When Celenova reached out, Hertatomb was still discussing the Chrysos Heir's Path inclinations with Screwllum.
After all, Amphoreus was pushed forward precisely to calculate tendencies toward "Destruction."
The golden blood of the Chrysos Heirs inherently carried the meaning of Destruction.
This made it incredibly difficult for them to shake off the influence of Destruction.
Especially since Amphoreus itself had undergone data-metamorphosis to become Digimon, it had, to a certain extent, locked in their Destructive nature.
At the very least, it would be hard to purge it completely in a short time.
Take Phainon, for example. As his power grew and his radiance increased, the aura of Destruction within him also intensified.
Clearly, his resentment and anger weren't as despairing as in the original story.
On the contrary, individuals not chosen as Chrysos Heirs had far cleaner bodies, largely free of Destructive factors.
The geniuses weren't attempting to study and analyze Phainon's situation for the first time.
"Madam Herta probably foresaw this outcome, which is why she was so proactive in having Amphoreus belong to the Land of Light."
Screwllum believed Madam Herta had considered this layer.
Of course, the two Hertas themselves would never willingly admit it.
Stubbornness was a habit of theirs.
As Hertatomb helped collect data, she asked curiously, "Screwllum, you seem really interested, going so far as to ask for my help gathering this."
"For me, a mechanical lifeform intertwined with both Destruction and Hope holds significant research value. Especially that individual named Khaslana. In my opinion, there might be a possibility of him being influenced by an Aeon."
"...Screwllum, do you think there's a chance Equilibrium is meddling in this?"
"It's merely a possibility. But it does resemble something Equilibrium would do."
Could he really tell that much?
Regarding the Digimon's current state—having been elbowed by an Arbiter once herself—Hertatomb also wondered if Equilibrium had a hand in it, leading to Hope and Destruction achieving a delicate balance within the Digimon.
Phainon's case, in particular, carried a strong scent of Equilibrium.
The overall situation was so balanced it seemed measured with a ruler.
But because the development was so logically consistent, hardly anyone noticed.
Or, like Screwllum, they might have sensed something but didn't pay it much mind.
In fact, if Hertatomb herself hadn't been elbowed, she wouldn't have connected it to Equilibrium either.
But for the Digimon to become so balanced, even splitting into different factions, and for factions of Giants of Light tainted with Destruction to emerge—it was hard not to speculate.
For Screwllum, what direction this added variable would steer the Digimon toward was an interesting subject as well.
Speaking of which.
In the game's storyline, Phainon later received a glance from Nanook and even obtained a drop of golden blood.
But back then, he had endured thirty million cycles of reincarnation—now, he was still far from that.
Nanook might not cast his gaze this time.
Then again, given Phainon's current state—an Ultraman combined with Digimon data accumulation—he might not be any weaker than his storyline counterpart.
Nanook would probably be quite pleased to see this.
He'd struggled for centuries without managing to recruit an Ultraman to Destruction's cause.
And now, here they were, popping up left and right.
Although they showed no intention of actually practicing Destruction.
Compared to the individuals from Amphoreus, Demiurge—born from the earliest calculations and later physically excluded by Zandar—was actually a purer practitioner of Hope, an Emanator of Remembrance, a Pure Child of Anāsrava.
She had little to do with Destruction.
She wasn't even that deeply connected to Amphoreus.
Just then, Hertatomb received a message from Celenova, saying she wanted to meet Hertatomb privately, just the two of them.
"Screwllum, Celenova contacted me wanting to meet. I suspect Destruction is planning something."
"Destruction, hmm… But for her to proactively reach out to you, an opponent, suggests they're very interested in what's happening within Amphoreus."
"Should I refuse?"
Screwllum thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"No need. For a Lord Ravager, there isn't much confidential information about Amphoreus to protect. Zandar's firewall isn't so easily breached."
"Alright then, I'll handle the conversation as I see fit."
With that, Hertatomb temporarily split her attention to meet with Celenova.
--+--
In a secluded star sector, aboard a starship, Hertatomb saw Celenova again.
Unlike their last tense, confrontational encounter, this time, though Celenova's gaze wasn't exactly friendly, at least she didn't immediately call for a fight.
"I'm surprised you'd reach out to me, Celenova. What do you want to talk about?"
"Apart from Irontomb, another Lord Ravager is about to emerge from Amphoreus. You're not going to tell me you don't know about this, are you?"
Celenova got straight to the point, addressing the most critical matter.
"…"
So Nanook really wasn't planning to let Phainon go.
But although Phainon's current strength was considerable, there was still a clear gap between him and an Emanator.
What was Nanook trying to do?
Was he planning to go easy and deliberately gift Phainon a drop of golden blood?
That didn't seem impossible.
In the original game, just getting a scratch was pretty outrageous.
Now, having truly experienced an Aeon's power herself, if he wasn't deliberately holding back, she couldn't imagine how Phainon could manage it.
"You know, don't you."
"I do know some things, and I know who you're referring to. But why should I tell you?"
Hertatomb looked at Celenova curiously.
Now that they had this information, what did the Lord Ravager plan to do?
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not here to do anything. You'd better understand one thing—I'm not here for Irontomb, but for you. However… Zephyro will come."
"What's he coming for?!"
Hertatomb's eyelid twitched.
Zephyro.
If that guy really showed up, she'd have to call for backup.
Seeing Hertatomb's reaction, Celenova felt a mix of satisfaction and irritation.
"What, scared now?"
"If I'm not afraid of Kakamond, why would I fear Zephyro? More importantly, you—saying all this, aren't you worried I might strike first and take you down?"
"If you can manage it, by all means, try."
Celenova glared at Hertatomb, hostility in her eyes.
The claws at her fingertips seemed eager for action.
And just then, for some unknown reason, Nanook cast his gaze downward.
The descent of an Aeon, especially the Aeon of Destruction, nearly terrified everyone around Amphoreus.
They thought Irontomb was about to emerge, and almost triggered the highest alert, mobilizing armies for battle.
But in reality, Hertatomb, who had been inexplicably pulled into the Path Space, saw Khaslana—who had been chosen—and Zephyro, who had appeared there.
"...How is it so soon?"
Hertatomb had thought reaching this stage would take at least a few years, maybe over a decade.
Wouldn't Amphoreus need to cycle through thousands, tens of thousands of iterations, accumulating data to gradually overturn the Scepter's calculative tendencies?
Wasn't that how it played out in the game?
But instead…her own card's duration hadn't even expired yet.
Khaslana had already received Nanook's glance.
Now, in his Ultraman form, bathed in golden flames, with the auras of Hope and Destruction intertwined, his strength was nothing to scoff at.
If things were like this, Amphoreus might already be on the verge of being settled.
--+--