"Well, well, a demigod never ceases to impress. Not even a top assassin with a lifetime of "purging" experiences can slip past you."
The exposed Caenis showed not the slightest hint of worry. Instead, she looked straight at Aglaea without any attempt at concealment.
"What are you up to, Elder Caenis?"
Aglaea's pupils instantly turned cold as she turned her head to ask.
"Drop the act. You noticed my informants a long time ago, didn't you?" Caenis sneered.
The people she had sent to follow Aglaea brought back bad news today. Aglaea would always vanish from their sight for a period of time, only to reappear shortly afterward.
As if… She were deliberately putting on a show for them.
Caenis knew it well, those people had probably been exposed a long time ago.
Aglaea was merely maintaining the status quo out of tacit understanding, while those watchers had no idea what she did every day.
In Caenis' eyes, this was nothing short of humiliation.
"You stayed silent to throw us off, so we'd let our guard down, while maintaining that everything you did abides by the Council's regulations, correct?"
Caenis stared into Aglaea's eyes. Those eyes, more brilliant than gemstones, held nothing but indifference.
That indifference made her want to gouge them out and trample them underfoot.
"...When it comes to schemes and manipulation, Zagreus can't hold a candle to the Council." Aglaea said calmly.
Caenis accepted the mockery in full, even taking pride in it.
"Hehe, that's quite flattering, Chrysos Heir."
Then she slightly raised her chin and reminded her: "We bear no ill will. We just want to reiterate that the Chrysos Heirs' governance of the holy city is only temporary, a provisional transfer of authority during these extraordinary times."
"While gods see and hear more extensively, mortals have their own means of dealing with things. When that so-called prophecy crumbles... the destiny of Okhema shall once again rest in the grasp of its people."
Aglaea frowned slightly. Not because of Caenis' laughable threat. But because of what her words implied… Between every line, there was nothing but greed for power.
How ironic. With the world already heading towards doom, these people were still fixated on the authority they believed to be rightfully theirs.
They repeatedly provoked her, again and again, just to confirm one thing, That their power over Okhema would not be shaken.
"Rest in the grasp of its people... or yours, Elder Caenis?" Aglaea mocked.
"Ease off on the hostility." Caenis narrowed her eyes and emphasized viciously: "You'd do well to remember nearly half of the elders stood against entrusting the holy city to you in that crucial vote. I am but one voice in the dissent."
"Keep following your chosen path, demigod, use every bit of your power to show that we are mistaken... but don't forget for a second, in Amphoreus, even "gods" are not above the law."
With that, Caenis turned and left. Before departing, she lightly tossed out one last sentence:
" I'm quite interested to see how long you can stick with this hands-on way of doing things... heh."
Watching Caenis leave, Aglaea finally spoke softly: "I will employ every means at my disposal to save Amphoreus, Elder Caenis. Whether it means wresting it from the grasp of the gods... Or yours."
Caenis' second appearance reignited the audience's anger. From her, they saw the most detestable kind of person.
People like this were common, whether in drama or in real history.
Those who, even in the midst of crisis, remain obsessed with internal strife and preserving their own power. Utterly selfish and short-sighted.
After looking at Caenis a few more times, the audience felt their blood pressure about to explode.
...
: At a time like this, you're still talking about power?! The world's about to end, damn it!
: No, I'm genuinely curious, this world actually has gods. What the hell gives Caenis so much confidence?!
: Is it the so-called Chrysos War she mentioned? What really happened in that period of history?
: Damn it, what do you mean "even gods can't do as they please"? Caenis looks like she really wants to do exactly that!
: Aglaea, how can you govern Okhema properly when you're surrounded by vermin like this?!
: She doesn't care about Okhema's survival at all. She talks nicely, but all she thinks about is power!
: I really want to jump into the screen and punch her for Aglaea!
: Please, let the plot hurry up and give her a proper send-off already! Just looking at this kind of character shortens my lifespan, so infuriating!
: Alright, alright, with this emotional buildup, I'm already looking forward to the day she and the forces she represents get completely purged!
...
