Emotions too difficult to put into words flowed through the hearts of the audience, gradually converging into a river.
There was no need for anyone to explain it, nor was there any need for anyone to analyze it.
They already understood the meaning of the Flame-Chase Journey and they likewise understood the sacrifices within it.
As the screen faded to black, the audience, inexplicably excited by the deeply resonant experience, thought that the episode was about to end.
But then, the screen lit up once again.
The first thing to appear in the shot was a fiery-red sky.
The camera then slowly moved downward, finally settling on Kephale and the Dawn Machine carried upon its back.
The enormous sphere had already ruptured from within. A mass of black-and-red light flickered inside it, though it was impossible to tell whether it was the Black Tide or something else.
Whatever it was, it certainly was not a good sign. And beneath the apocalyptic light shining over Okhema, the corpses of Black Tide monsters and residents lay scattered everywhere.
There was a deathly silence all around.
A pair of gleaming black boots suddenly stepped into the frame, breaking the silence.
The camera moved upward, revealing the newcomer's true identity.
It was Herta.
Her entire body was enveloped in blue light. From the look of it, she had not come here in person, but had instead appeared through some kind of projection.
At that moment, she stood with her arms crossed, narrowing her eyes as she surveyed the scene before her and murmured:
"Burning skies, shattered statues, corpses strewn everywhere... What a mess. If this is what the inside of "Amphoreus" looks like, it's truly shocking."
The audience's last impression of Herta still came from the ending of the previous episode.
Lygus had claimed that he and Herta were assured of mutually destroying one another. That single statement had caused quite a storm of discussion across social media.
But judging from the situation now, had Herta broken through Lygus' blockade?!
As expected of a true genius! The audience, who had already fallen into the same state of mind as Phainon, felt as though light had finally shone into the darkness when they saw Herta arrive.
Phainon no longer had anyone he could rely on.
But the audience was different. Did they not still have the devastatingly beautiful, unparalleled Great Herta?!
…
: The feeling of safety is here!!!
: Herta!! Save me!! No, save Amphoreus!!
: Madam Herta is devastatingly beautiful! Madam Herta is unparalleled throughout the world!! Praise Herta!!
: Holy shit, miHoYo really fucking knows how to transition between scenes! Before the screen went black, there was nothing but despair, and the instant it ended, Herta appeared. Who understands how incredibly redemptive it feels to see this?!
: I'm crying! She really is a true genius! A mere Lygus could never possibly be a match for Herta!
: Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy!!
: There's nothing to criticize this time. This really feels like seeing your mother arrive.
: Thank goodness, it's Madam Herta! We're saved!
: As long as Herta launches her attack, everything will be all right!
: The sense of security provided by an Emanator is simply unmatched!
…
The comments instantly exploded.
Herta herself obviously would never have expected that she would suddenly gain several hundred million children at this very moment.
But there was no way to blame the audience for getting this excited.
After sitting through such a despair-filled story, seeing a familiar face, especially a powerful Emanator of Erudition, was enough to make anyone unable to suppress their excitement.
However, the surprises did not end there.
After surveying the horrifying scene around her, Herta shook her head and said:
"To be honest, I was initially skeptical. But right now, I'm starting to see your point..."
"Screwy."
As her words fell, the space beside Herta flickered. A projection of Screwllum appeared beside her as well.
When the audience saw Herta, it could only be said that they had glimpsed hope amid despair. But when they saw Screwllum appear alongside her, that hope began rapidly swelling.
…
: Holy shit?!!! Is it New Year's already?! Screwllum is here too?!
: Aaaaaah! Save us, save us!!
: My sense of security! It instantly shot through the roof!
: Holy shit, with these two standing together, I wouldn't be afraid even if the sky collapsed!
: Daddy daddy daddy daddy!!
: Wait, why is Screwllum here too?! Holy shit, a tiny place like Amphoreus suddenly has two Emanators of Erudition in it!
: Herta called for backup?! Hahahahaha! Holy shit! One powerhouse called over another powerhouse!!
: Holy Mother Tree of Desire, we've got two galactic demon kings backing us up!!
