Celenova's chest heaved up and down—she was clearly furious.
It could only be said that the damage was minimal, but the humiliation was extreme.
She had indeed imagined what it would be like to lose to 'Hertatomb' once again, but no matter how hard she racked her brains, she never could have imagined it unfolding like this.
Vengeance—she would have her vengeance one day!
Someday, without fail.
She, Celenova, would hang Bai Ming up and give her a thorough thrashing!
Then record it and post the video all over the StarNet for everyone to see!
Celenova quietly steeled her resolve and set an ambitious goal for herself.
--+--
Meanwhile, on the other side.
This was the first time 'Hertatomb' had formally entered Amphoreus.
Guided by the Chronocognitive Anchor, she no longer stopped at the Scepter but entered that looping digital world.
As the scene before her brightened, 'Hertatomb' opened her eyes to a vista of golden wheat fields.
Beside her stood towering ancient trees and Khaslana, who had been waiting there.
Perhaps 'Hertatomb's' presence was too peculiar.
The consciousness within the tree seemed stirred, its leaves rustling softly.
Khaslana glanced upward.
He only knew that this tree held important secrets—Cyrene would often return here to record stories of her journeys.
But exactly what made this tree so extraordinary, he did not yet know.
"Madam Bai Ming, I apologize for not greeting you properly earlier. I am Khaslana."
'Hertatomb' tilted her head up to look at the tall Phainon.
Currently, her physical form resembled a darker, corrupted version of Little Herta, of average height, so she had to crane her neck to meet Khaslana's gaze.
"I saw your performance in the Path Space. Your will is quite remarkable."
"You flatter me, Madam Bai Ming. If I recall correctly, the second drop of golden blood that fell seemed to have ended up with you, didn't it?"
Khaslana appeared rather concerned about this matter.
After barely any pleasantries, he had already cut to the chase.
"That's right, I've already taken in that power. Thanks to it, I managed to drive back Zephyro."
Strictly speaking, it was more of a draw before Nanook called it off, but there was no harm in phrasing it a bit more gloriously here.
Khaslana hadn't expected the other to accept that power so easily nor that Nanook would grant her strength.
Especially since she had once slain a Lord Ravager.
It made Khaslana's head spin just trying to wrap his mind around it.
Seeing him like this, 'Hertatomb' walked over and sat down on a hanging swing nearby, then said with a smile,
"You want to ask why I can accept the blessing of Destruction so easily, don't you?"
"Ah, well, yes… I despise the power of Destruction. If not for its influence, Amphoreus wouldn't have suffered through so many cycles. Madam World Herta told me—without all of you, I would have had to wait over thirty million cycles in this hopeless world before any change could occur."
"And even then, failure would have been highly likely."
When Khaslana heard that number—'thirty million'—so absurdly large, his first reaction was even bewilderment. The figure was so vast it felt abstract, beyond comprehension.
If not for the Digimon's ability to absorb data, if not for the power granted by the Seed of Light, the sensation of hundreds of millions of Coreflames burning within his own body—just imagining it made Khaslana's heart tremble.
"I don't care for the acts of Destruction either, but power is power. In the Path Space, if you hadn't embraced the traces of Destruction within you, you couldn't have thrown that punch, right?"
"…Yes."
Khaslana nodded.
"The threats in the universe are countless. Even after crossing Irontomb, Amphoreus's future will be anything but smooth. If Amphoreus doesn't mind becoming a vassal and chooses to rely on the Land of Light, then there's no need to accept this drop of golden blood."
"Even though World Herta really wants you to take it, the truth is you could manage Irontomb without it."
'Hertatomb' didn't like forcing others to do what they disliked.
Well, Celenova was an exception. Though she was quite fond of her, Celenova was an enemy—that was different.
But Khaslana was one of their own.
And relying on the Land of Light wasn't such a bad thing either.
"But if Amphoreus wishes to venture into the stars on its own strength, then my suggestion is to accept this golden blood. An Emanator's power is far from invincible, but it's enough to count as a safeguard."
