The golden sigils behind Nikador burst forth with blinding radiance in an instant!
The four were just about to step forward, but the intense flash forced them to stop.
The sky above Castrum Kremnos, no. Half the sky of Amphoreus had already been dyed completely gold by this light.
The scene shifted.
Okhema City.
Beneath the enormous statue of Kephale, Aglaea stood in the dusk light, gazing toward the direction of Castrum Kremnos, her expression solemn.
Strands of golden threads emerged from her body one after another, binding the entirety of Okhema City together.
"Master!" Aglaea cried out with all her strength.
And at the very moment her voice rang out, the distant Blade of Fury completed its charge.
A massive beam of light exploded forth!
It pierced through the clouds, shredded the mountains along its path, crossed an unknown distance, and in the blink of an eye arrived before the Dawn Machine carried on Kephale's back.
Tribbie, Trinnon, and Trianne.
The three flew up from the city, opening their arms at the same time.
The sigils of Janus emerged in their hands.
An indestructible shield formed straight in front of the Blade of Fury.
Dazzling light flooded the screen. The beam was deflected by the shield, scattering outward and transforming into a beautiful, meteor-like semicircular curtain of light.
Beneath this curtain. From Aglaea's perspective, golden light was flaring up behind Kephale before her eyes.
The very scene that appeared in the PV, was finally revealed to the audience.
The power of the Blade of Fury could not be sustained.
When the first strike failed to hit the Dawn Machine, Nikador had already lost the strength to maintain it any longer.
The beam gradually weakened. Before Stelle and the others, the Strife sigil that had been blooming with radiant light also began to destabilize.
With a crisp cracking sound the divine pattern shattered.
The beam collapsed abruptly as well. It turned into countless specks of golden light, scattering through the air.
After this attack, vast as half a blazing sun, finally came to an end, the night of Amphoreus, along with the starlight in the sky, slowly reappeared before everyone's eyes.
Only the Dawn Machine carried on Kephale's back still emitted a faint, lingering glow in the distance.
"The sky… it's dark. Is it… over…?" Stelle widened her eyes, staring at the tranquil starry sky, her heart still pounding.
Beside her, Phainon, Mydei, and Dan Heng all wore expressions of surviving a catastrophe.
None of them dared to believe it. This battle that had put both their bodies and minds through immense torment, was it finally over?
Crack...
Crack...
A faint sound of shattering rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
They turned their heads. Not far away, Nikador was collapsing. That once-indestructible divine body had begun to fracture, pieces continuously breaking off and turning into drifting ash.
They really won... Phainon walked forward in a daze, reaching out to pluck a wisp of ash from the air.
The remains of the Titan had no weight in his hand. They didn't even carry any warmth.
He clenched his fist, looked toward Nikador, and said word by word,
"From here on, the world shall no longer know "strife.""
As Phainon used this line to draw a conclusion to this incomparably magnificent boss battle, the audience's comments erupted at just the right moment.
This was not a conventional villain. But a true, pure warrior.
...
: A Titan has fallen...
: This is what Nikador deserves. It's time for him to rest properly now.
: Salute to true Strife!
: Good night! Nikador!
: From mad god to true god, this journey was worth remembering.
: Farewell.
: This battle was absolutely shocking!
: That world-destroying strike just now was terrifying!
: Exactly! That segment's visual impact was overwhelming, I couldn't even speak.
: Just a few seconds, yet the shock it delivered was impossible to put into words.
: So satisfying!
: The characters, the combat, the effects, everything is top-tier!
: Once again, Amphoreus' scale is just insane!
: Episode one alone made me remember this Titan, his glory, his struggle, and his stubborn persistence!
: No knife this time, nice! MiHoYo actually gave Nikador a dignified ending!
: If episode one is already this explosive, I can't even imagine what comes next.
...
After the nonstop, dazzling battle finally ended, the audience had time to savor everything that had just happened.
Alongside the emotion and shock, there was an even deeper sense of anticipation.
After all, if the first episode was already this intense, they couldn't imagine how much hotter the blood would run next.
