Every single one of the twelve Demigods 'received' a gift from the Court Mage, Merlin. It all varied according to their needs.
The Demigod of Earth, Terravox, is one of them.
Rumble-!
Each step carried the weight of a droma's will to fight. When hundreds of dromas emerged to fight against the Black Tide, it was he who led them all.
His gift was that of a customized pair of metallic 'shoes'. It is based on horseshoes, but droma-styled. Wearing it increased Terravox's running speed. His hooves also gained a layer of protection.
He was the Demigod who was the most unfamiliar with Merlin, having only met him thrice prior to the Ocean Titan's demise.
In his perspective, he was an oddity. He possessed an air of seriousness and frivolousness. These two contradicting concepts gathered together in one person, making him think Merlin as an oddity.
As for his capabilities to accomplish things, that was needless to say. Terravox could still remember the city-state that was cleaved into two—the attack caused by Artoria's Noble Phantasm. Merlin is a magician who is fully capable of summoning such terrifying beings.
He was leading the dromas to do another charge when he sensed someone sitting atop his back.
"It's been a long time, Old Dragon."
Terravox froze.
The only one who called him like that… was Merlin.
He personally sent Merlin's corpse off along with Cerydra and the rest!
"You don't have to think much. I am very alive."
Shi Tian paused before his lips broke into a smile.
"Remember the Geo Archon, the God of Contracts?"
"You really are…"
Terravox knew what happened with the Geo Archon. The years of stagnation underneath his nation pushed him to fake his 'death'. That way, they can progress without him, allowing them to grow further than before.
"Just like Li Yue, everyone must grow without me. You can think of my death as something like that, but not entirely."
Shi Tian openly admitted that his supposed 'death' involved a lot of factors.
"...Have you met the Imperator?" Terravox asked.
"Not yet."
"I believe you should meet her. She… no, it is not just her. The Dux Gladiorum too."
He fell silent upon Terravox's words. Having mastered the power of Remembrance to 80%, Shi Tian knew full well what happened in his absence.
The 'play' between him and Cerydra left Hysilens out. She had a huge disagreement with the short-king, leading to her departure. He wasn't able to explain the circumstances back then.
After all, Merlin had to 'die' in their memories. Only then would Cerydra receive the Core Protocol, another crucial piece for Amphoreus' actualization.
"I came here for another matter. Amphoreus' salvation."
"..!"
Terravox's steps halted.
"Its salvation will not come today, but in the future. I will need your help once that day comes."
"...Tell me the things I need to do."
"Become the land's protector. You will act alongside the Reason Demigod in observing any abnormalities…"
Just like that day, Terravox willingly accepted the court mage's command.
*****
Anaxa had been busy running off from one place to another. After bringing Hyacine to the Twilight Courtyard, he had heard of the revelation about Amphoreus' deepest secret. He then came to check on Phainon at the Vortex of Genesis—still undergoing his divine trial—before joining the Grove in resisting the Black Tide.
Their fighting style stood out from the rest. They are deployed from places where Okhemian Citizens are evacuated. Using their alchemical weapons—guns and explosives—they leveled one house after another. It effectively brought down a lot of Black Tide creatures, halting their advance and buying more time for the others.
Anaxa sat on one of the broken marble pillars. He rubbed his forehead, exhausting starting to kick in.
He hadn't rested one bit since their fight against the Sky Titan.
"If that woman is still here…"
He did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had interacted with the Reason Titan, Cerces, for quite a few times. Her snarky and snobbish attitude matched Anaxa's.
The "On the Study of Souls" imparted by Shi Tian perfected his flawed soul alchemy. Anaxa's soul had merged with Cerces', granting him insights and knowledge that she possessed.
Precisely because of it, Anaxa was shocked when he heard Amphoreus' true "cycle".
"The technique is up to par. The Droma Draped in Finery does not disappoint."
His gaze turned alert as he turned towards the voice's source. There, he found a man with short purple hair. His golden pupils met his.
At this exact moment, Anaxa had a fleeting thought.
He knows this man.
"How was the study of souls I left you?"
"...Merlin."
"That is one of my names."
Shi Tian nodded with a smile.
"I won't dilly-dally. Amphoreus cannot be saved now. Nothing will work." He pointed towards the orange sky. "There are a lot of interests belonging to Foreign Gods. I, myself, also classify as one. Saving Amphoreus takes much more work than this."
"Why else would it take millions of cycles..?"
Anaxa's rhetorical question came off as a slight complaint.
"Amphoreus needs to undergo a few million more cycles. We are talking about another fifteen million."
"..."
"I will be concealing all of this cycle's traces. To the outside world, it would look as if it had disappeared out of thin air. Unbeknownst to them, this forgotten cycle acts like a trojan horse, hiding in plain sight until the destined day comes."
Shi Tian's approach to Anaxa was different from Terravox. He is considered one of the wisest in Amphoreus. Giving him the complete picture gives more room for maneuver.
"What would be my role?" He asked.
"You will be the Enforcer of this cycle's concealment. You will be responsible for watching it over and alerting me when things unexpectedly go wrong. Acting alongside you is the Earth Demigod."
"An Enforcer… Fine."
Anaxa's trust surprised Shi Tian slightly, but not that much.
To the former, he went through great lengths for Amphoreus' sake. If it was to bring harm—to awaken Irontomb—Shi Tian wouldn't need to act as meticulously as he does now.
"Then, I will be leaving this authority to you, Enlightened One…"
*****
A/N: The next few chapters will deal with Tian interacting with the twelve Chrysos Heirs. If y'all haven't forgotten, I stated previously that Amphoreus will be divided into two arcs. The current arc will spell the end of the first half; the other half will take place once Tian reaches the breakthrough requirements for the Dao Integration Realm (realm-wise).