(T/N): Check out this phainon pic! Ngl he's lookin majestic lol
——————
The next day, as night fell, the public discourse in Okhema completely erupted.
"Did you hear? The Citizen Assembly was chaos!"
"More than chaos! My great-uncle's seventh niece's neighbor was there, and he said the Chrysos Heirs and those guys from The Senate completely fell out!"
"And then? And then? Don't leave me hanging!"
A vendor nearby glanced left and right, then lowered his voice, spittle flying.
"A person in a black robe descended from the sky, and with one move, unleashed a storm of blades! A Cleaner, like this, *whoosh*, and the person was gone!"
"Holy crap, a Cleaner instantly killed? That strong? Then what happened?"
"Fortunately, the Chrysos Heirs led by Lady Aglaea were present, and in the end, the Crown Prince of Castrum kremnos finished off the black-robed man!"
"I knew it! The journey of 'Chasing Fire' is Amphoreus's only hope! Those useless guys in The Senate, what do they do besides collect taxes?"
"To Lady Aglaea! To Mydeimos! To Castrum kremnos!"
The rumors spread like a precise plague, wildly propagating in every corner of the city.
More critically, some discovered that the Flame Reaver's attire bore striking similarities in detail to The Senate's most mysterious black-clad Cleaners.
For a time, conspiracy theories about The Senate colluding with world-destroying demons ran rampant.
The scales of public opinion were tipping decisively towards the Chrysos Heirs with an unstoppable momentum.
Trianne, Trinnon, and Tribbie subtly collected people's attitudes regarding the morning's Citizen Assembly.
Tribbie said, "It seems this time, the tide of public opinion has completely turned in Aya's favor."
Trinnon softly replied, "That's wonderful… Everyone likes Aya… and little Mydei…"
Trianne continued, "Of course, they're all very kind people. Also, I want cake, should we go buy some?"
——
At the same time.
Inside a secret chamber in Dawn Cloud Cliff.
Kainis's silver hair was disheveled, her aged face twisted with fury.
Before her stood a group of black-clad Cleaners loyal to her.
"The Senate's reputation is all but lost!"
Her voice was sharp and grating.
"Now the only way is for us to use our final means to eliminate the Chrysos Heirs one by one, starting with the first Golden Descendant 'Saintess'!"
"As long as Aglaea is sidelined, Okhema's power will eventually return to our hands!"
"Yes, madam!" The Cleaners' eyes gleamed with a final madness.
They had already grabbed their weapons, ready to act immediately.
Just then.
A scorching heat, burning the soul, descended without warning.
The stone walls of the secret chamber began to glow red silently.
Everyone was stunned; this heat was too familiar!
They had just felt it earlier!
"It's the Flame Reaver!" Kainis spun around abruptly.
At the end of the shadows, a figure slowly stepped out.
Black robes, a golden mask, and a shattered, pitch-black greatsword.
Behind him, Phainon also emerged, his white coat spotless, his handsome face devoid of any expression.
Kainis's pupils constricted to pinpricks.
"Phainon! So that's it!"
She immediately understood everything. "It's all a trick by you Chrysos Heirs!"
You… you… how dare you…"
"Cleaners can transfer thoughts, skills, and even hatred, thereby achieving immortality in new bodies, commonly known as 'never truly dying'."
Phainon's voice was soft, yet it caused the temperature in the entire secret chamber to plummet. "So, the simplest way is to burn them to ashes."
Fear arose spontaneously in Kainis and the others.
What Phainon said was indeed the secret of The Senate and the Cleaners.
Phainon turned his head and said to The Flame Reaver beside him, "Execute them now. At the peak of public sentiment, they will only cheer."
As his voice fell.
Two words squeezed out from beneath The Flame Reaver's mask.
"…Burn…"
A scorching heatwave erupted from The Flame Reaver's body.
Endless flames began to incinerate everyone.
There were no screams, not even time to struggle.
Before the flames at the end of reincarnation, the Cleaners couldn't even last a moment before completely evaporating.
The secret chamber was cleared in an instant.
Only Kainis remained, slumped in the corner, trembling like a sieve.
The Flame Reaver walked up to her.
The shadow of death completely broke her.
