Castorice glanced at the stunningly handsome man opposite of them. Words from the Imperator's mouth flashed in her mind.
"That man speaks eloquently. This Imperator never noticed his badmouthing until the day he died!"
Pure golden eyes paired with mystical purple hair. A defined jawline and a jade-like nose that the Dux Gladiorum loved to pinch.
Though the signs of childishness weren't present, his image overlapped with the man in front of her.
"...Merlin."
Shi Tian's eyes lit up with her words. A smile broke out of his lips.
"That short empress said a lot of things about me, didn't she?"
She replied with a nod.
Polyxia, who stood beside her, was bewildered. She hasn't met the Imperator, nor did she hear about Merlin's feats from Aglaea's and Cerydra's side. Seeing her sister being somewhat familiar with him, Polyxia felt more at ease.
"To what extent did she tell you about me?" He asked.
"That you are a childish boy having the same height as hers."
"..."
Shi Tian could not resist laughing. He looked forward more to their impending meeting.
'That gremlin…'
"I came here to ask for your help." He cut straight to the point. "We did a lot of things together in the past… the Imperator and Dux Gladiorum. I shared the same sentiment as them… as everyone here. I want to save Amphoreus."
For a moment, Castorice saw a shadow of the most selfless one of the bunch—Aglaea—behind him. She had been her handmaiden (i.e., bodyguard) for a considerable time. Castorice knew Aglaea as a selfless hero who would not hesitate to sacrifice her life for the sake of others.
"My current power, while far more overwhelming than anyone else's, remains limited. Hence I divided everyone's roles into three…"
Saving Amphoreus takes much more time—more than what they have now. He decided on postponing the decisive day, planning to let it coincide with the day the Trailblazer confronts Irontomb. That would be the time where the most vulnerabilities show.
Irontomb's manifestation to the universe, Herta incarnating as Nous, Remembrance being put into work…
The chaotic scene at that time makes it easier for Shi Tian to push Amphoreus towards a new trajectory.
The first step to that plan is to turn the current cycle into a 'special cycle'. Inspired by its prior state where everyone had forgotten it, Shi Tian plans to 'strip' everyone of this cycle's memories once again.
The next step after that is maintaining this special cycle's existence. Amphoreus' original twelve Demigods are divided into three roles: regulators, anchors, and correctors.
Regulators are the supervisors. They watch over everything that happens not just in the special cycle, but to Amphoreus' millions of cycles.
Anchors serve a special purpose.
The 'special cycle' is to be forgotten by everyone else, turning into a [Memoria] of sorts. The downside was evident. Memories that are completely forgotten will disappear completely.
The anchors act as the forgotten cycle's connection to the rest of Amphoreus. Together with Shi Tian's power, they will ensure that nothing goes wrong inside the forgotten cycle.
Finally, the correctors' purpose is to resolve whatever anomalies come up, whether it be inside or outside the forgotten cycle.
Shi Tian explained the anchor's role to Castorice.
"I want to designate that role to you. However, it will inevitably cause you to suffer."
He said his usual precaution… which fell to the usual answer.
"I am not afraid. I will take the position."
Though her voice sounded soft, Shi Tian saw Castorice's strong will.
'Tragedies breed the strongest people.'
Kiana is the best example. The brightest Tuna of the solar system, the Moon Goddess who became his wife, went through these alongside him. Even without him, she managed to carve out a happy ending for everyone.
"I will thank you in advance for your decision, Miss Castorice."
*****
"Huh?! So many things happened while I was asleep!"
Cipher was knocked out by the Flame Reaver moments before the Black Tide broke out in Okhema.
The arrival of the 'Earth Squad', their overwhelming strength, and them single-handedly dealing with the Black Sun—a threat just as scary as the Black Tide—made her head dizzy.
"Ow..!"
A fracturing headache threatened to split Cipher's head. She could not hear Zagreus' concern as her heart felt a sense of inexplicable dread.
Cipher's contribution at the Dawn Device led to this outcome. She, who had maintained Okhema's sun for seven hundred more years, suffered first-hand at the face of Nihility. Hyacine's experience was different. She assimilated Seliose's memories. Back then, Nihility was just a [Memory] from Shi Tian. It only got 'cemented' after IX gazed upon Amphoreus.
One was a gradual, long-term exposure. The other is a short and extreme exposure. Cipher's 'damage' was lesser compared to the mentally broken Hyacine. It took a while before it passed.
"Phew. That Black Sun…"
"It was dealt with by those goddesses."
Zagreus recalled that moment when the twelve of them broke Amphoreus' sky and obliterated the Black Sun for good. His remaining authority as the Trickery Titan wasn't enough to have a full view. Still, he sensed the groundbreaking act.
"Then the battlefield you mentioned. We need to get going…"
Just then, Cipher saw a fresh cucumber thrown in her direction.
"Eek..!"
Inheriting a cat's instincts, she jumped far away from it, landing on all fours a few meters back. Her perky butt pointed to the skies as her gray tail swept left and right.
A man's suppressed laughter took Cipher out of her seriousness.
"You're just like my student. Do all cats fear cucumbers?"
Shi Tian recalled Pardofelis. Though she addresses him as 'Boss', their relationship was that of a teacher and a student.
It has been almost two hundred years since he last met her. Meeting her through Seele's and Veliona's quantum entanglement is feasible, but it burdens them to a certain extent. He would rather wait until he could reverse time before meeting her again properly.
"Ahem. Have you heard of the name 'Merlin'?"
"Merlin…" Cipher's tail stood up as she looked at him with grievance. "You are the scumbag who left Sister Aglaea!"
"..."