["Thousand Calamities" seemed somewhat regretful: "He truly is a powerful individual. I admit that, but... this is as far as it goes."
"Thank you for opening the door to your heart for me, and thank you... for willingly becoming the next [Sacrifice]."
"Farewell, the [Sixth] of the Flame-Chasers."
In the darkness, Thousand Calamities laughed, a maddened laughter that spread everywhere.
Then, the first flame ignited—
"...You are!"
That fist, suspended in mid-air, suddenly erupted.
"You can't do anything to me, that's a fact."
"I truly cannot."
"But did you really think... you were the only one stalling for time?"
'Thousand Calamities' showed no fear, instead mocking: "Haha, pinning your hopes on comrades? Is that something Thousand Calamities would do?"
"You're just delivering a second generous gift to me."
"That's right, a bouquet to place upon your grave."
Even in such a state, Thousand Calamities' words remained fiercely aggressive:
"[Their methods]... It's not that I don't understand them, I simply disdain using them, understand?"
"And what you wish to witness, the things [Thousand Calamities] would do... are only just beginning—"
Blazing fire, scorching.
Scorching everything, devouring everything, destroying everything.
Just like this man's beginning, now... and end.
"I must thank you. You made me understand that woman's words back then... the possibility of a second life, right, hmm?"
"[Putting on airs]—Yes, I've long grown tired of doing that too."
Blazing flames erupted from Thousand Calamities' body as he roared at the Corruption:
"Come on, didn't you want to see my [state of mind]?"
"Then let's begin, in the manner most suited for us—"
"Burn everything to ash... until death do us part!"]
[Stelle]: "Thousand Calamities is still carrying!"
[Boothill]: "Well damn. I just love your 'act first, talk later' fiery temper!"
[Raven]: "Looking at it this way, even if the Corruption has such power, if it had appeared directly in the Elysian Realm, it seems like any Flame-Chaser would have had a way to deal with it."
[Huohuo]: "Will the Corruption... really not survive?"
[Tail]: "If the Corruption hadn't started attacking the Flame-Chasers, surviving in the Elysian Realm would be simple; just go cling to Elysia. They're both Herrschers with self-awareness, Elysia probably wouldn't make things difficult for it."
[Jing Yuan]: "It's just a pity that the Corruption has already killed two Flame-Chasers. In this situation, they can be said to be locked in a fight to the death."
[Elsewhere, Eden once again came to the Depths, but this time she easily noticed that something was abnormal there.
Eden immediately hurried towards the Depths, truly worried that something might have happened to Aponia.
But upon arriving, Eden saw Aponia. However, this Aponia was very unusual, launching an attack at Eden the moment she saw her.
During the fight, Aponia quickly regained her senses.
"Ah... Could it be that I affected you during the process of [Touching]?"
"It seems... the fight just now was merely a side effect." Seeing that Aponia was fine, Eden rarely cracked a joke.
"Please do not misunderstand, Eden. I am not [Touching] you, or anyone, but the entire Elysian Realm itself."
"I should have sensed your arrival, but... the vast and complex memories of the Elysian Realm have dissipated my energy. Please forgive my lapse."
"It's of no consequence, my friend. More importantly, please share your findings with me."
Aponia pondered for a moment before speaking: "As you can see, the traces of Elysia and Kevin have completely vanished from the Elysian Realm. But besides that, there is another peculiarity..."
"While using these hands to [Touch] the Elysian Realm, it seems there was always something... evading me, hiding in the shadows I had yet to reach."
"And when my consciousness finally arrived there, it would disappear again, leaving behind only a certain... ominous residual warmth."
After exchanging information with Aponia, Eden hoped Aponia would continue tracking this unknown data, which was also what Aponia wished to do.
Eden instinctively detected a hint of something unusual in Aponia's words.
"Aponia, you..."
"As you can see, the sins of the past are finally coming before me."
"It's just a pity that the promise to sing a joyous song for everyone... seems unable to be fulfilled..."]
[March 7th]: "What does Aponia want to do? Does she want to sacrifice herself!?"
[Hi3rd - Void Archives]: "Such is a Flame-Chaser."
[Griseo]: "Aponia Mama~"
[Eden]: "We naturally do not fear death, but... Aponia, is there truly no other way?"
[Fu Xuan]: "Sigh, all the Flame-Chasers are discovering the existence of the Corruption through their own methods."
[Herrscher of Sentience]: "No way, so the ones with the slowest progress right now are actually Su, Hua, Pardofelis, Mei, and Vill-V?"
[Stelle]: "This is the consequence of poor communication (confirmed)!"
["...Perhaps there is another way."
Aponia seemed somewhat surprised by the request that escaped her lips.
"Curious, Eden. You possess neither mental perception nor precognition, so why does it feel as though you have seen through my thoughts?"
Eden shook her head sorrowfully: "I don't need those abilities, Aponia. I am all too familiar with it..."
"Your face already bears that expression, the one we have long since known all too well."
"...The expression of [being resolved to die]."
Light radiated out, as if countless [hands] reached towards the distant horizon.
"Resolved to die? Truly... an description unbefitting of me..."
"...?"
Her touch came to an abrupt halt.
Because soon, under her [Embracing], a [third party] arrived at this sanctuary.
The sky darkened with his arrival, as if about to fall into an abyss of no return...
Or perhaps... that was the [Abyss] itself.
"Why... is it you...?"
"...Thousand Calamities?"]
[March 7th]: "Why did Thousand Calamities come to the Depths? Did he fight his way here with the Corruption?"
[Stelle]: "Why assume the Thousand Calamities Aponia saw is the real one and not the Corruption? March, I can't tell them apart, I really can't tell them apart!"
[Aha]: "Stelle, dear~ You're overthinking it."
[Qingque]: "If that Thousand Calamities is fake, does that mean the Corruption's next target is Aponia?"
[Silver Wolf]: "Even if Thousand Calamities is real, Aponia is still in great danger. She is very special within the Elysian Realm; based on that alone, the Corruption would never let her go."
[Silver Wolf]: "Besides, the Corruption is a data virus; it's entirely possible it's hiding within Thousand Calamities' memory data."
[Fu Xuan]: "It's fine, the Elysian Realm archives haven't shattered yet, they haven't been harmed for now!"
......
The rest in one minute!