Everything that had just happened took place in the blink of an eye. The audience couldn't think. Their minds could only follow the camera.
When Trianne lowered her hand, they realized that she knew her strength couldn't contend with the Flame Reaver.
They also understood that teleporting Tribbie and Trinnon away meant she had already prepared herself to sacrifice her own life.
Such a tiny figure, so cute, so deserving of tenderness. With that appearance, she should have been living a carefree life.
Why did she have to face such cruelty?! When Trianne said "see you tomorrow," it meant that although she had forgotten almost everything, she still chose to sacrifice herself.
After a brief moment of blankness, a surge of anger rose in the audience.
They had guessed that Phainon might get cut down, guessed that Mydei might get cut down.
Of course, they had also guessed Trianne might get cut down.
After all, there had been constant buildup about Trianne's memory loss.
The audience originally thought that at most, the "knife" on Trianne would be that she would forget everything due to overusing her power. So they had been mentally prepared.
But they never imagined that Trianne would fall into the Flame Reaver's hands under such dangerous circumstances, and say goodbye in this way.
...
: ...
: ...
: No!! Trianne!!!
: Wouldn't it be enough if you just made her lose her memory?! Why does she have to be killed by the Flame Reaver?!
: Aaaaaah! Damn it, why kill Trianne!
: Wuuu… MiHoYo, you're not human!
: Damn you, MiHoYo! I'm going to kill you!
: Trianne is just a child! Don't tell me how long she's lived, she's a child, this is child abuse!
: I'm done! Damn!
: She's my favorite among the three! So lively, so energetic!
: I'm begging you, tell me Trianne is fake-dead, lying to me is fine, just don't make it real!
: Out of so many Chrysos Heirs, why is my little Trianne the first to go?!
: TTTTTTAAAATTTTTTTTT!!!
: And why did you make Trianne say "see you tomorrow"? My heart hurts!
: I'm writing a complaint, this is too much! This is abusing a child!
: Please nooo…..
: MiHoYo isn't human anymore, brothers, charge!
: I spent two episodes preparing myself for fake deaths, and you tell me Phainon and Mydei are fine, but Trianne is the one who gets cut?!
: Damn it… this is such a cruel knife…
: Aaaaah, I'm going to create a world with only Trianne!!
...
The comments exploded instantly. Layer upon layer, so dense it seemed ready to tear the screen apart.
Fans who couldn't accept Trianne's death completely boiled over.
But even now, there was still hope! Because the scene did not show Trianne truly falling.
Instead, it cut to outside the temple. Tribbie and Trinnon, who had been teleported away, lay on the ground, slowly waking from unconsciousness.
Phainon, Stelle, Dan Heng, Hyacine, and others, surrounded them.
"They're awake!" Hyacine shouted in surprise.
Tribbie groggily opened her eyes. "Little Gray? Snowy? And..."
"Wait... where's Trianne? Is she back?"
She struggled to sit up, quickly searching around. But that lively voice wasn't among the crowd.
Phainon said in a low voice, "We only saw the two of you collapsed on the side of the road when we arrived..."
Hyacine added softly, "Dannie and I looked around, but we couldn't find any traces of Lady Trianne..."
Trinnon thought for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "What about the black-robed swordmaster?"
"...Blast it! Of course it's him!" Phainon froze, then clenched his fist.
They had rushed over as soon as they heard the three had gone missing, not knowing who the culprit was.
Hearing about the black-robed swordsman now, Phainon showed a look of grim realization. "We were still too late. I fear something bad has happened to Oronyx's Coreflame."
"Then, Lady Trianne..." Hyacine's face instantly turned pale.
No one spoke.
Just when no one dared to speak, Phainon suddenly opened his mouth.
"That you're both safe is already a blessing."
"Everyone, we must take action now. We should split into two groups: One group will stay in the Abyss and meet up with Aglaea's reinforcements, then search for Trianne's whereabouts."
"The other group will come with me to pursue the black-robed swordmaster and recover the Coreflame."
Amid the sorrowful atmosphere, Phainon still calmly and swiftly proposed the best course of action.
Even with the possibility that Trianne had met with disaster, he could still make such a decision. The audience felt dazed…
This pure-hearted guy, how did he suddenly seem more like a leader?
But this was a good thing. Hope rekindled in their hearts. Reinforcements had arrived, maybe Trianne could still be saved!
Immediately, Hyacine and Dan Heng stayed behind to await news.
Meanwhile, Phainon and Stelle took Tribbie and Trinnon and hurried back to Okhema.
Partly to bring the two to safety, and partly to request reinforcements from Aglaea.
The next plan required a large number of people, clearly impossible with just a few small teams.
Soon, Okhema, within the Marmoreal Palace.
Aglaea calmly listened to Phainon's report, including his conversation with Anaxagoras and their speculation about the Flame Reaver's motives.
"That Flame Reaver's objective is the same as ours. Just like the Flame-Chase Journey is doing. Professor Anaxa thinks the Flame Reaver's arrival is likely a sign that the black tide has spread further.
Phainon calmly explained the plan. " But its madness is also an opportunity for us. If its goal is the Coreflame, then that means us humans can lure it into a trap."
"Anaxa had already left the holy city with Cerces' Coreflame while we were on the way to the Abyss, so he can make preparations for the battlefield."
Aglaea listened without revealing any emotion, at this moment, she was calm to the point of seeming inhuman.
