Why did the black tide suddenly attack the simulated Zephyro?
Simple.
It was because Zephyro had developed killing intent toward the people of Okhema, including Hysilens and the others, harboring an absolute desire to exterminate every last one of them without exception.
Because of that, the Law of Calamity that Hysilens had borrowed from Lucian was directly triggered the moment that murderous intent surfaced.
As a result, Zephyro's body suddenly stalled for an instant—the change was so subtle that it was almost impossible to detect with the naked eye, yet that brief and nearly imperceptible pause still revealed one undeniable fact—a BUG had appeared within his core code.
However, it was precisely this tiny stutter and flaw that triggered a massive chain reaction that no one could have foreseen.
Apparently, the Scepter had detected that the flaw within Zephyro carried an extremely dangerous level of risk, so it immediately revoked all of his elevated permissions, forcibly bypassed the administrator Lygus, and directly classified Zephyro as a 'high-risk virus' that needed to be completely eradicated as soon as possible.
And because of that, the black tide, along with the countless creatures it had already corrupted and assimilated, began surging toward Zephyro from all directions in an attempt to corrupt and kill him.
*RUMBLE—!!!*
Amid the deafening rumbling noise that shook the surrounding area, the endless horde of black tide creatures surged forward madly like a breached dam unleashing a catastrophic flood of black water, roaring as they charged straight toward Zephyro without the slightest hesitation.
*ROOOAAARRR—!!!*
*ROOOAAARRR—!!!*
*ROOOAAARRR—!!!*
Countless, innumerable black tide creatures let out earth-shaking roars as they charged fearlessly toward Zephyro in the sky, their overwhelming numbers surging like a boundless dark ocean.
In the blink of an eye, they surrounded him, layer upon layer of monstrous bodies swallowing his towering figure whole.
Seeing the scene unfold before his eyes, Lygus was truly, genuinely speechless.
Knowing that the Scepter had been infected with a virus, he had even kindly written antivirus software and inserted it personally to cure the infection, but what was the result in the end?
Not only had the Scepter started fighting against the antivirus program he created, but the supposed virus itself was actually just standing off to the side, leisurely watching the show unfold?
Inside Okhema, the Chrysos Heirs, who were considered viruses by Lygus, truly were just standing there blankly like a group of carefree spectators, watching the chaotic spectacle happening in the sky above them.
"Let me guess, Hysilens, was this because of the Law of Calamity?"
Mortis smiled faintly at Hysilens as she spoke, her tone sounding more amused than surprised, prompting the others nearby to look toward her as well.
Hysilens responded with a polite nod.
Earlier, she had already heard from Tribbie and the others that not only was Mortis Tribbie's mother and Lucian's woman, but she was also actually his very first woman.
As such, it was only natural that she ought to show an appropriate level of respect.
"Sooo.... can someone explain it?" Mydei asked while scratching his head helplessly. "What exactly is this so-called Law of Calamity?"
At that question, Hysilens immediately began explaining the effects of the conceptual ability, simplifying the explanation as much as possible so everyone could understand it more easily.
By the time she finished explaining, everyone present was visibly astonished and could not help but sigh in amazement at Lucian once again.
"Hmm~ I really want an ability like that too~" Cipher said enviously while pouting slightly, her tail swaying lightly behind her. "If only Lucian could give me one..."
"Nope," Hysilens said while curling her lips before teasingly adding, "Don't even think about it. He doesn't like a kitten fish like you."
"Hmph!" Cipher snorted disdainfully while crossing her arms beneath her chest. "Fine! If he doesn't like me, then he doesn't like me! I don't care!"
At worst, she would simply steal Lucian away completely, and then she would see whether this sea siren could still remain so smug afterward.
Meanwhile, while everyone chatted casually with relaxed expressions, looking entirely carefree amidst a situation that should have been disastrous, Zephyro himself had clearly not forgotten his duty to eliminate the so-called 'viruses,' and still intended to launch an attack against Okhema.
As a result, however, the Law of Calamity was triggered once more, causing the BUG hidden deep within Zephyro's source code to become increasingly severe.
In fact, the BUG even began mutating further on its own, automatically iterating and updating Zephyro's original operational commands.
[Virus elimination directive temporarily suspended.]
[Counterattack priority updated to highest.]
