"Of course it's true."
Herta 100's voice was filled with seriousness. "Right now, outside this world, the geniuses led by Madam Herta have already discovered that there is a massive anomaly within this world. In order to resolve it, the three of them have sent over three special items."
"One of them is me—a Herta Puppet. The second is the Ruan Mei Magic Wand, which is the wand in my hand. As for the third, it is the monocle of the Mechanical Aristocrat, Screwllum. As for where it is now, I do not know."
"However, Madam Herta has already instructed me to find you and have you safeguard these three special items. Under no circumstances must they fall into Lygus' hands."
"The Herta Puppet, the Ruan Mei Magic Wand, and Screwllum's monocle?" The Flame Reaver's voice was hoarse. "I've remembered them. And this Lygus you just mentioned—who exactly is he?"
"According to Madam Herta, in the world of Amphoreus, whether it is the black tide or the other disasters, all of them originate from this person."
"I understand."
After grasping the situation, the Flame Reaver asked what functions these three special Curios possessed.
Herta 100 said, "According to Mr. Screwllum, the Mechanical Aristocrat's monocle allows one to see the truth."
The truth?!
Upon hearing this, the Flame Reaver immediately recalled how he had once sought out the Wave-Strumming Knight in an attempt to gain Cerydra's trust—only to fail in the end.
If, at that time, he had possessed Screwllum's monocle, perhaps... he could have successfully persuaded the Wave-Strumming Knight, and even more of the Chrysos Heirs, allowing them to recognize the approaching crisis...
By the time the Flame Reaver reached this point in his thoughts, he fully understood that Screwllum's monocle was indeed something invaluable.
Immediately afterward, he quickly asked little Herta about the remaining two items—the Ruan Mei Magic Wand and the Herta Puppet—and their effects.
"My effect cannot be revealed to you for now," the Ruan Mei Magic Wand said seriously. "At the appropriate moment, I will play my role."
After saying this, it added silently in its heart:
Vitalizing the entire world of Amphoreus and making the whole world resist fate—resist Lygus... It's better not to say such things out loud. I'll just do it quietly. If Lygus notices, that would be a huge problem.
At that moment, Herta 100 also spoke. "As for me, I can manually craft certain special tools—for example, Soul Gems."
"Soul Gems?"
"They are a power distinct from that of the Chrysos Heirs. They are super tools developed by Madam Herta, possessing the attribute of mind over matter. For instance, if the holder is someone with a firm conviction to save the world, then they will receive the Soul Gem's greatest blessing—possibly even an over-limit enhancement!"
"Additionally, Madam Herta also said that Amphoreus is a special world, one that contains an eternal cycle of causality... As long as the cycle continues, the causality attached to the Soul Gems will grow heavier."
"Causality?"
"That's right. According to Madam Herta, the causality accumulated within a Soul Gem will, at the appropriate moment, blossom into incomparable power."
"Can you create one for me directly?"
"No."
Herta 100 gently shook her head. "First, creating a Soul Gem requires a Soul Gem production line, and building that production line requires a large workforce. Furthermore... Soul Gems are more suitable for girls to use. The more gorgeously dressed the girl, the more compatible she is with a Soul Gem."
"Restricted to females?"
Herta nodded, then silently added in her heart: It should actually be restricted to cross-dressing.
Female...
The Flame Reaver fell into deep thought before shifting his gaze to little Khaslana at the side.
In this life, we must have Herta produce Soul Gems... And when the next world is created, it will also be time to alter certain strands of causality!
For the sake of saving the world, sacrificing certain things is a necessary measure!
At that moment, the Flame Reaver had already made up his mind. When the next creation cycle came, he would change Khaslana's gender in the next era.
As for the name, it would no longer be Khaslana. He would adjust it slightly... and call her Kaslana instead.
"Ah-choo!"
Little Khaslana, who was present at the scene, sneezed. After glancing around to confirm that no one was cursing him, he raised his head and looked at the masked Flame Reaver.