After hearing everything, she asked: "Tell me, what makes you think this won't end with us losing another Coreflame?"
Phainon was confident and already had a plan in mind. He shifted his gaze toward Stelle, who was standing to the side. "Because this time, the power from beyond the sky is also at our side..."
Aglaea and Phainon both turned their eyes toward her.
On screen, Stelle's beautiful face met their gazes with a look of wisdom and keen intelligence.
She raised a finger and pointed at herself.
"Really? Are you sure I can do it?" Stelle hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.
She really wanted to say that during her first encounter with the Flame Reaver, she had nearly gotten herself into serious trouble.
But after thinking it over, she felt saying that would be a bit embarrassing, so she ultimately kept quiet.
Phainon spoke again: "We need your other companion too."
As his words fell, Mem popped out from beside Stelle.
"Oh… Do you mean... me?"
As time passed, Mem had gradually become able to speak in complete sentences.
Although the reason was unclear, it was ultimately a good thing. And Aglaea naturally knew about Mem's extraordinary nature.
After all, in Okhema, nothing could escape Aglaea's eyes.
"I see. Phainon, that "battlefield" you mentioned... Is it Castrum Kremnos?"
Aglaea nodded, acknowledging the plan and even guessing its location.
Phainon's voice rang clear as he quickly explained, "Yes. I'm sure everyone remembers the astonishing miracle Stelle performed with her companion during the battle with Nikador and how they awakened Castrum Kremnos' past."
"That will be the key to our victory - We will use Oronyx's power to once again open a passage to the past and lure our enemy inside..."
"Then, we'll "seal" the Flame Reaver in the Maze of Time."
Now, Oronyx had already fallen. The power of Janus was in Okhema's hands.
Nearly every method of escape in the world had already been restricted.
The Flame Reaver had previously been cast to the edge of the world by the Century Gate, yet he still managed to return quickly, proof that ordinary restrictions meant nothing to him.
But what if he were trapped in the past? The moment this idea was proposed, everyone's eyes lit up.
...
: The Flame Reaver's origins are mysterious and his methods powerful, but if he's trapped in the past, there's no way he can come back!
: Stelle's power is really a huge help!
: Since a frontal fight won't work, we outsmart him, what a clever approach!
: But if you send the Flame Reaver into the past, wouldn't that destroy the past?!
: Hiss… that's true.
: Amphoreus's power is way too domineering. The more I watch, the more confused I get. Same with the Flame Reaver, and even the power of time.
: But no matter what, I hope they can finally defeat the Flame Reaver!
: Yeah! That guy… anyway, the Flame Reaver has to die!
: Don't jinx it! Trianne might still be alive!!!
...
Clearly, outsmarting the enemy was the wisest course of action for now.
But before the audience could fully settle their nerves, even worse and more troubling news came from Aglaea.
On screen, after finalizing the plan, Aglaea expressed that she would fully cooperate with Phainon and the others' operations.
But at the same time, she was under pressure as well.
"By the way, the Council of Elders declared a state of emergency when Tribbie went missing."
"Caenis and her following have heard tell of the incident at the Grove and are galvanizing support in secret. I fear she'll make her move before the next assembly of the citizens."
At this point, Aglaea let out a weary sigh. Okhema was truly in troubled times.
"That short-sighted politician likely believes the Chrysos Heirs have outlived their usefulness and is making preparations for her next step. That ugly side of humanity is something we'll have to deal with eventually."
"...But that's a problem for another day"
Not only external threats, nut internal troubles too.
"Caenis…" Phainon's eyes sharpened.
"Don't worry too much, at least not right now. I've sent Castorice ahead to the Council with a message. She should be able to keep the situation under control for the time being."
"Phainon, it is my hope that we can come to an understanding on this: We must take down the Flame Reaver in one go and retrieve the Coreflame, and in doing so, grant ourselves an advantage against the Council of Elders."
Everyone present realized just how difficult the situation had become.
Okhema's stability, the threat of the Black Tide, the emergence of the Flame Reaver, every step ahead felt like walking a tightrope.
Success was the only option. Failure was not allowed. And the audience, upon hearing Caenis' name, reacted with clear irritation.
...
: People like that only hold everyone back!
: Damn it, every era has people like this!
: So disgusting, if I were Aglaea, I'd deal with her directly!
: Internal strife is sometimes even worse than external threats!
: Can we send Caenis to face the Flame Reaver? I'm sick of this!
: Hahaha, seriously, if she's so obsessed with power, let her face the threat. If she beats the Flame Reaver, she can have Okhema!
: I bet Caenis wouldn't even dare face him!
...
Afterward, everyone parted ways at the Marmoreal Palace.
Stelle and Phainon walked together along the road out of the city.
Phainon took a breath, as if recalling something. "Stelle, you can go over to the abyss. I'll go find Mydei, I've want to bring him over."
"If it works, we might witness the heroic figure of the Demi-God of Strife in Castrum Kremnos once again!"
The audience was thrilled.
Mydei, who had always resisted, could he really change his mind?!
But no matter how you looked at it, in terms of combat power, Nikador was undoubtedly the strongest at present!
If this truly succeeded, this strategy of outwitting the enemy would gain even greater assurance.
At this point, the controversy surrounding the Coreflame of Strife… the confrontation with the Flame Reaver… and all the various other foreshadowed threads converged together.
All pointing toward the decisive battle soon to erupt in Castrum Kremnos.