As the others stood frozen in panic, watching the Cinder Lake about to be sealed off by Ether crystals, they were at a complete loss.
Behind them—
Caesar had already moved, lifting the fallen motorcycle and swinging her leg over it.
"If there's no miracle, then I'll make one. I'm taking the flint over."
The moment she spoke, Clorinde, Billy, and Belle all turned sharply in her direction.
Billy looked between the searing lake and Caesar, then quickly reached out to stop her. "Boss, don't do something reckless! The Ether concentration and activity over there are off the charts. If you get too close, the pressure alone will tear you apart…"
Even just standing on the edge of the lake, Billy could already feel the oppressive force.
The Ether detector strapped to his waist had been blaring nonstop—it had only gone quiet because he'd forcibly shut it down.
If someone were to enter the lake's depths alone now…
Forget the flames and Ether crystal hazards—the sheer intensity of the Ether concentration, activity, and pressure would be more than any human could bear.
Get too close, and your body would give out.
You'd collapse right into the Cinder Lake.
Faced with such danger, Billy couldn't just watch Caesar walk into death.
"Boss, don't be impulsive! Give me the bike—I'll go instead!"
Clorinde also realized the gravity of the situation and rushed toward Caesar. "Caesar, don't do this!"
Belle shouted, "Caesar, come back—!"
But it was too late.
Before anyone could react, Caesar had already revved the engine and launched herself toward the lake.
"Uncle Pompey entrusted me with the fate of the Old Oil Field—I have to act… You're right, Billy. No human can survive that Ether pressure, but I still have to try…"
"Lucy, Lighter, Burnice, Piper… I'm sorry. The Sons of Calydon are in your hands now."
Caesar gripped the handlebars, eyes locked forward.
She saw the Cinder Lake gradually being sealed off by Ether crystals—soon it would be completely shut.
She looked down at the flint in her hand.
Then turned to glance back at Billy and Clorinde, chasing after her.
"Tell Lucy… once she's the leader, protect Calydon Town. Building it up is the wish of all the townsfolk…"
With that final message, Caesar let go of everything holding her back.
She tucked the flint into her jacket, gripped the handlebars tighter, and twisted the throttle wide open.
"Ah—!"
Caesar roared.
She charged straight ahead, toward the lake's only remaining opening.
Her voice echoed as she and her motorcycle shot from the massive pipe.
The engine roared.
Its exhaust blazed like a comet, trailing fire and fury through the air, carrying Caesar forward.
Just like the legends say—
The hero's roar, along with the engine's cry, plunged into the last burning gap in the lake.
"Boss, don't die! We haven't rebuilt Calydon Town yet—!"
"Caesar, come back—!"
"Caesar, why would you do this—?!"
Billy, Clorinde, and Belle chased after her, reaching the edge of the giant pipe.
They saw the flames roaring from the lake's open mouth—and the motorcycle plunging into it…
Before they could even call out her name—
Boom.
The tiny flint ignited the entire Cinder Lake.
Boom—Boom—Boom—
Explosions echoed in rapid succession, triggering a chain reaction that detonated the whole lake.
In an instant—
Burning oil and magma erupted from the blast site.
Scorching flames swept away the thick Ether cloud, engulfing both Caesar and her motorcycle completely.
The tale of a hero saving the Cinder Lake—that was just a story people told.
In reality, there were no miracles. No hero walks out of flames alive.
Billy stood stunned at the edge of the massive pipe, staring at the roaring fire ahead, feeling the heat pressing in. He couldn't move.
"Caesar… Boss… Caesar… Boss…"
He kept repeating her name, like a machine that had broken down, frozen in place.
In that moment—
He didn't know what was wrong with him. He just… couldn't move.
It was just like years ago, when their previous leader died. He couldn't accept it.
Beside him, Clorinde stood silently, gripping Billy's arm so he wouldn't fall.
She too stared into the inferno, motionless.
Even in Fontaine, where she'd seen death more than once—this moment, watching Caesar's sacrifice, shook her to the core.
She offered her deepest respect.
"Caesar… you were a great leader…"
That morning, Clorinde had only joined the Sons of Calydon to help them compete.
But now, for the first time, she truly accepted Caesar—and the Sons of Calydon.
Beside her, Belle stood frozen.
Belle too was stunned. "What do we do now… Caesar is dead…"
She hadn't known Caesar long.
But Belle had respected her deeply—one of the few people she truly admired.
At that moment—
The unstable network finally stabilized near the lake.
Belle heard her brother Wise's voice in her earpiece: "Belle, what's going on? What happened over there?"
Belle replied blankly, "Caesar's dead…"
Wise paused. "What? Belle, say that again—what happened?"
Belle stammered, "Caesar… she died… She went into the Cinder Lake… to save the people in the Old Oil Field… to blow up the Ether crystals above the lake… She… she just rode straight in on her motorcycle…"
She choked through the words, explaining what had happened.
Hearing it—
Both Belle and Wise were silent, stunned.
None of them could accept it.
A moment later—
Lucy's voice broke through Belle's earpiece, full of grief. "Caesar—no, that's impossible! She can't be dead! No one could beat her but me… Proxy, you're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking…"
Then came the voices of Lighter, Burnice, and Piper.
"Proxy, stop it. That's not funny…"
"We were wrong, okay? We shouldn't have messed around and held a fake funeral when you showed up. I'm sorry… Please—tell us this is a joke too…"