The comments continued to scroll. And within the scene, as Nikador completely turned to ash, a blue, flame-like crystal quietly floated in midair.
Inside the crystal, were the same golden sigils seen before.
This was the Coreflame of Strife.
"Time passes quickly. It's been a long time since the last Titan fell..." Castorice had also arrived nearby, her expression stirred.
This meant, the Chrysos Heirs was one step closer to the genesis as foretold in the prophecy.
Everyone had different thoughts. Mostly filled with reflection. But after personally witnessing the fall of a Titan, those thoughts seemed trivial by comparison.
Phainon stepped forward and collected the Coreflame.
As the Coreflame was retrieved, the overlapping past and present of Castrum Kremnos began to gradually return to normal.
The city that had been destroyed by that world-ending strike was repaired by the flow of time itself. It returned to the same desolate, ruined appearance that Stelle had seen when she first arrived.
"What should we do next...?" Standing before the Coreflame, Phainon took a deep breath and asked.
"Aglaea mentioned that... someone must touch the Coreflame and absorb it to become its temporary receptacle." Castorice replied.
As she finished speaking, her gaze naturally shifted toward Mydei and Phainon.
When it came to who among the Chrysos Heirs should bear the Coreflame of Strife, the most suitable choices were clearly the two of them.
To fuse with the Coreflame meant becoming a demigod.
Such an honor, Phainon naturally intended to yield to Mydei.
After all, considering his connection to Strife and Castrum Kremnos, as well as his past experiences, this Coreflame was far better suited to Mydei.
However, before Phainon could speak, Mydei crossed his arms and said calmly,
"...This honor is yours. Isn't it something you've been longing for?"
Phainon was taken aback and said in confusion,
"But you're more deserving of it... You sustained all these new wounds from fighting them."
"If you have any idea how exhausting it is to fight a protracted battle..."
"...Then you should know that pointless arguments are the last thing I want to get into now."
The two of them, were both the type who never beat around the bush.
If they were going to eat together, then it would eventually come down to who paid the bill.
If one person said, "I'll pay," the other side definitely wouldn't insist too much.
Even if the meaning of the Coreflame was different. Still, in front of these two, there was no need to say much.
"Meh, a little back and forth wouldn't hurt much," Phainon said with a wry smile as he complained. "Coming to a decision so easily makes it seem like this is not at all a life-changing undertaking, you know."
...
: These two really have an unbelievably good relationship, huh ...
: I'm so jealous of having friends like this, no, brothers!
: Nothing to complain about here, these are true brothers.
: Handing over a chance to become a demigod just like that, and neither of them even hesitated!
: This is what men's friendship is like!
...
The audience also felt envious of how close the two of them were.
On screen, Phainon had withdrew the Coreflame.
When it entered his body, the sensation was far lighter than he had imagined.
"Are you alright, Phainon?" Castorice asked curiously.
Although Aglaea and Tribbie were both demigods, she had never personally seen a mortal come into contact with a Coreflame.
"...I don't think I felt anything at all," Phainon replied. "Or rather... it felt a lot easier than I expected?"
He shrugged and smiled. "I had assumed that bearing the Coreflame would take... a lot more out of me."
"Is that so? Perhaps it's because Phainon is exceptionally gifted when it comes to accepting a Coreflame?" Stelle made a small joke.
With the crisis resolved, she had relaxed quite a bit as well.
...
: Oh! That's pretty surprising. I thought accepting a Coreflame would be really painful.
: I didn't expect it to be this easy.
: Could it really be that Phainon is just that talented?
: I don't believe it. If this were Penacony, MiHoYo would've definitely added some heart-stabbing drama here!
: Yeah, I was guarding against that too.
: From Nikador to accepting the Coreflame now, everything's been very orthodox and smooth.
: Tsk tsk, could it be that … MiHoYo has really changed its ways?
: Whatever the case, fewer heart-stabbing moments is always better.
...
The audience joked around in the comments.
Little did they know. There were only two reasons why MiHoYo wasn't handing out knives.
Either the time hadn't come yet. Or an even bigger knife was waiting later.
