptual authority. The Sword of Supernova won't be able to erase her."
Techyon looked at his sister, his hands clenching into fists. "Cynthia... if this is what gives us a chance against the Void Drachoon..."
"No."
The word cut through the peaceful sanctuary like a jagged blade.
Cynthia stood up slowly, her shoulders trembling as golden embers aggressively sparked around her fists. Tears of pure anger and defiance burned in her eyes as she looked at the Arcon of Life.
"No, I will not," Cynthia barked, her voice shaking with raw emotion. "Ruta was the Arcon of Flame! I am not taking his title, his mantle, or his flame just because he's gone! I won't replace him!"