: Could it be… are we really going to be saved this time?
: Where's Lygus? I want to see Lygus!
: No wonder Lygus barely appeared during the latter half of this episode. Don't tell me these two dismantled him!
: Hahahahaha, this really suits Herta's personality. Since you said the two of us were guaranteed to destroy one another, then I'll just call another person over.
: No sense of honor! They came to deceive and launch a sneak attack against me, an elderly machine intelligence of Amphoreus!
: Prisoner Lygus: Man!
: Hahahahaha! I was crying to death just now, and now I'm laughing to death! Fuck, they're making me experience both heaven and hell!
…
The audience became even more excited. The more genuine their earlier despair and pain had been, the greater their hope was now.
It was a strange and wonderful experience, causing the bullet comments to appear even more frantically.
On screen, Screwllum arrived beside Herta and slowly said:
"If that's the case, Herta, do you now have enough reason to believe my conjecture about the true nature of "Amphoreus"?"
Herta gave no clear response, instead changing the subject:
"Let's not expand on that topic just yet. That Intellitron, Lygus, was it? He's not completely dead. That was probably a fake body. Something behind it... is still defying us."
Screwllum nodded slightly and rationally replied: "I must admit, even if both of us worked together, it wouldn't be a simple task piercing through its defenses."
"For now, we can only observe this world as bystanders."
Lygus was not dead. This differed from what the audience had guessed.
But it still did not affect their celebration. In the presence of two powerhouses, their confidence had become far too inflated.
Although Lygus still had not revealed his true identity, what difference would revealing it make?
Two Emanators of Erudition were standing right here. No identity he possessed would be enough to save him.
What? Could he possibly be an Aeon?
The excited audience stared at the screen, completely unconcerned by this information.
All they wanted was to watch the two Emanators save Amphoreus and bring them hope.
But just then, Herta unexpectedly said: "I knew we should've brought Stephen along."
Herta was actually still considering calling for even more backup.
She truly was a remarkable woman who would never fight alone when ganging up on someone was an option!
But, this kind of style was perfectly suited to the audience's tastes!
However, it also indirectly demonstrated that Lygus was not nearly as pathetic as the audience imagined.
It was only that the currently overexcited audience had no intention of thinking deeply about it.
....
: Hahahaha! Herta is even thinking of calling in reinforcements!
: Why not just bring Ruan Mei over too?! Four Emanators of Erudition beating the crap out of Lygus!
: Prisoner Lygus: Did I violate some heavenly law or something?
: Hahahaha! I really want to see Lygus getting ganged up on! miHoYo! Why didn't you make it happen?!
: Exactly! We spent an entire episode drowning in despair, and now you won't even let us enjoy ourselves for a while?!
: Herta and Screwllum standing there together, holy crap, my mood instantly improved!
...
The comments swept across the screen.
On scene, Herta shook her head and said, "No wonder the Garden of Recollection wanted to work with the Astral Express, without the power of the Trailblaze, it'd be impossible to unearth this place's secrets. But in the end, the Garden emerged unscathed, and it was the Nameless who got burnt. Curiosity definitely killed Aki."
At this point, Herta turned her gaze toward the distant statue of Kephale.
"That big guy over there, the black ball spewing meteors, you think it's got anything to do with the Lord Ravager?"
Upon hearing the question, Screwllum replied regretfully, "Alas, without sufficient computational power in the stream projection, I am unable to analyze the Path Energy."
"Suggestion: The immediate priority now is to find the whereabouts of the two Nameless. Research priority on the Destruction can be lowered. Every second counts, before that Intellitron's preventative measures kick in."
However, this serious and composed proposal did not quite suit Herta's tastes. Because it was far too simple.
"All right, all right, stop making a fuss. How many times have we collaborated, and when did it ever not end in a perfect outcome?"
Herta raised an eyebrow and suggested,
"Why not add another mission objective while we're at it: The card-playing Memokeeper told me that the frozen Trailblazer girl might just also be trapped inside Amphoreus."
Screwllum nodded slightly.
"If time allows, I will also investigate March 7th's whereabouts."
