"Coreflame…"
"Must… Take back…"
A hoarse voice came from beneath the mask of the Flame Reaver.
Although Cipher had no idea how the Flame Reaver had gotten ahead of her, her eyes suddenly darted around, and she put on a frightened expression, pleading, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't swing that thing, easy there!"
"You're after Kephale's Coreflame, aren't you? Fine, take it! The Deliverer made me steal it! It's no use to me anyway!"
"Look, uh... since we've got the same taste in fashion, all black and sleek, how about you spare this poor cat's life?"
As she spoke, Cipher tossed the Coreflame in her hand onto the ground, raising both hands high as if she had completely surrendered.
Sure enough, the Flame Reaver's gaze shifted away from her. Without the slightest hesitation, it flashed forward and grabbed the Coreflame.
But just as the Flame Reaver seized it, there was a bang.
The Coreflame in its hand turned into an ordinary clay jar right before its eyes!
"Pfft…" Cipher, standing nearby, could not hold it in and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! You really are a brainless mutt, aren't you?"
With that said, the little thieving cat vanished from where she stood and reappeared several dozen meters away.
She imitated the sound one used to tease a dog and laughed, "Woof, woof! Come on. Come on, you're not gonna let a little setback like a lost bone stop you, are you?"
The Flame Reaver crushed the clay jar in its hand and looked toward Cipher.
Noticing that its attention had returned to her, the smile on Cipher's face faded a little.
But then again… She had actually been caught up to, and in an instant at that!
Ever since she had mastered divine speed, this was the first time something like this had happened.
However, the smile soon returned to Cipher's face.
In Amphoreus, when it came to speed, Cipher truly did not think she would lose to anyone!
"It's been a while since I've had a chase this good. Don't quit on me now, I'm just getting into the groove!"
After saying this with a smile, Cipher narrowed her eyes and disappeared from where she stood.
As for the Flame Reaver, there was still no trace of any emotion on it. It simply kept muttering the same few words: Creation, Coreflame.
A chase that exceeded the audience's expectations began.
Again and again, Cipher darted through the streets, trying to shake off the Flame Reaver.
But every single time, the Flame Reaver managed to block her path ahead.
…
: Is the Flame Reaver really that fast?
: It can even keep up with Cipher!
: It was the same when Tribbie and the others used the Century Gate before. No matter how far they teleported, the Flame Reaver could still catch back up.
: There are still quite a few secrets on this guy.
: Is the Flame Reaver really Phainon? Why doesn't our Phainon know this move?
: Buyer's show versus seller's show?
: But as the plot keeps moving forward, the Flame Reaver is getting more and more ridiculous.
: True. We don't even know what its limits are.
: Good thing the one who came is the kitty. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't be able to hold it off for long at all.
: The Flame Reaver is troublesome in a whole different sense.
…
The audience discussed among themselves.
At this moment, they were still not too worried about Cipher's safety.
After all, the cat was famous throughout the world for her divine speed, and she was full of wicked tricks. She was always the one tricking others.
In front of Cipher, the Flame Reaver was practically like a fresh recruit.
Although it could catch up again and again, Cipher was always able to use some trick and calmly slip away.
After several rounds of pursuit, Cipher once again shook off the Flame Reaver.
But the novelty of teasing it had already worn off, and the fact that it kept catching up to her again and again left her greatly surprised.
At that moment, Cipher frowned and thought to herself:
"I... seriously can't shake them off, huh... This is borderline impossible"
"They're not going to back off anytime soon... Well then..."
"...Guess I'll just have to lead it somewhere higher."
Once Cipher had made up her mind, she no longer hesitated.
While sensing the movements around her, she headed toward the center of Styxia.
That was beneath the remnant moon where Stelle and the death dragon had once fought.
As she walked along the road, Cipher suddenly thought of Aglaea for some reason.
It was on the morning of the day she learned the truth from the High Priest.
Dawn was just beginning to rise. She had been preparing to head to the Dawn Cloud.
But in the gardens of the Marmoreal Palace, she was stopped head-on by Aglaea.
"Cifera... Do you still plan to go to Dawncloud?"
That was what Aglaea had asked her at the time. "Is it for the Gem of All Worlds?"