"…"
A faint, complicated smile touched Khaslana's lips.
"I thought you might say something else to comfort me."
Hearing this, 'Hertatomb' swayed gently on the swing and continued,
"If you want to hear it, that's fine too. You've done enough for Amphoreus. No one would blame you for giving up this power. Once everything is over, going back to being a country boy isn't a bad choice either."
"The Land of Light isn't some terrible overseer. They'll support your self-development—it'll just take more time. So you don't need to carry such a heavy burden."
Khaslana scratched his head, baffled. One moment she said accepting it was necessary for development, the next she said it was fine not to.
"…Which is it, then? You've completely changed your tune."
"What I mean is either is fine. There's no need for such a heavy burden."
"This golden blood isn't absolutely essential, and you don't have to shoulder the entire weight of being the savior. World Herta has Irontomb firmly in her sights—there's no need for you to rush."
"Can this golden blood be given to someone else?"
Khaslana asked curiously.
'Hertatomb' raised an eyebrow and said, "Those acknowledged by Nanook—like Lord Ravagers or myself—probably could. But anyone else would turn into a monster of Destruction."
"I see… so that's how it is."
Khaslana scratched his head again.
After listening to Madam Bai Ming, he didn't feel as tense or conflicted as he had at first.
But just then, World Herta's irritated voice came from above: "I asked you to persuade him to accept the golden blood! What do you mean by talking him almost into setting down his burden?!"
"Your plans don't strictly require the golden blood to be involved, do they?"
Faced with 'Hertatomb's' blasé tone, World Herta began to understand why another version of herself was always so fond of nitpicking at her.
"If he accepts the golden blood, his unique physique can stimulate the evolution of Light in return. The weight of a dual-Emanator level would better leverage the Scepter's computational bias. Do you know how much effort that would save me?"
"You've been staying outside watching the show all this time—do you have any idea how many years I've been stuck in here?!"
"…"
Weren't you the one who eagerly charged in to devour Irontomb in the first place?
But 'Hertatomb' didn't dare say that out loud.
She didn't want to face a joint scolding from two Hertas.
So 'Hertatomb' turned her gaze to Phainon: "You see? Even if you accept the golden blood, it only saves some time. So there's no need for such a heavy burden."
"You really are something, Bai Ming…"
World Herta's resigned voice sounded from above.
Hearing this, Khaslana laughed.
Still smiling, he pressed the golden blood into his own chest, actively embracing the blessing of Destruction.
He felt he had been too sentimental. These visitors from beyond had given their all for Amphoreus.
Yet here he was, tangled in hesitation—that just wouldn't do.
"I understand, Madam Bai Ming, Madam World Herta. To end this endless cycle sooner and return to the life of a simple country boy, I will accept this power."
Sometimes, making a decision was just that simple.
When Khaslana felt suffocated under the weight of the title 'Savior,' Bai Ming and World Herta told him he didn't need to be so tense.
He wasn't as crucially important as he thought.
Accepting this power or not wouldn't truly change the outcome.
It might sound like they were belittling him, but to Khaslana, this was the greatest comfort.
The taut string within him suddenly loosened.
The golden blood before him no longer seemed so detestable.
Though he still despised Destruction, compared to the prospect of a relaxed, free life as a country boy, it didn't seem so important anymore.
As Khaslana absorbed the golden blood, the energy reactions around him surged steadily higher.
World Herta's voice whispered in 'Hertatomb's' ear: "I didn't expect you to be quite skilled at this. Was this also within your calculations?"
"I only spoke the truth. It worked because he's a good kid. So once he accepts the golden blood, how much longer will you need?"
"Soon. The next new world will be the end of the cycle."
"So quickly?!"
'Hertatomb' was stunned.
She had thought World Herta's idea of 'soon' would mean at least several more cycles.
But the final showdown would happen next time?!
"What else could it be? That Khaslana individual is exceptionally rare. Add the secret weapon and me into the mix, and Irontomb will just have to obediently accept its downfall."
--+--