On screen.
The four of them chatted for a bit longer. Stelle took out a camera to take a commemorative photo.
After the great battle ended. Stelle's abstract disease flared up again.
She found it especially regrettable that there was no internet here, otherwise, she would absolutely have taken a selfie at Nikador's grave and posted it to her social feed.
Castorice, the hand of death, stepped forward as well.
Under everyone's gaze, she picked up a fragment of Nikador / Gnaeus, its surface still faintly unfamiliar and distorted.
She still had something to ask Nikador, no, Gnaeus, who had yet to completely depart.
On screen.
Castorice gently closed her eyes, holding the fragment that faintly emitted a golden glow in both hands.
Her breathtaking profile left the viewers completely mesmerized.
She was simply too ethereal.
"Lord Gnaeus..."
"...Lord Nikador, can you hear me?"
"I know that your only wish right now is to rest in peace. But you are the only one with answers to my deepest doubts... So, forgive me for disturbing you."
"Please tell me… do you know where Thanatos is?" Castorice asked in a low, tense voice.
The others stood quietly to the side, holding their breath.
They all knew. She had searched for this clue for a very long time.
Facing another Titan now, this might be the closest she had ever come to the answer.
"Do ka ..."
"Ma na ..."
The Titan's faint whispers echoed in Castorice's mind. The answer was simple.
He didn't know.
Because even Strife itself had never faced 'Death' directly.
Castorice felt a trace of regret. But after so many disappointments, she had long since grown used to it.
After that. Gnaeus's wish, that they take his Coreflame and fight against the Black Tide, was relayed to the others by Castorice.
Phainon and Mydei both swore an oath there, vowing to fulfill that wish. After the promise was made.
Within the violet sea of flowers summoned by Castorice, filled with the tranquility of death. She softly sang a requiem, allowing the Titan's soul to fall into peaceful rest.
The first step of the Flame Chase Journey. Thus came smoothly to an end.
...
: Yes!
: The first stage completed successfully!
: Classic heroic adventure stories are the best!
: If even the Titan of Strife had such a dramatic story, the next Titans probably won't disappoint either.
: I really like this kind of story. It feels like there's a clear main plot, find the Coreflames of these Titans, then recreate the world, and Amphoreus will be fully explored, right?
: But the Paths and the Emanators in the trailer still haven't shown up. Can things really go this smoothly?!
: Don't jinx it! Shut up!
...
The audience's comments flooded the screen.
On screen.
Inside Okhema City.
Within the Marmoreal Palace. The returned Phainon was meeting with Aglaea and the others to discuss the Coreflame.
In front of the two demigods. He still held to his original thoughts.
"I... want to be honest about this: I believe Mydei is the better candidate. He was once the crown prince of Kremnos after all, and much of his lifetime was spent fighting alongside Nikador. He is more worthy of the title of "Strife" than I am."
Phainon frowned, worry visible in his eyes.
He then explained the significance between Castrum Kremnos and Mydei. This was also the reason he believed Mydei was more appropriate.
But Aglaea saw things more clearly, smiling faintly as she spoke:
"You have thought much about this, sweet child, but there is one thing you overlooked."
"The qualities you've mentioned are very likely the reasons Mydeimos refused this Coreflame."
"I do not doubt his strength and talents... In fact, he must have imagined himself becoming a god a thousand times over. But he turned it down because he does not want to lead his people down the same path again."
"So I will ask you once more... Have you made up your mind, Phainon of Aedes Elysiae?"
At this point. Phainon understood.
He nodded solemnly.
"I am ready for this. I will shoulder the burden of divinity alongside the both of you... I am willing to make the necessary sacrifices."
Aglaea continued, "This time tomorrow, the Chrysos Heirs will gather at the Vortex of Genesis to surrender the Coreflame that once belonged to Nikador, the Lance of Fury."
Hearing this, the audience began to look forward to the birth of a new demigod.
Smoothly obtaining the Coreflame, smoothly ascending the constellation!
Right?! The next part of the story will surely continue this smoothly, won't it?