Cyrene saw Phainon's reaction. Momentarily, she did not know what to say. She was still conflicted about what she wanted to do with Elysia's power—the Core of Origin—when Phainon came out of his divine trial. The loop, which was supposed to take them out of the Black Tide, did not occur.
That was when she recalled Flame Reaver's intention in killing her.
The loop will only begin after she dies.
The chaos outside dwindled a bit. The Black Sun's disappearance removed half of Okhema's troubles. The rest of the problem came from the Black Tide. It was as unrelenting as ever, corrupting every known lifeform it touches.
Everyone was still fighting. Cyrene knew every second counts. She cannot waste any more time.
The wish she holds in her hand will be used to save this world… once more.
"Wait!"
A clear and lively voice cut her thoughts off.
The three looked in its direction. They found an ethereally beautiful woman. Her long white hair was tied into a ponytail. The Finality battlesuit she wore proved to be the best match for her.
"You don't have to use it first. Ti… Merlin is coming back."
Phainon was confused when he heard the unfamiliar name. He was also unacquainted with the white-haired woman in front of him, yet he felt a sense of familiarity with her.
Unbeknownst to him, Kiana witnessed everything he experienced inside the divine trial. She stayed purely to ensure there won't be anything wrong with Phainon. He is, after all, this world's Deliverer.
He ended up standing on his own, defeating the divine trial with his strength alone.
Once it ended, Kiana was also sent out. She was about to head out to see what happened with 'others', but the scene in front made her pause.
During her meeting with Shi Tian, he explained the entirety of his plan. He is set to discover Amphoreus' deepest secret. It is inevitable he would go deeper to the Remembrance Path.
While he does so, everyone else needs to deal with the Black Sun. Shi Tian had predicted its appearance a long time ago. He was deeply linked to the Nihility Path.
Finally, Kiana was to guard Phainon in case of unexpected changes.
They had to hold on by themselves until Shi Tian returned from his trip into Remembrance.
The next step depended on which scenario they are currently in.
"Merlin?! He's coming back?! Where is he?"
Trianne's reaction was the strongest.
When he died on the subjugation of the Ocean Titan, she was there when the funeral was held. It was the event that broke the Imperator and the Dux Gladiorum apart.
Three hundred Tribioses fell into depression that day… until they discovered the gifts that he left.
Trianne had a fleeting thought that Shi Tian is still alive. In the stories he told, many cited protagonists who came back to life, or so what she had heard from others.
It was her eagerness to listen to new stories that pushed him to tell stories that did not fit in Trianne's [Tag].
As such, when she heard that he really is coming back, her face sported nothing but pure joy.
"Merlin… the Author? Was that his name?"
Kiana faced Elysia's look-a-like before shaking her head.
"Shi Tian. That is his real name."
"Merlin… Shi Tian…" Trianne blankly spoke of his name.
Seeing her reaction, Kiana felt guilty. What Shi Tian did is a play, but it was double-downed as a cruel trick that lasted for a thousand years.
"Who are you..?"
Trianne snapped out of her daze as she asked a question…
"Me? I am Tian's first wife!"
…only to be met by a shocking declaration.
*****
Turning Amphoreus into reality—at this very instant—requires a lot of preparation. My current capability and situation does not allow for it.
I was brought to this world with nothing but my divine mind. I have already reached 80% of Remembrance's authority, but due to my lacking Tao Heart, I can only exert 60% of it in my normal state.
Add to that my usage of [Nine Lives Burning Samsara Art], now is not the right time to act. Despite all the fuss and disturbance I caused, my chances of pulling it off is less than 10%.
Remembrance'sdeepest secret showed me the way.
The universe is in a self-sustaining loop, falling into Finality's grasp every single time. It is for such a reason that the Stellaron Hunters exist. They make it so that certain events occur. My best bet is that these events 'deviate' from the original trajectory. These deviations hold the hope of having a 'different' ending than the last.
In short, messing with the canon timeline increases the chances of the universe surpassing Finality... or brings it a step closer to its end. It all depends on how things would play out.
If Amphoreus is turned real ahead of time, it might as well lead to the shattering of the 'false infinity' (i.e., universe's loop). At the same time, it fulfills its duty as a Dao Integration feat, allowing me to break through to that realm in the future.
The 'creation' of Amphoreus takes up a lot of effort.
Since I am not yet ready for it, my next best bet is to delay for time and place my preparations for later.
I opened my eyes to a familiar sight. The highest floor at the Marmoreal Palace unveiled Amphoreus' sights. Black smoke rose up from burnt and ruined structures. The sound of screams, fighting, and shouting rang all across the Holy City.
The Black Tide's unrelenting attack ensued up until now.
Unlike my prior situation, my true body broke through the void and arrived at Amphoreus. The full power of a peak Void Refinement Realm cultivator, plus the last chance at the World Rendering Sword's usage, is enough to set Amphoreus… or rather, this forgotten cycle up.
It would be the foundation of my 'creation'... of Amphoreus' actualization. These preparations will remain active until I reach the pinnacle of the Void Refinement Realm as well as the eighth level Tao Heart, the World Rendering Sword.
I looked at the dawn's horizon. It is clear in my eyes that a 'raging' flame clashed against the Black Tide.
Phainon had prematurely fought against the Black Tide instead of doing so at the 33,550,336th cycle. It was for this reason that the Black Tide creatures besieging Okhema are growing weaker at every living moment. It won't be long before the Black Tide's influence recedes from this cycle.
With half of the stage set up already, it is time to do the rest…