"Then, Miss Black Swan, I'm counting on you."
Phainon's gaze fell on Black Swan, his voice so steady that no ripple could be heard.
Black Swan nodded slightly.
She walked lightly to the huge curved porthole and raised her slender, jade-like hand.
Her fingertips glowed with a dreamy purple halo, and she gently stroked the sea of stars.
This action was not like wielding great power; it was more like wiping a dusty ancient mirror, intending to bring the old, sealed-off times back to life.
The void rippled silently like a water surface.
A symbol, woven from billions of Stelle trajectories and an endless waterfall of data, quietly lit up in front of the Astral Express.
— "∞".
Amphoreus.
The homeland that had buried his thirty million despairs and laments now lay unmasked before his eyes.
A turbid breath escaped from the depths of Phainon's chest, carrying away the weariness accumulated from thirty million cycles of reincarnation.
He felt no tension, no fear.
Only a fated calm, like a wanderer finally reaching the end of his journey.
"The final moment has arrived."
His peripheral vision scanned the panel.
[Current available Coreflames: 402,604,024]
Three Coreflames, carrying the hope of turning the tide, had already been given to his Astral Express companions.
His fingertips could clearly feel the outlines of two objects.
One was a small cloth bag Cipher had forcefully tucked into his hand when they parted.
The other was a brief communication record from Herta not long ago.
Amphoreus.
A world that even the Trailblaze had never set foot in!
At this moment, a small, furry figure squeezed into the middle of the crowd; it was the Conductor, Pom-Pom.
"Dear passengers, Pom-Pom is about to detach the carriage. Everyone must return safely, Pom!"
their voice no longer held their usual liveliness; only a heavy, solemn tone, befitting a send-off, remained.
Phainon, Stelle, Dan Heng, and the already fully armored Mydei and Hysilens—five figures, after solemnly bidding farewell to everyone one by one, walked together into the carriage.
"Click."
A slight mechanical interlocking sound rang out.
The carriage completely separated from the main body of the train, like a solitary ark, without the slightest hesitation, resolutely heading towards the center of that infinite symbol.
The light trail left by the carriage was stretched into an increasingly thin thread in March 7th's eyes.
Suddenly, a sense of detachment from the depths of her soul made her breath hitch.
She swayed uncontrollably.
"Sister Himeko..."
She panted, her face as pale as paper, yet she still forced a smile to reassure her companions.
"It seems... the 'time' Phainon spoke of is coming. I need to... go back to bed for a while..."
Himeko's heart tightened, and she immediately understood. After a glance at Welt Yang, she stepped forward and steadily supported the girl's tottering body.
"Welt, Black Swan and I will take care of March. The Chrysos Heirs and Sunday, I'll leave them to you."
Welt Yang nodded heavily, his gaze beneath his glasses more resolute than ever. "Don't worry."
"We'll be waiting for your return."
In a flash, only Pom-Pom's solitary figure remained in the huge observation carriage.
their small paws were pressed tightly against the cold porthole, watching the small carriage fly further and further away until it completely disappeared into the bottomless entrance of Amphoreus.
A tearful, heartfelt whisper echoed softly in the empty carriage.
"Everyone... you must all come back safely, Pom!"
...Inside the detached carriage.
After an unknown period, a violent tremor occurred.
They had arrived at Amphoreus.
Outside the window, there were no stars in the sky, only a pitch-black expanse.
And at this very moment!
An anomaly suddenly arose!
Black data streams, like chains of order, surged out from every corner of space without warning, covering Phainon's entire body!
Next were Mydei and Hysilens!
Their bodies were tightly entangled and corroded by black code.
"Partner!"
Stelle and Dan Heng's expressions changed drastically. Just as they were about to step forward, they found that those chains ignored them entirely!
Phainon looked down at his body being swallowed by the data torrent.
But there was no panic on his face.
He looked at the unharmed Stelle and Dan Heng, a glint of understanding flashing in his eyes.
Indeed, Stelle and Dan Heng were Amphoreus's 'new variables,' which Lygus could not parse.
"The plan has begun, you must be careful..."
His voice abruptly ceased.
His consciousness, along with the figures of Mydei and Hysilens, was swept into an endless torrent of data, vanishing into thin air before Stelle and Dan Heng...
"Act!"
In the blink of an eye.
Phainon had already appeared in an unknown space.
It was strikingly similar to the "Core World" he had seen in the Simulated Universe.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness ahead.
Lygus.
He gave Phainon an elegant, impeccable bow; his mechanical body, however, exuded the composure of a top scholar.
"Welcome, Esteemed Phainon."
He came before Phainon.
As his steps halted, a huge chessboard composed of black and white light squares silently unfolded from the void between them.
"A new game has begun."
Lygus made a "please" gesture, his mechanically synthesized voice calm and unruffled.
"As the one playing white, it is only right for you to make the first move."
Phainon's gaze was as cold as ice. He slowly sat down. "You actually have a way to imprison me?"
"Imprison? No, it's an invitation," Lygus corrected. "Although I cannot decipher all of your code, the majority of your root data comes from NeiKos496. Given the unequal permissions, achieving all of this is not difficult."
"What about Hysilens and Mydei?"
"ApoRia432 and PoleMos600, deciphering their code is much easier. They have already fallen onto the chessboard, becoming your initial pieces."
The moment his voice fell, the figures of Mydei and Hysilens suddenly appeared on the chessboard, transforming into two cold white pieces.
Lygus's voice remained steady. "And this game is between you and me; no one else is needed."
Seeing this, Phainon did not get angry; instead, he smiled.
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers crisply.
The authority of [Omniscience and Omnipotence] unfolded instantly.
In that instant, the underlying logic of the space before him, countless threads of causality, and the flow of myriad data all unfolded in his mind like a painting!
He saw through the rules of the chessboard, saw through the trap of the "first move," and saw through the vast and cold will behind Lygus.
"So that's how it is."
Facing this authority of Erudition, which was enough to overturn the game, Lygus showed no surprise.
He still said calmly, "It seems you have initially grasped the authority of 'Erudition.'"
"However..."
His tone shifted. "What you have perceived is only the truth that it allowed you to know."
"In my opinion, you have completely fallen into Erudition's trap, and I have always been the chess player; you are still a chess piece."
"What if I say..."
He raised his eyes, looking directly at Lygus,
"Erudition is also within my sights?"