The moment Phainon rushed into the core, the world fell silent.
All light, sound, and concepts vanished.
An endless torrent of data surged past him, and he arrived at the origin point of the entire world.
This was the lowest-level database of the Simulated Universe.
Countless crystalline data clusters floated in the void, each one encapsulating a segment of this world's history, a character, a setting.
Phainon's gaze swept across them.
He saw Mydei's data, a crimson cluster burning with the flames of strife, rebellious and untamed.
He saw Kafka's data, a spiderweb entangled with countless threads of fate, deadly and alluring.
The most dazzling data block belonged to Elio.
It was an eternally turning script, with billions of possibilities rising and falling between their pages, emitting a clear light that saw through everything.
Phainon's vision pierced through layers of data barriers.
He reached the deepest part of this data sea and saw the one true answer he was searching for.
A cluster of data.
It emanated a soft glow of life, warm like the golden wheat waves that never set in his homeland's thirty million reincarnations.
That was Cyrene.
As expected.
It was exactly as his worst fears had predicted.
Cyrene was the core singularity of this simulated universe world.
And upon her data origin, a wisp of extremely ominous black mosaic was parasitizing, unable to be peeled off.
Was this Zandar?
The so-called "purification of the core."
The so-called "eradication of pollution."
There was only one truth, and it was incredibly cruel.
To format Cyrene, along with Zandar's pollution.
To make the "root" of this world completely disappear.
Only then could this twisted world, built upon Cyrene, achieve their so-called "salvation."
Phainon's knuckles tightened inch by inch, making a crisp sound.
He felt it.
The emotionless "teachings" from Erudition.
The core of Amphoreus was precisely Cyrene.
This was the correct answer to break through Amphoreus.
This was the only solution It wanted to teach him.
But...
Phainon was determined to rewrite this ending.
He looked up and let out a soul-rending roar into the empty void.
"Nanook!"
The sound exploded in the sea of data, stirring up a raging tide of code.
Immediately after.
The space around him was corroded and devoured by pure darkness.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
A well-tailored black suit, meticulously neat.
An expressionless face, as cold as the ultimate end of the universe.
Nanook maintained the posture of an actor, responding to Phainon's call.
He did not speak, silently watching Phainon, his eyes filled with extreme appreciation.
"Undeniably."
Nanook spoke, his voice deep and devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
"I appreciate you very much."
Phainon paid no heed to this praise.
He cut to the chase, issuing an ultimatum, "Give me Destruction."
Phainon wanted to reclaim his power, bringing with him the destructive force that could incinerate the starry sea!
Not a ripple could be seen on Nanook's face.
His reply was crisp and decisive, "In practicing Destruction, there are no losers."
These words were a prophecy and a covenant.
Upon hearing this, the flames burning in Phainon's eyes flared even higher.
He walked step by step towards Nanook.
His small human body, at this moment, emanated a majestic will capable of rivaling a Stellarons.
"To destroy 'Destruction,' for you who only seek an end, is indeed a win."
"But do you think that by incinerating everything, you can break through the universe's barriers?"
Phainon's voice held a trace of pity and undisguised mockery,
"I will use the power of 'Destruction' to destroy everything that obstructs me."
"Then, in my own way, I will bring a true 'tomorrow' to this universe!"
His gaze met Nanook's eyes directly, without the slightest fear.
"Do you think I will become the next you?"
"You are wrong."
"Stellarons are powerful, but they are the most pitiful creations in this universe! The path grants you the power to annihilate the cosmos in an instant, but it also makes you lose your humanity. Destruction has long become a shackles that bind you."
After he finished speaking, Nanook remained expressionless, he merely replied softly: "So what?"
Then he raised his hand and gently pointed towards Phainon.
A golden light screen directly submerged into Phainon's body.
[Current path: Destruction (Activated)]
[Current ignitable Core Flames: 402,604,027]
Boom—!
That drop of Nanook's golden blood hidden within Phainon's body completely boiled!
Infinite power surged wildly within him, like a sea breaking their dam!
"Warning! Warning! Core space energy overloaded!"
"Warning! Warning! Core space energy overloaded!"
The sea of data trembled violently from this power that should not exist, on the verge of collapse!
And it was at this moment.
Zandar's black aura suddenly surged!
It sensed the threat, no longer disguised, and transformed into a twisted and colossal shadowy giant!
Zandar finally appeared!
He roared, carrying the malice of the entire world, and lunged madly towards Phainon!
Phainon's eyes were cold, and he met it head-on with the Dawnbreaker!
With just one strike, he annihilated it.
However.
No matter how hard Phainon tried, he couldn't completely erase Zandar.
Zandar could always rely on his link with Cyrene to be reborn infinitely within the core.
He simply couldn't be "purified"!
Phainon was in a stalemate, his killing intent and rage about to consume his reason.
Suddenly.
A slightly breathless, familiar female voice sounded from behind him.
"Really..."
Phainon's movements suddenly froze, and he turned his head.
He saw Cyrene, who had somehow also entered this core space.
She was awkwardly, laboriously, and unsteadily dragging the greatsword — [Invasion Dawn] — which was taller than her entire body.
The young girl puffed out her cheeks, looking at a stunned Phainon, and complained indignantly:
"How can you treat a girl like this?"
"This greatsword is really, really heavy."