"Herta was clearly calling me just now. Why did you suddenly show up and start talking to her the whole time?"
"The current you does not need to know too much," the Flame Reaver replied, his heart filled with excitement.
In truth, this was the happiest he had ever been across countless cycles of reincarnation. In this cycle, he had finally seen true dawn.
Suddenly recalling something, the Flame Reaver asked Herta, "Just now, I sensed that the outer space sealed by the Sky Titan has been in constant turmoil. Has something happened outside?"
"You noticed." Herta looked at him in surprise. "In outer space, the geniuses led by Madam Herta are fighting Lygus. At first, Madam Herta and the others had the upper hand—that was how they were able to send us in and assign the mission... But now, they are gradually falling into a disadvantage."
Beneath the mask, the Flame Reaver's shattered face furrowed slightly. "Is there any way I can help them?"
"Lygus is currently using the power of Amphoreus itself to overwhelm Madam Herta and the others. So if you want to help them, you must do something within the world of Amphoreus."
"I understand."
The Flame Reaver nodded in comprehension, then took out his ritual staff and set off.
He activated the Century Gate—an ability that originally belonged to Tribbie, Trianne, and Trinnon. But as the Worldbearing Titan who had reincarnated countless times and carried numerous Titan fireseeds within his body, he could naturally use it as well.
With a single leap, he arrived at Castrum Kremnos. At this time, the Strife Titan, Nicadori, had not yet fallen nor descended into madness. He still retained his reason.
Even the Crown Prince of Kremnos, Mydeimos, had yet to be born.
But this time, the Flame Reaver intended to kill Nicadori in advance—to sever one of Amphoreus' Titan pillars. He believed that doing so would temporarily weaken the world of Amphoreus, giving the geniuses outside a sliver of opportunity to claim victory.
The Flame Reaver made his move. Throughout his battle with Nicadori, he remained completely at ease.
Of course, one reason was the overwhelming number of Titan fireseeds within him. The other key reason was that this was not his first confrontation with Nicadori.
He had fought Nicadori too many times—so many that he had memorized every move. Thus, at the fiftieth exchange, he struck with lethal precision, piercing Nicadori's vital weakness in the back and ending his life.
Nicadori died.
The impact on the world of Amphoreus was immense. The countless citizens of Castrum Kremnos stood frozen in shock. None of them had expected their great god to be so easily assassinated by a black-robed masked figure. And when the colossal body failed to revive for a long time, they understood—their god, Nicadori, was truly dead.
Panic, disbelief, incomprehension... all manner of negative emotions surged within the hearts of the city's people.
Standing above Castrum Kremnos, the Flame Reaver remained silent. He believed killing Nicadori was not enough. Thus, with practiced familiarity, he manipulated the Lance of Fury and launched an attack toward the sky.
As the energy cannon of the Strife Titan's Lance of Fury fired, countless clouds were pierced through. The sky itself split open, and from within came a wail.
Countless members of the Skyfolk froze upon hearing that cry, for the voice was one they knew well. It was the anguished howl of the Sky Titan, Aquila.
Yet they could not understand why the Strife Titan had suddenly turned against their own Titan.
...
Meanwhile, beyond the realm of myth, Lygus—who had been manipulating the Emperor's Scepter · Amphoreus—suddenly sensed that the Scepter's power had been weakened in some way.
What is going on?!
Could it be that those three geniuses have done something again?!
Thinking this, Lygus immediately turned his gaze toward the inner world of Amphoreus.
And when he saw what the Flame Reaver had done, he was so enraged he nearly laughed.
He had killed Nicadori—and even gravely wounded Aquila.
Good. Very good indeed.
Willing to shorten the lifespan of this cycle of Amphoreus just to aid the geniuses outside!
As expected, Khaslana—even now, you still seek to save this world!
But it truly is worthy of those three geniuses.
