On the way to the Nether portal, Mydeimos kept stealing glances at Fu Zhu.
At first, Fu Zhu didn't pay it any mind, but after Mydeimos snuck his tenth glance, he finally couldn't take it anymore and turned his head to ask.
"Am I that handsome? Enough to make a grown man stare at me so frequently?"
Mydeimos's face instantly froze. He gave a forced, wry smile and replied, "I just have some questions I'd like to ask you."
Fu Zhu rolled his eyes in exasperation. "If you have a question, just ask. The mouth is on your face; I never stopped you from opening it."
Hearing Fu Zhu say that, Mydeimos immediately asked.
"Would you be willing to join Castrum Kremnos?"
"Huh?"
Fu Zhu was taken aback. He hadn't expected Mydeimos's opening move to be a recruitment offer. He then immediately shook his head in refusal.
"I've already been recruited by Imperator. You're a step too late."
"Imperator? The Imperator of Okhema?"
Mydeimos clutched his head in frustration. "Damn it, doesn't that mean we'll have to meet on the battlefield?"
Fu Zhu wasn't the least bit surprised by his words. Imperator was a man of swift and decisive action. With his army of Iron Golems to boot, if he hadn't already reached the gates of Castrum Kremnos, Fu Zhu would start to doubt his competence.
Fu Zhu thought for a moment, then reached out and patted Mydeimos on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, I work fast. I guarantee your death will be instantaneous."
Listening to Fu Zhu's words of "comfort," the corner of Mydeimos's mouth couldn't stop twitching. Although he was well aware that someone who became famous for killing the lord of another city was certainly no slouch in combat, as the Crown Prince of Castrum Kremnos, he couldn't show weakness here.
Mydeimos crossed his arms, turned his head away, and snorted.
"The warriors of Castrum Kremnos are no pushovers either!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Fu Zhu's Yamato was resting on his neck, his expression thoughtful.
"In that case, wouldn't it be better if I just killed you right here? With you, the Crown Prince, dead, Castrum Kremnos might just fall into chaos."
Mydeimos's eyes widened. He was about to retort, but feeling the sharp blade pressing against his neck, he held his tongue for a long moment before his face flushed red and he managed to say, "If I die, Castrum Kremnos might fall into chaos, but aren't you worried that the entire city will fight Okhema to the bitter end because of my death?"
As soon as he said this, Fu Zhu looked at Mydeimos as if he were an idiot.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Fu Zhu sighed and withdrew his Yamato. This kid's brain wasn't working right.
"Kid, Imperator's goal is to conquer Castrum Kremnos. Your city is going to be wiped out anyway, so what's this about fighting to the bitter end?"
Mydeimos froze. That… seemed to make sense.
"We're here."
Fu Zhu suddenly spoke, pointing a finger at the Nether portal up ahead. "You can leave the Nether from here."
Mydeimos nodded. He hesitated for a moment before thanking Fu Zhu.
"Thank you."
Mydeimos walked towards the Nether portal. Just as he was about to step through, he suddenly stopped and turned back to ask Fu Zhu.
"Didn't you say you had questions for me earlier? What did you want to know?"
Fu Zhu shook his head. He had originally intended to ask if Castrum Kremnos was willing to surrender. He wanted Imperator to unify the land as quickly as possible so he could focus on the Flame Chase Journey.
But judging from Mydeimos's earlier performance, surrender was definitely out of the question.
Besides, he had a feeling that Castrum Kremnos's future was looking rather bleak. They might even destroy themselves before Imperator even needed to attack.
"Just go."
Seeing that he was being looked down upon, Mydeimos let out a grunt of frustration, then stared at Fu Zhu with great earnestness.
"See you on the battlefield. I'll prove to you that the warriors of Castrum Kremnos are no cowards!"
Fu Zhu gave a dismissive wave of his hand, and Mydeimos finally stepped through the Nether portal.
After he left, Fu Zhu followed right behind him.
Upon exiting the portal, Fu Zhu immediately frowned. The surrounding scenery had completely changed; it was no longer the backyard of the church.
What appeared before his eyes was a vast, empty ruin, with the occasional wreckage of mechanized structures visible.
"So, you've come to feed again, Lygus."
A round of applause sounded from behind Fu Zhu. He turned to face the number one genius who was both a scrub and loved to serve himself up on a platter.
"We meet again after just a moment, Mr. Fu Zhu. Your perception is as sharp as ever."
Fu Zhu drew his Yamato, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at him.
"Are you done with your lines? Shouldn't you be entering your third form now? Hurry up, let's save each other some time."
Lygus, however, still wore a smile, showing no intention of attacking.
"Indeed, in terms of martial prowess, I am no match for you. But have you forgotten? For a genius, the mind is the strongest weapon."
Fu Zhu didn't respond. He just stood there, watching him, waiting for him to continue.
"After our first encounter, I have been having other Zandars across the universe gather intelligence on you. As a result, I've discovered some very interesting things. Would you like to hear about them? Perhaps you'll even have a chance to remedy your own flaws in the future."
Hearing that he apparently had a flaw, Fu Zhu's interest was piqued. The idea of killing Lygus immediately no longer seemed so urgent.
"Let's hear it."
Lygus's right hand opened, projecting a 3D image. The scene depicted was of Fu Zhu in Penacony.
"I unexpectedly discovered that due to a problem with your constitution, you are extremely sensitive to Memoria. When you first used Penacony's Dreampool, and similarly here in Amphoreus, you entered directly in a physical form. This is a situation that you seem unable to resolve on your own."
"True."
Fu Zhu nodded in agreement. There was nothing to deny. It was a fact that because of Steve's constitution, he entered these other planes physically.
"So—" Lygus spread his arms, his voice growing excited, "—the moment you killed me in the Nether, I had already covered the entire area outside that portal with Memoria. Welcome to the cage I have meticulously crafted for you!"
Fu Zhu immediately laughed and retorted, "Then do you have any idea how I left Penacony? If I want to leave, I have countless methods."
Lygus nodded. "Indeed, your methods are truly admirable. I can also imagine that if you utilize your own death-and-revival mechanism, you could completely escape this world. But what if I were to also envelop the bed you need for your revival with Memoria?"
"And then there's that space-cleaving sword in your hand. It seems to require precise coordinates to achieve teleportation, correct? As the administrator, constantly changing the coordinates of the entire Amphoreus is a very simple matter."
"Mr. Fu Zhu, it seems our contest has reached checkmate. Of course, to take care of your experience within this cage, I will broadcast the curtain call of this epic for you to watch. You will see with your own eyes how your companions fail!"