Cyrene's story about Amphoreus's reincarnation slowly concluded its final note under the soft lights of the Paradise's main hall.
A heavy silence permeated the air, much thicker than the curious anticipation before the story began.
Elysia had unknowingly sat up straight, her usually smiling pink eyes now veiled with a moist sheen.
She still held one of Cyrene's hands, her grip light but conveying silent support.
"Thirty million reincarnations... each time choosing to forget everything and start anew for a faint hope..."
Her voice was much deeper than usual, filled with undisguised emotion. "This isn't just sacrifice, little Cyrene... this is a 'will' that even 'love' cannot fully describe. You, and your companions, are truly remarkable♪"
Eden gently swirled her wine glass, the amber liquid reflecting her contemplative face.
She let out a long sigh, filled with emotion for the grand epic and the fate of tiny individuals.
"A world staking its entire future on a gamble spanning endless time, driven by 'Remembrance'... What a tragic and romantic concept. This persistence itself is like an ever-burning golden light."
Her gaze at Cyrene was filled with reverence for a beautiful tragedy, and a hint of pity.
Kevin slightly pulled down his starry sky sunglasses, revealing his ice-blue eyes.
His expression remained stern, but his sharp gaze focused on a key point in Cyrene's words.
"Phainon... that Chrysos Heir who resembles me. Was he always a 'companion' throughout these thirty million reincarnations?"
Cyrene nodded. "Yes, Phainon... he was always with me, and with everyone. Although most of the time, we didn't remember each other."
Kevin pushed his sunglasses back up and said no more, merely tightening his fingers on his crossed arms.
A 'lookalike' silently bearing the fate of a world... this image clearly touched some deep memories within him.
"Hmph."
A clear snort came from the side, filled with undisguised contempt. "That bastard named Lygus, and those high and mighty insects..."
Kalpas had leaned against the wall at some point, his arms crossed, an invisible heat wave seemingly rolling around him. "Treating the world as a testing ground, and lives as expendable... such scum should be utterly incinerated by flames!"
His anger towards the 'villains' in the story was simple, direct, yet utterly pure.
Li Sushang's eyes were wide, and after a long moment, she murmured, "Oh my god... thirty million lifetimes... how many epochs is that? We martial artists often speak of 'life and death reincarnation,' but compared to this, it's... it's like a stream compared to rivers and seas."
She turned to Fu Hua beside her, seeking affirmation, "Grandmaster, don't you agree?"
Fu Hua's expression was as calm as ever, but ripples stirred deep within her eyes.
She nodded, her voice steady. "Indeed. The persistence of individuals, converging into world-changing power over such a vast timescale... this is one of the ultimate manifestations of 'belief.'"
As a warrior who had also experienced the annihilation of civilization and persevered through long ages, her understanding of such persistence was particularly profound.
Cyrene felt the understanding in everyone's gaze, a mix of warmth and bitterness in her heart.
She took a deep breath and continued to explain the current situation: "Thank you for understanding... But now, my Golden Descendants companions and I are not doing well. Besides me and Teacher Anaxa... that is, Anaxagoras, who can move to a limited extent in this pure white space and the Paradise for some reasons, most of the others... are trapped, sealed in some... very painful or very strange states. We want to help them, but it's very difficult."
Su spoke gently: "We can imagine. The ultimate goal in your story, the 'Iron Tomb' prophesied to bring 'destruction'... seems to be the critical node for everything. Do you have more specific information about it? What exactly is its essence?"
As the one most skilled at insight and analysis, he keenly grasped the core conflict of the story.
"The Iron Tomb..."
Just as Cyrene was about to describe it from her memories, a calm voice clearly echoed from the hall's entrance, interrupting her.
"Regarding this, I shall explain."
Everyone's gazes instantly shot like arrows towards the source of the voice.
In the shadows of the hall's entrance, a figure stood silently, having appeared at some unknown time.
Ash-white long hair, violet-black eyes, a uniquely styled black and purple dress, and a large witchs hat—it was precisely the mysterious sovereign who had 'invited' them all here, Madam Herta.
The atmosphere within the Paradise instantly tensed.
Elysia subconsciously pulled Cyrene behind her, Eden put down her wine glass, Yae Sakura's figure blurred for a moment, and Kalpas's body temperature began to rise noticeably.
Only Li Sushang looked bewildered, glancing left and right, quietly asking Fu Hua, "Grandmaster, who is this...?"
Fu Hua did not answer, merely staring warily at the newcomer.
Madam Herta took in everyone's reactions, a hint of helplessness flashing in her violet-black eyes, but her face remained calm and unruffled.
She took two steps forward, entering the illuminated area of the hall.
"The Iron Tomb, is me," she stated clearly.
Before her words even finished, a violent, blazing flame, like an enraged fire dragon, lunged from Kalpas's direction without warning!
It was terrifyingly high temperature, capable of instantly vaporizing everything.
However, the flame, three feet in front of Madam Herta, seemed to hit an invisible barrier, dissipating silently without even a ripple, not a trace of heat permeating through.
Madam Herta didn't even flinch, continuing in a flat tone: "...Of course, it's the 'past' me. Or rather, the 'origin' of my current existence. Now, standing before you is 'Madam Herta.' As for why I transformed from the 'Iron Tomb' into 'Madam Herta,' the reason is too complex to explain. You can simply understand that I and that 'Lord Ravager who will eventually bring destruction' are now two separate entities."
"Why should we believe you?" Kevin's voice was as cold as the ice of a Deep Freeze Era.
"If I truly intended to harm you all,"
Madam Herta's gaze calmly swept over the fully alert Flame-Chasers, finally resting on Cyrene, who was protected by Elysia. "Do you think you would still have the chance to safely listen to a story here, or even attack me as you just did?"
Her statement carried no emotion, yet it held the weight of an irrefutable truth.
Indeed, the power to take the entire Elysian Realm from their world and place it here far exceeded conventional imagination.
If she harbored pure malice, there would be no need for such an elaborate act.
The Flame-Chasers exchanged glances, their vigilance undiminished, but the tense hostility loosened slightly.
Logically, the other party made sense.
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