Of course it was for that gem. But Cipher could not possibly admit that directly, so she answered:
"Does it even matter? You'll never guess whether I'm lying or telling the truth."
Aglaea did not say much more. She merely stared at Cipher's shoes. Those golden boots she had given her were still on Cipher's feet.
"You're still wearing those golden boots I gave you."
"I hope you're not running from someone the next time you wear them..."
In a thousand years of life, Cipher had forgotten many unimportant things. Yet there were certain fragments she remembered deeply and could always recall.
This moment was one of them.
"Aglaea... did you see that?"
"No one can catch up to me. I'm no longer running to escape anymore."
Cipher, who was currently sprinting, thought quietly in her heart.
Unfortunately, the seamstress could no longer hear her.
But that was the truth. The reason she was running now was for the savior boy, the little gray-haired one, and the others.
The steps beneath her feet suddenly quickened.
The surrounding scenery stretched out in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, Cipher had arrived beneath the remnant moon.
The aftermath left behind from Stelle's previous battle had reduced this place to ruins.
Cipher did not even need to open the door. Through the broken cracks, she could already see that dark figure.
This time she did not plan to run anymore.
Cipher clapped her hands, then pushed the door open and strode in boldly.
"Sigh! You just don't know when to quit, do you?"
"Can't escape..."
"This... is fate..."
The Flame Reaver stared at Cipher, reciting lines that were obscure and difficult to understand.
No one could guess what meaning was hidden within its broken phrases.
Seeing that she was about to exchange a few moves with the Flame Reaver, Cipher also became somewhat interested in this black-robed figure.
She no longer teased the Flame Reaver, and instead smiled as she said, "Fate? Hmph, I always thought only privileged city dwellers liked to toss that word around, as if they couldn't get by without using it as an excuse."
"Cycles..."
"Can't... be broken..."
The Flame Reaver spoke on and on as if he couldn't understand human speech at all.
"...Cycles, fate? Give me a break! Everyone has to walk their path! Those who cling to gods and prophecies end up as hollow shells of themselves."
Cipher spread her hands and looked up at the crescent moon in the sky.
For once, genuine emotion slipped into her tone. She laughed with a sigh and said, "Back then, I was nothing but a scoundrel, a cheat, clawing and scrambling just to survive in this messed-up world. If I'd given up and played along..."
"...place would've been nothing more than a lifeless wasteland by now."
The Flame Reaver clearly had no intention of answering her. Cipher had only bored herself.
She shook her head.
"Ugh, my bad. Why bother offering wisdom to a mad dog who wouldn't understand it anyway?"
"Do you know why I dragged you here, mutt? Word is, you've tangled with that golden-haired lion before."
"Looks like there's no getting away from you, and hey, that was a pretty good warm-up. Now..."
"How about we spice things up with a bit of competition?"
"As a fellow heir to the divine authority of Calamity, I've been a demigod for a thousand years longer than the little lion. Now, let me see if you're worth your title, Flame Reaver!"
Before her voice had even faded, dozens of Ciphers suddenly appeared all around the Flame Reaver.
They looked at him with smiling eyes, then bent forward together, taking on the posture of runners about to launch themselves forward.
The next second! Countless afterimages rushed toward the Flame Reaver!
Their speed had reached the limit! The Flame Reaver didn't even have time to react before his body received dozens of attacks within a single second!
He was beaten until he staggered again and again.
Several times, the Flame Reaver tried to raise his sword and counterattack. But before the hand holding the sword could even lift, Cipher had already locked onto it.
Several black shadows flashed past. The Flame Reavers hand began shaking violently.
He couldn't even assume a proper stance! From a distance, the scene actually looked somewhat comical!
The Flame Reaver stood frozen in place, pierced through by black line after black line. His body shook like it was being swept by machine-gun fire.
However… It wasn't as if he had no means of counterattack.
Several shadows emerged from the space around him. The instant they appeared, they swung their greatswords and began attacking in every direction.
Whether they hit anything or not didn't matter. They just swung first!
He was still the Flame Reaver, after all. Even his wild swings carried purpose and technique. Although he couldn't catch even a single hair of Cipher, he did indeed reduce the pressure on his main body.
However, these shadows were nowhere near as resistant to blows as the Flame Reaver himself.