They seized the very instant a bug appeared in the Scepter, not only completing their invasion of Amphoreus, but even establishing contact with Khaslana and prompting him to act.
An assault coordinated from outside and within—do they really think they can defeat me? What a fantasy.
With that thought, Lygus began using the weakened Scepter to contend against Herta and the other geniuses.
From the perceptions of Herta, Ruan Mei, and Screwllum, Lygus' offensive suddenly dropped by a degree. They immediately recovered from the brink of defeat.
At the same time, The Herta asked Herman inwardly, "Was that done by Fuli of Amphoreus?"
"No. Delivering the Emperor's Scepter data to you was her final move," Herman analyzed seriously. "I suspect Herta 100 did something on her end. Perhaps she has already found Khaslana."
"In any case, Herta—you, Ruan Mei, and Screwllum must seize this opportunity to stabilize your position and attempt a counterattack!"
"I will."
With that, Herta intensified her data offensive once more.
Ruan Mei and Screwllum likewise increased the intensity of their assault.
Meanwhile, Lygus found himself increasingly unable to hold out alone. The reason was simple—the Flame Reaver was still killing, and he had already gone mad with slaughter.
One Titan after another fell. In the end, even the Time Titan, Oronyx, was slain by the Flame Reaver.
That day became known as the Titan Calamity's Day in Amphoreus.
The Flame Reaver eradicated the Titans from Amphoreus, reducing the computational power of the Scepter to its lowest point.
At that very instant, Ruan Mei, Herta, and Screwllum once again breached Amphoreus' firewall. Through Stigmata resonance, they projected their consciousness into Amphoreus.
This time, when The Herta connected her consciousness to that of little Herta, she immediately learned everything the Flame Reaver had done within Amphoreus.
Killing the Strife Titan. Killing the Time Titan. Kill, kill, kill...
Just as Herman suspected—Herta 100 guided the Flame Reaver with her words.
Herta 100 spoke seriously. "Madam Herta, I need a batch of Soul Gems on my end... As you know, building a Soul Gem production line here is extremely difficult."
"I will open a micro-wormhole. Prepare to receive them." The Herta's reply was concise.
"Do not even think about it, geniuses... Do not overstep your bounds. Have you forgotten who stands at the origin of the very concept of 'genius'?"
Zandar's voice resounded outside the Stigmata Space.
At this moment, Lygus abandoned his attempt to use the severely weakened Scepter to expel the genius' consciousness. Instead, he contacted his other eight slices.
"Lygus, you truly are incompetent... To be driven into such a miserable state by three juniors."
"Lygus, I shall mock you mercilessly—even though we were once the same person!"
"Lygus..."
One voice after another echoed beyond myth.
At the instant the eighth voice resounded, Lygus received assistance from his counterparts across the cosmos.
Boundless computational power converged in that moment—far surpassing that of the Scepter alone. It was the power of the other eight slices of Zandar.
The eight slices' computational power, combined with that of Lygus and the Emperor's Scepter, elevated his capacity to an unprecedented height.
Although such power still could not compare to the sublimated divinity of Zandar—the Aeon of Erudition, Nous—it nevertheless reached one-fifth of the original genius' computational strength.
That level of power was enough to crush everything—to expel the consciousness of the three geniuses who had already invaded Amphoreus!
Boom—boom—boom...
Vast computational power roared like a superstructure engine, slamming viciously toward Ruan Mei, Herta, and Screwllum. This time, Lygus intended to burn out the astral computers behind the three geniuses entirely—using that method to teach them a harsh lesson, to show them the dignity of their senior.
Herta, Ruan Mei, and Screwllum heard Lygus' roar. They sensed that his data offensive had become overwhelmingly powerful—enough to crush them outright.
Upon realizing this, the three geniuses led by Herta prepared to end this assault.
However, before withdrawing, the item little Herta requested had to be delivered into Amphoreus.
Although The Herta herself did not possess spare Soul Gems, they could simply be crafted by hand.