At the very instant this notification appeared, the compressed, destructive white energy gathered at Zephyro's sword, originally prepared to bombard Okhema from above, abruptly shifted direction slightly before being released directly toward the endless black tide instead.
Casual and light, the motion appeared understated and almost effortless, as though he were merely brushing past a drifting wisp of breeze rather than unleashing an attack powerful enough to shatter the battlefield.
*WHOOSH!*
One black and one white, forming a stark and absolute contrast, white flames suddenly burst forth from within the massive spherical black tide!
Immediately afterward, centered around Zephyro, the endless tide of white flames spread outward like a world-devouring tsunami, sweeping across the sky and the earth in an instant. Wherever the white flames passed, the black tide was instantly incinerated and erased, vanishing like pencil marks wiped away by a rubber eraser.
Silent and spotless, the terrifying black tide disappeared without leaving behind even the slightest residue—no speck of ash, not even a trace of black smoke, remained in the world.
One second earlier, it had still been a monstrous tide resembling a black ocean drowning the entire world, bringing with it despair and suffocating darkness.
Yet in the very next second, it became a complete global-scale purification, as though the whole Amphoreus had been thoroughly washed clean by an invisible hand, instantly becoming incomparably 'clean.'
Fortunately, the Eternal Holy City of Okhema was protected by BGM from beginning to end, so it was not affected in the slightest by the terrifying white flames.
"..."
A deadly silence suddenly filled both the inside and outside of Okhema.
Everyone stood frozen in place as though their minds had gone blank, silently staring upward at the sky above with widened eyes and stunned expressions, causing the surroundings to become so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could be clearly heard.
A few moments of silence later...
"Ah, I get it! It isn't an enemy, but a divine envoy sent by the Deliverer to help us!"
"Ohh, so strong! Lord Lucian is simply far too strong! Even his divine envoy is this powerful!"
""OOOOOOHHH—!!!""
All of a sudden, the countless citizens within Okhema erupted into deafening cheers after realizing that Zephyro was actually on their side.
Due to Aglaea's earlier promotion and announcements, the people already knew that the Deliverer's name was 'Lucian.'
And now, after personally witnessing Zephyro help them completely erase the terrifying black tide threatening the entire world, they all naturally assumed that Zephyro was the divine envoy personally sent by Lucian.
As a result, the atmosphere throughout Okhema instantly became incomparably jubilant and excited, with countless people looking toward the sky with expressions filled with reverence, gratitude, and excitement.
Hearing those overwhelming cheers resounding throughout the city, Lygus nearly passed out from suffocation on the spot.
"WHY?! HOW DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?!"
"I PROGRAMMED YOU TO KILL THE VIRUS, NOT TO TARGET IRONTOMB!"
"WHAT KIND OF CHEAT MAKES MY ANTIVIRUS ATTACK THE VERY SYSTEM IT'S SUPPOSED TO PROTECT?!!!"
Lygus couldn't help but question reality itself, his mind nearly descending into chaos as he desperately tried to understand exactly where things had gone wrong. He was certain that there should not have been any errors in his code, considering that this was far from his first day as a programmer, and he had already repeated the calculations in his head countless times over.
Yet the absurd scene unfolding before him continued to shatter his common sense again and again.
No matter how hard he pondered over it, he could only arrive at one logical conclusion in the end: it had to be because of Remembrance!
Soon enough, while Lygus was still seething with rage and disbelief, the endlessly surging black tide regenerated once more and continued attacking Zephyro without pause, while Zephyro likewise counterattacked with cold precision and erased the black tide over and over again.
Black and white collided repeatedly across the sky, endlessly devouring one another in a cycle that seemed as though it would never end.
Back and forth, again and again.
In the end, this unexpected development instead granted Amphoreus a brief and extremely rare moment of peace amidst the chaos.
"Heh, look at that, Pie-non—one strike wiped out the entire black tide, and you actually wanted to chop off the guy's hand?"
Mydei laughed lightly as he casually mocked the silent Khaslana, his tone carrying undisguised amusement.
Given that Khaslana and Phainon were basically the same person, Mydei naturally treated both of them the same way as well, mocking Khaslana whenever he got the chance without the slightest bit of restraint.
Khaslana merely remained silent, having no response at all since the facts were already laid out right before his eyes in the clearest way possible.
Even with four hundred million Coreflames, he still could not completely eliminate the black tide, while that humanoid figure in the sky had effortlessly cleared the entire world's black tide with just a single strike.