Aside from the arrival of the two of them, this piece of information once again struck directly at the audience's hearts.
...
: Huh? March 7th is also in Amphoreus?!
: That can't be right! The plot has already progressed this far, but we haven't seen a single clue related to March 7th!
: Her physical body is on the Express, but her consciousness is inside Amphoreus?
: Damn... Why didn't they tell us sooner?!
: Then March 7th's current situation must be extremely dangerous too!
: No one even knows she's there.
: Considering Amphoreus' current condition, March 7th has been trapped without making the slightest sound. Her situation might be even more dangerous!
: Don't panic, brothers! There are two Emanators of Erudition here!
: Exactly! As long as they make a move, everything will be resolved!
: This is the true power of having the Demon King backing you up!
...
On screen, after Screwllum finished speaking, he turned toward Herta once again and said solemnly,
"Herta, do you hear that? A wave of desperate cries from the heart of the mountain city. The lives there are undergoing intense suffering."
"Conclusion: The butterfly has already flapped its wings, and an impending storm closes in. The Nameless are important allies, and you and I have matters to attend to, Herta."
At this point, Screwllum's tone became unusually grave.
"I beseech you... In moments when a choice needs to be made, one must not be distracted due to personal interests."
His words sounded strange, but that was only because the audience did not possess the vision of Emanators.
Herta naturally understood what Screwllum meant. Because the truth of Amphoreus had already been revealed to the two of them the moment they entered this world.
It truly was a truth capable of arousing the interest of a genius like Herta. But their primary objective remained rescuing the Nameless trapped here.
Herta clicked her tongue and replied, "Of course I know that."
"Tsk, fate really is a game of dice, Screwy. Who'd have thought? That thing once sowed chaos across the cosmos, causing the Intelligentsia Guild to splinter and disintegrate. It wasn't until I cracked the solitary waves theory that its lingering effects were put to an end."
"Yet, in a forgotten corner of the cosmos, one slipped through the net and remained operational. And it was this machine that eventually became the cradle for the birth of a certain Lord Ravager..."
Upon hearing those words, the audience had already pricked up their ears.
How could they not understand? What they were hearing now was the truth behind Amphoreus.
The truth behind the cycles, the reason this place had been sealed away, and all those strange events that could never be explained from the perspective of someone within Amphoreus, all of it had been reserved for this moment, to be revealed through the mouths of Herta.
Then, they heard Herta slowly speak.
"The source of Amphoreus' tragedy..."
"...is an Emperor's Scepter that survived to this day."
The audience, who had been listening carefully, suddenly felt as though their brains had stopped functioning.
An Emperor's Scepter? Countless related settings and stories from the earlier Rupert's trailer rapidly surfaced in their minds.
The first thing they recalled was the scrapyard where everything began, and the computer that had awakened to life and intelligence, Rupert.
Then came the great catastrophe that had engulfed the entire universe, as well as the Scepters born from every thought, every hope, and every struggle.
They were far too familiar with Scepters. Scepters were divided into various grades, and Emperor's Scepters were undoubtedly among the most terrifying.
One percent of a Scepter's power could rival an entire fleet.
One-tenth of a Scepter could annihilate stars.
A complete Scepter surpassed the limits of cognition itself.
With enough Emperor's Scepters, one could command the entire cosmos.
Putting aside Rupert's legendary story, which the audience still remembered vividly even now, they also knew about the upheaval caused by the Emperor's Scepters after Rupert's death.
They understood all too well the terror and sorrow embodied by those things.
After recalling every detail they knew about the Scepters, an even deeper sense of numbness and disbelief surged through the hearts of the audience.
The truth of Amphoreus was actually an Emperor's Scepter.
That meant, this world, every person living within it, and every story created by those people, had never truly existed.
They were merely strings of code and characters produced during the calculations of an Emperor's Scepter.
Within the screen, the world surrounding Herta and Screwllum was still burning.
The enormous Kephale silently carried the Dawn Machine upon its back.
Faced with this scenery that had become all too familiar, countless members of the audience stared with their mouths slightly open, yet no matter how hard they tried, they could not force out a single word.