Within just a few seconds of appearing, they had already suffered at least a hundred strikes.
Several shadows were the first to fail, vanishing with a bang.
Surrounded by shadows, the Flame Reaver remained as unmoving as a mountain.
While dealing with the attacks that slipped through the shadows, he assumed a posture ready to pounce on and kill Cipher at any moment, observing all around him.
The space behind him kept flickering. Whenever a shadow was destroyed, a new one immediately emerged to take its place.
On the screen, shadows and black lines flashed continuously.
The viewers were dazzled.
…
: This side is also heavyweight!
: Cipher's divine-speed attacks are seriously exaggerated!
: The Flame Reaver isn't simple either. This dumb method of summoning shadows to form a defensive line and tank damage is probably something only he could pull off.
: I get it now! If Cipher didn't keep the Flame Reaver tied down, then the moment Phainon and the others came down from the sky, they'd be attacked by him, right?
: Cipher said that just now too. The Flame Reaver can't break through the seal of Kephale's Coreflame, and he can't fly into the sky to attack Aquila either, so he's been wandering around below the whole time!
: That really is dangerous. Phainon and the others fought three battles in a row in the sky. By the time they finished, they were basically exhausted. If they ran into the Flame Reaver after that, things would probably be bad.
: At least from what we've seen so far, every time they've fought the Flame Reaver, they've never really held the upper hand.
: The little cat has done a great service this time!
…
The comments swept past.
On the screen… Cipher had also grown tired of playing around.
In truth, the more she attacked, the heavier Cipher's heart became.
If it were anyone else, or any other demigod, under attacks of this level, they would very quickly begin to show signs of exhaustion.
Either they would erupt with power and use the strength of a demigod to resist her, or they would be worn down to death.
But the shadows behind the Flame Reaver kept pouring out as if they cost nothing.
It was too absurd, too unreasonable!
"…Forget it!"
"Meow, bad guy!"
"I won't waste more time getting tangled up with him. Judging by the time, I've already held him here for quite a while."
"Things on the savior boy's side should be almost done too, right?" Cipher began to think of retreating.
That extremely brief moment of thought allowed the Flame Reaver to catch a flaw in her.
His figure actually vanished from the spot just like Cipher's!
The next second… the Flame Reaver appeared behind Cipher, thrusting his greatsword straight out.
At that critical moment… A smile appeared on Cipher's face.
The blade passed through her body, or rather, through the afterimage her body had left behind.
And on the beach a thousand meters away… Cipher leisurely turned her head and waved at the Flame Reaver. "...See you around, mutt!"
She turned around and was just about to make her escape. Out of habit, her hand reached for her neck, but touched nothing.
For the first time, the calm and composed expression Cipher had always worn while facing the Flame Reaver changed into one of shock and fury.
She abruptly looked back. Her gaze crossed a thousand meters and landed on him.
The Flame Reaver was also staring at her. His right hand was clenched into a fist in front of him. Then, under Cipher's gaze, he opened his hand.
A Coin fell from his palm.
The scene suddenly slowed.
The falling Coin. And Cipher, who once again returned to the Flame Reavers front at extreme speed.
In that flash of lightning… Cipher lunged forward at top speed, reaching out to grab the Coin of Flimsy.
But the Flame Reaver's hand was faster than hers. He locked onto her throat one step ahead.
The viewers were stunned by this sudden change.
They hadn't seen anything clearly. All they noticed was that when the Flame Reaver seized Cipher in one hand, her face had twisted in pain.
Bang! Dust exploded into the air.
The Flame Reaver gripped Cipher's neck with all his strength and smashed her into the wall behind him.
That tremendous force passed through Cipher's body and actually caused the wall behind her to collapse!
Violent dust covered the entire screen. The viewers could no longer see anything.
But every one of them subconsciously sat up straight, mouths wide open, staring at the screen in disbelief.
No way, right? Cipher wouldn't die in a place like this…
A thought flashed through their minds.
The dust was still spreading. The few seconds they waited for it to clear felt unbearably long to the viewers.
A few seconds later… The irritating smoke finally dispersed.
But through the dissipating smoke, what they saw was the cat coughing up golden blood, leaning against the ruins as she slowly slid down.