The audience was furious with Caenis. Some were even starting to long for the moment when this villain would be utterly destroyed.
But to Aglaea, all of this was nothing more than something that happened every day in her long life.
After cleansing the corruption within the city, Aglaea returned to the Marmoreal Palace.
In the Sky Garden, she met Trinnon.
Something even worse than Caenis' malice had emerged.
The gentle Trinnon bit her finger and said softly: "...You're right. We've taken all possible precautions against Nikador. It... did not come easy, though... Trianne is already near her limits."
Aglaea took a breath and asked, "...How much of her power is left?"
"Taking this time into account, she should still be able to open the Century Gates three... no, maybe just two more times."
Aglaea fell silent for a moment. "...And after that?"
Trinnon hesitated before replying: "Tribbie will take over as the gatekeeper, according to what we've agreed on."
Aglaea said nothing. She merely lifted her gaze toward the towering statue of Kephale in the distance.
Her heart, which had long since cooled, began to ache once more at the mention of Tribbie.
But she could only force it down. She even had to compel herself to make a grim resolve. As long as the situation remained unresolved, such things would inevitably happen again.
Not just to Tian and the others, but also to Phainon, to Castorice… Including herself.
'Sky Father…'
'In the world as you perceive it, does the prophecy remain as clear as it was when it first descended?'
'Do you know the answer, yet choose not to share it with us at this moment?'
'Sky Father…' Aglaea spoke silently to Kephale in her heart.
The heavy atmosphere between the two forced the audience to pay close attention to the meaning behind these lines.
Especially the part about nearing the limit. Before this, they had already received similar hints.
Now, even without further explanation, many had already pieced together the implications.
...
: ... This doesn't feel good.
: Using an ability has a cost? And the cost is heavy?
: No, don't!
: Can't it be restored?
: They even specifically mentioned that the Century Gate can only be opened twice.
: If it's opened a third time, something bad will happen, right ...
: So is Trianne like that because she used it too many times, to the point that her life force was really damaged, just like the mountain dwellers?
: Damn it ...
...
The audience had already begun to sense that something was wrong.
At this moment. The meticulous opening of the first episode of Amphoreus finally showed its purpose.
At first, the audience watched in confusion. But now, they had already formed a clear impression of most of the Chrysos Heirs.
Once there is understanding, emotion follows. Even if they themselves haven't realized it yet.
But at this point. All they could do was continue watching.
On the other side, within Castrum Kremnos.
Stelle and the others had arrived here.
Using the memories they had gathered earlier, they could rely on Mem's power within Castrum Kremnos to return to the past and uncover the truth.
Standing on the long corridor outside the outer city of Castrum Kremnos, Mem activated their power.
Everyone felt their vision blur for a moment.
When they opened their eyes again, everything before them had completely changed.
The gloomy sky had turned into blue skies and white clouds.
Under the azure sky, voices clamored and horns resounded.
That massive Blade of Fury still hung high above Castrum Kremnos. The golden radiance shining upon its edge was even more dazzling than before!
It was no longer the calamity weapon driven by the Mad Titan. Instead, it resembled a sacred armament.
Both a deterrent, and a symbol of military merit and glory. Its very existence made one instinctively feel an overwhelming sense of solemn authority.
And the city beneath the blade had returned to its former state.
When the grand and imposing clusters of buildings unfolded before Stelle and Castorice.
Both of them fell into a brief daze. This was Castrum Kremnos at its peak.
Like Okhema, the city was built primarily from marble, but unlike Okhema's pure marble white, its tone leaned toward a cold gray-white.
It looked solid, unyielding, and sharp. The towering stone pillars were not only supports for temples, but also integral parts of the magnificent outer city walls.
Among the buildings. Blue accents could be seen everywhere, not Okhema's bright azure, but a darker shade of blue.
These colors appeared widely on the edges of shields, the cloaks of soldiers, ceremonial decorations of important plazas.
And on the countless banners fluttering throughout the city. Standing on the main avenue, Stelle and Castorice felt slightly dazed.