Soul Gems required Memoria and Dreamstones.
Herta quickly turned her head and asked Ruan Mei and Screwllum whether their ships carried these two materials.
Both shook their heads.
Ruan Mei said, "My Ruanruan carries many biological specimens, but the intangible Memoria and Dreamstones—I do not have those in storage."
Screwllum added, "Logical inference: Miss Herta's robots do not dream. Therefore, Dreamstones are not standard inventory."
Hearing this, Herta shifted her gaze toward Black Swan.
Black Swan hurriedly replied, "I do have Memoria here, but I truly do not possess Dreamstones. Although I am a Memokeeper, I do not make a habit of carrying stones with me."
"Give me the Memoria."
"Very well."
Black Swan tossed the Memoria toward Herta. After catching it, Herta heard voices from Screwllum and Ruan Mei tinged with astonishment.
"Logical computation: this is unreasonable. A massive Dreamstone has appeared in the cosmic vacuum of the Amphoreus star system?"
"This is far too strange!"
Herta looked up—and indeed, floating in the vacuum of space was a colossal Dreamstone, a mineral normally produced only in worlds saturated with Memoria.
She immediately understood.
This was Fuli of Amphoreus' handiwork.
Since the materials were now complete, she acted without hesitation. She would craft the Soul Gems and send them into Amphoreus.
With a micro-wormhole transfer, Herta transported the colossal Dreamstone into the Ruanruan, where it underwent storm cutting. Immediately afterward, she began handcrafting Soul Gems.
In but a brief moment, ten Soul Gems were rushed into existence by The Herta and urgently injected into Amphoreus.
Lygus sensed this. His offensive grew even more ferocious.
Yet at the crucial instant, the dimensional-crushing assault capable of overwhelming the three geniuses was inexplicably off by a fraction—delayed by a single step.
The ten Soul Gems thus transformed into streaks of light and fell into Amphoreus.
At the same time, the three geniuses severed their data connection with Amphoreus and rapidly piloted the Screwllum and Ruanruan away from the star system.
Lygus lost his target. His expression darkened completely—and he sensed something was wrong.
My data offensive should not have been that slow.
Something interfered.
Did an Aeon intervene?
Was it Nous?
No... Nous cannot perceive what occurs in worlds yet to be reached by Trailblaze.
Then another Aeon made a move.
Was it Mythus? Or perhaps HooH, who silently influences every aspect of the cosmos at all times?
In that moment, Lygus' thoughts raced.
...
Meanwhile, within the world of Amphoreus, the Flame Reaver also noticed a streak of starlight descending from the sky. He captured it and discovered it was a gem.
His heart stirred, and he could not help but think:
By swiftly killing the Titan pillars of Amphoreus, I truly weakened Lygus' side. The geniuses beyond the heavens gained the upper hand and sent Soul Gems?!
Without hesitation, the Flame Reaver activated the Century Gate, located little Herta, and asked her to confirm whether the gem in his hand was indeed a Soul Gem.
"It is."
Herta 100 nodded. "Just now, Madam Herta urgently sent ten Soul Gems into Amphoreus. Because of the time constraint, the ten gems scattered across the world. You must find them and seek out owners for them. They will become the power that opposes the black tide—and even the mastermind behind it."
"Is this the Soul Gem you were talking about?"
At that moment, a pink-haired, adorably cute Cyrene hopped over from the distance. "I just picked this up."
"That's right. It's a Soul Gem. As long as you drip blood onto it to claim it as your own, Cyrene can become a magical girl!"
From not far away, little Khaslana asked in confusion, "Magical Girl? What's that?"
Herta replied, "A treasure that makes people stronger."
Little Khaslana exclaimed excitedly, "A treasure that makes you stronger? I want one too! I want one too!"
"Don't worry. You'll be able to use one as well," the Flame Reaver said hoarsely, gripping the Soul Gem tightly in his hand as he thought to himself:
In the next recreation cycle... you will be able to use it.