How spectacular!
How terrifying!
"Well, this works out nicely..." Phainon said with a helpless shrug as he looked toward the distant sky. "Someone's helping us hold back the black tide and draw away its attention. We don't even need to lift a hand anymore..."
"So... this is how it gets solved?"
Khaslana finally asked with a complicated expression, his gaze remaining fixed upon the overwhelming figure high in the sky.
===
In the observation chamber of the Scepter δ-me13, Lygus inwardly ground his teeth in anger, yet outwardly, he still maintained an elegant and composed demeanor, pretending as though nothing had truly affected him.
"Fine... truly an interesting game..." Lygus said slowly in a deep voice, his tone carrying an oppressive coldness. "Since that's the case, I'll personally step in and put a stop to this farce."
Genuinely furious now, he intended to personally accelerate the simulation's progress and force the situation back under control.
However, just as he was about to issue new commands, another report was suddenly transmitted before him.
[ApoRia432]
[Track: Ocean.]
[Primum Mobile: Self-Negation.]
[Note: Internal world missing. Avoidance tendencies detected in effective decision-making.]
[Across the majority of infinite-loop processes, its behavioral patterns remain highly coupled with the residual electrical signals. Real-time monitoring has detected newly integrated energy data originating from the Abundance and the Elation, causing its behavioral patterns to shift and gradually deviate from self-destructive tendencies.]
"Elation?"
Lygus gaped at the report for several seconds.
He had already been surprised far too many times today, so many times that even seeing the Path of Elation interfering no longer shocked him very much anymore.
In fact, after a brief moment of silence, it somehow even started making sense.
No wonder the antivirus software he personally programmed had ultimately turned around and begun fighting against the system it was supposed to protect.
Such ridiculous absurdity somehow became perfectly understandable once the Elation became involved.
Evidently, those people from the Garden of Recollection, merely to steal the credit for themselves, had actually gone so far as to introduce the powers of Abundance and Elation into the simulation just to deliberately stir up chaos.
Now that matters had already reached this stage, he needed to think of a way to stall for time, wait for the Lord Ravagers to arrive as support, and ensure Irontomb could be born successfully.
Just as Lygus was thinking this, suddenly—
*Whoosh—*
A cloud of black smoke abruptly spread through the surrounding space, rapidly engulfing several sections of the floating interface screens before the Scepter immediately released a series of warning notifications.
[Warning! Virus 'Zephyro' is attacking the computation module. Core overclocking detected. Temperature exceeding safe limits!]
[Module-45471 fault detected!]
[Simulation process paused. Please perform maintenance.]
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!!!"
At last, even Lygus, who had always prided himself on his elegance and composure, completely lost his patience and erupted into furious cursing, the calm and refined image he had maintained until now instantly shattering apart.
In the very next moment, his fingers moved across the virtual keyboard before him at an almost terrifying speed, countless streams of data rapidly flashing across the surrounding interfaces as he immediately forcefully uninstalled Zephyro, the antivirus software he himself had personally created.
Fortunately, Zephyro had not yet undergone a complete supermutation, and he, as the administrator, still retained the authority to uninstall the program. Otherwise, Irontomb would probably have been beaten to death by his own creation before it had even fully come into existence.
If that truly happened, then all of his efforts over these many years would completely go to waste.
At this point, Lygus could not help but feel that, for some inexplicable reason, there had simply been far too many accidents happening recently—every kind of accident, every kind of bad luck, every kind of setback imaginable seemed to have gathered together all at once.
Now that the Scepter itself had malfunctioned, he no longer had the luxury of remaining inside the observation chamber and issuing commands remotely.
He had no choice but to personally go and repair it himself.
"So many years without a single failure, yet today of all days, the neurons of the Aeon of Erudition have actually been damaged..."
Lygus muttered in a weary voice while pressing a hand against his forehead, feeling an unprecedented sense of helplessness for the very first time in a very long while.
Just what kind of virus was infecting the Scepter for it to even affect the antivirus program he personally designed?
"Elation… Don't tell me... Has the Aeon of Elation noticed Amphoreus...?"
Unfortunately, that was a question Lygus simply could not answer.
All he could do now was swallow his grievance, accept his loss, and obediently stick out his rear while fixing the Scepter first.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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