The glorious Castrum Kremnos before them stood in stark contrast to the bloodstained ruin filled with collapsed structures and unknown contamination that they had seen before.
"Seeing this scene... I think I finally understand why Mydei always talks about glory." Stelle murmured softly.
Castorice nodded gently beside her. Growing up in such a city, it would be hard not to become someone like Mydei.
If it were a city-state like this. Then Stelle really could believe that these people weren't bloodthirsty madmen, but truly regarded war itself as a rule, and as an honor.
...
: Damn, this is insane.
: First Okhema, then Castrum Kremnos, holy crap, this ancient Greek aesthetic has been pushed to the absolute limit by MiHoYo!
: This is even more shocking than scenes in movies!
: Hahaha, the Olympus show is definitely going to get dissected frame by frame.
: I used to think the people of Castrum Kremnos were just warlike, but now I get it, they grew up in a city that worships war and glory.
: In an environment like this, how could Nikador go mad?
: Next is the truth, right? Hurry up and show me!
...
The comments scrolled past.
Stelle and Castorice recovered from their shock. Curious, the two of them walked toward the city.
They weren't the only ones on this avenue. Large numbers of Castrum Kremnos soldiers, as well as people from other city-states, were gathered here.
"Returning to the past and seeing these people like this… it feels really strange." Castorice quietly observed her surroundings.
Stelle also found it fascinating. "And I feel like this isn't just a simple rewind. The way those people look at us, it feels… too real."
Their clothing did not match the aesthetics of this era at all.
So the moment they appeared, they drew the attention of those around them.
The looks in these people's eyes also told the audience that this was different from an ordinary replay.
It seemed that they could truly interact across time?!
Castorice set their next plan.
"We should first figure out which era we've traveled back to."
"The memory fragments we gathered for Mem all point toward the final stage of the Chrysos War... We might be able to use that as a starting point for our deductions."
After locking down a rough timeframe. The two began stopping random passersby on the road to ask questions.
The first person they stopped was a warrior wearing a helmet and dressed in classical Greek-style armor.
He crossed his arms, clearly giving off a "don't approach" aura. When Castorice politely asked a few questions. The warrior said nothing at all.
It wasn't until Castorice asked whether he had come to participate in the competition that he finally reacted.
"Competition...? No... I have no interest in meaningless sports."
Encouraged by the response, Castorice gathered her courage and continued, "So... you're here for Nikador's festival?"
"..." The warrior sighed. "Utterly foolish..."
With that, he turned his head away again. Castorice and Stelle were left awkwardly frozen in place.
"War has left its mark on many from this period, so please don't take it personally..." Castorice comforted Stelle, while also comforting herself.
And the audience simply assumed that Castrum Kremnos people were hard to deal with and generally unpleasant.
After the first failed attempt. The two walked on for a bit longer.
They soon encountered a crowd gathered together, loudly shouting curses about something.
Listening more closely. It was about Mydeimos, Mydei himself!
"Crown prince? Chrysos Heir? What a joke! Mydeimos is a coward!"
"Mydeimos is just a coward! Those who deserted Kremnos with him have brought shame upon the Lance of Fury... Despicable traitors will never bask in glory again!
One Castrum Kremnos man spat on the ground, his insults vicious and venomous.
"But Mydeimos is undoubtedly the mightiest warrior among us... Who else can we turn to now that he's gone?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? King Eurypon, the rightful ruler of Castrum Kremnos, has not fallen! He still stands firm in this city and has never given up on awakening the great Titan."
"As long as we remain steadfast at his side, we'll reclaim our former glory and sow bloodshed and conquest amongst our foes..."
"Mydei and deserter? King Eurypon? Who is he?" Stelle frowned deeply, turned around to look at Castorice.
Mydei was absolutely not as despicable as they were saying.
But Castorice, standing beside her, seemed to realize something. She suddenly spoke with a hint of sorrow.
"Right, of course... The people of this time wouldn't know the fate of that old king yet."
"What fate?" Stelle quickly asked.
Castorice hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to Stelle's ear and whispered softly:
"...He was killed by Lord Mydei."