"Don't kill me! Please! I know all The Senate's secrets, I know where their treasury is! I…"
"I… I…"
The Flame Reaver gripped Kainis's throat. The struggle for survival brought on by suffocation made her legs kick wildly.
"Help… help me…"
Click—
A soft sound.
The Flame Reaver twisted her neck.
Kainis's pupils slowly dilated, and the light in them completely dimmed.
Immediately, The Flame Reaver's arm burst into flames, turning Kainis and all her secrets into the dust of history.
The secret chamber returned to deadly silence.
The Flame Reaver glanced around, then turned to gaze at his other self.
"You… performed… very well."
A hint of approval was in the hoarse syllables.
Phainon said nothing, just quietly watched the ashes on the floor of the secret chamber… Not long after.
Phainon walked alone on the road back to Cloudstone Sky Palace.
At this moment, Lygus stepped out from the moonlight, a knowing smile on his face.
"Your Excellency Phainon."
He scrutinized the young man before him with interest.
"Or rather, Your Excellency Phainon from beyond the heavens."
"Teaming up with the Flame Reaver, eliminating The Senate, and then framing them—killing three birds with one stone. Truly a brilliant performance, as an audience member, I am very satisfied!"
However, Lygus asked, somewhat puzzled:
"But I don't understand, what is the meaning of your actions?"
"Amphoreus will eventually be destroyed by the Black Tide. Everything you do, you still cannot escape the next cycle."
Phainon smiled. "So what?"
His voice was calm, but his eyes were like a bottomless, icy abyss.
"Since you cannot see through my chess game, then from the very beginning, you have already lost."
Lygus paused for a moment, then let out an elegant laugh,
"Hahahahaha! As an audience member of the divine ritual, the one thing I don't lack is time and patience… I can certainly continue to wait…"
He pointed to the cold, ticking numbers on Phainon's hand.
"On the contrary, Your Excellency Phainon. The countdown has only one day left."
"I'm very much looking forward to what else you can do."
"The game will truly begin soon. I have already prepared the chessboard."
"Heh heh…" Phainon sneered, "Remember your laughter; I hope you can still laugh on the chessboard, after all, you will be dealing with three members of the Genius Society."
"I apologize… Your Excellency Phainon." Lygus replied elegantly,
"I have repeatedly checked all your records, and I have not found any data for the key. Therefore, I have reason to suspect that you don't even have the means to summon the Lord of Silence."
"No need to rush, Lygus, or perhaps, Genius Society #1, Zandar One Kuwabara."
"In one day, won't you know the answer?"
Phainon ignored Lygus and left the place.
Lygus stared at Phainon's retreating figure, a crimson light flashing in his eyes.
——
The stream outside the city flowed quietly.
Phainon squatted by the water, the cold stream washing over the back of his hand again and again.
The cold countdown continued.
His reflection in the water shattered and then reformed.
Two days ago in the afternoon, he was at the market, buying desserts for Mydei.
Only… another Phainon suddenly stood before him, speaking words that could overturn the entire world.
"I am merely… borrowing your identity. To be precise, I need you to play the role of the current me, and you will play the role of the future you."
"I don't understand…"
"You will understand." The other him snapped his fingers, and the Harmony melody unfurled, encircling both Phainons.
"Because you are Phainon. You will never evade."
The memory pulled back to reality.
Phainon cupped a handful of water and splashed it on his face.
Water droplets slid down his cheeks, washing away all confusion.
He was right.
I am not refusing, but rather, I have chosen this path from the bottom of my heart.
Accepted the mark of retrospection and the countdown.
Accepted the super-high temperature challenge with Mydei.
Even intentionally allowed Aglaea to see through the flaw.
All of this was to make Lygus firmly believe that I am the Omniscience and Omnipotence Phainon from beyond the heavens.
This is a responsibility that only "I" can bear.
"You've worked hard."
He softly said to the resolute reflection in the water.
Phainon stood up and glanced at the myriad lights of Okhema in the distance.
There, was everything he wanted to protect.
He tidied his clothes and stepped forward, walking towards that light.
Tomorrow is the last day of the countdown.
Acquire the Sky Core Flame.
Then, it will be the endgame.
Even if he had to become a chess piece himself, he would make that high-and-mighty audience pay the most painful price for his scornful laughter at this moment.