Evernight stood alone in the center of the deep, dark passage.
She slowly closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, her consciousness had sunk into the deepest sea of memories.
In front of her, March 7th was pacing anxiously, and seeing her appear, immediately rushed over.
"What did you mean by those words you just said to Phainon? What does 'not knowing when dawn will come' mean? Is he..."
March 7th's voice trembled uncontrollably,
"Is he not coming back?"
Evernight looked at her, the emotion in her eyes softening rarely, leaving only a soft sigh,
"I don't know what his ultimate plan is, but that path is destined to be walked alone."
"No!" March 7th's emotions instantly spiraled out of control. "We have to find a way! We must get him back on the Astral Express!"
"March." Evernight reached out and gently stroked March 7th's cheek, her voice like an undercurrent beneath ice, calm yet imbued with power. "Have you forgotten? Every Trailblazer has the right to choose their own destination."
"Mr. Mikhail, back then, chose the frontier prison and made it his final stop."
"We cannot change a person's mind; all we can do is offer our most heartfelt blessings."
"But... but Phainon is different!"
"I know he's different."
Evernight gazed at her. "Don't be sad. I believe he only says such things; he will definitely come back."
"Think back on your journey together; hasn't he always created impossible miracles at the most crucial moments?"
March 7th bit her lip and nodded vigorously, scenes flashing through her mind, her chaotic emotions calming slightly.
Seeing her stabilize, Evernight continued, "Although Amphoreus has memory intervention, you don't have to worry."
"Phainon... he is very special. He is tainted by 'antimemes' and is naturally the bane of memories."
"So, use this power and go for it."
Evernight looked at March 7th, gently cupping her cheeks with her hands, revealing a gentle and distant smile, "Bring back the beautiful memories and fill those blanks."
As her words fell, her figure transformed into countless crimson jellyfish, dissipating into the depths of the sea of memories.
In the real passage, "Evernight's" tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.
The indifference that saw through everything instantly faded, replaced by a familiar, clear, and vibrant spirit.
March 7th, back online... A moment later, March 7th reunited with the others.
Stelle, Dan Heng, who had merged with the Earth's Coreflames, Cyrene, and all the Chrysos Heirs, had all gathered here.
March 7th quickly walked to Stelle, Dan Heng, and Cyrene.
She didn't speak, just looked at them, first shaking her head very slowly and heavily, her eyes reddening.
Stelle's heart suddenly constricted.
Then, March 7th nodded forcefully, a resolute flame burning in her eyes.
A shake of the head.
A nod.
He's not coming back.
But his plan must be completed.
Stelle, Dan Heng, and Cyrene instantly understood everything.
Their chests felt as if they were filled with scalding molten lead, heavy, burning, yet a surge of power coursed through them.
"I understand."
Stelle's voice was hoarse, yet incredibly firm.
"Although I haven't recovered the memories of those thirty million reincarnations." Cyrene took a deep breath, a never-before-seen radiant smile blooming on her face. "But it doesn't matter, because I have found the meaning of this life!"
The Chrysos Heirs silently stepped forward one by one, returning the Coreflames within them.
Finally, Stelle took a deep breath and pulled out the Worldbearing Coreflames that Phainon had initially given her from her embrace.
She knew better than anyone that this Coreflames was the key to unlocking Amphoreus's ultimate authority.
At the same time, it would attract a terrifying existence from the Genius Society, capable of overturning everything—Polka Kakamond.
But she didn't hesitate for a moment, placing the Worldbearing Coreflames into "As I Write."
Amphoreus's final battle truly began at this moment.
"Indeed, we burn everything to engrave the opening stroke in the epic of creation."
The next instant, "As I Write" glowed brightly, finally turning to that fateful new chapter.
—
At the same time.
On the stellar chessboard where Little White and Lygus were playing.
Lygus elegantly picked up the black queen and gently placed it in a fatal position on the board, emitting a crisp click.
He smiled, extended his hand, and made a 'please' gesture.
"My queen has reached the city gates."
"Lord Phainon, out of courtesy, I should perhaps say..."
"Check."
Across the entire chessboard, the black army pressed on, and the white king had nowhere to escape.
This was an undeniable checkmate.
Lygus looked at Little White confidently, his tone carrying the victor's pity,
"You went to great lengths, even using different timelines of yourself, but in the end, it was just another futile struggle."
"The outcome was destined from the start."
However, just then.
Crack... a faint cracking sound abruptly rang out.
The two white chess pieces representing Mydei and Hysilens, suspended beside Little White, suddenly developed a spiderweb-like crack on their surface.
Then, they shattered with a crash!
Mydei and Hysilens's figures appeared beside Little White. They stretched their limbs and disdainfully glanced at the chessboard.
Mydei even scoffed directly at Lygus, "Standing still as a decoration really hurts the bones."
Lygus carefully examined Mydei and Hysilens.
This did not align with the conclusion.
How could chess pieces break through the constraints of rules?
He stared at Little White, then thought of the only possibility.
"You are not him! You are not the Phainon from beyond!"
Little White finally raised his eyes, a cold arc forming at the corner of his mouth, and retorted,
"If I'm not Phainon, then are you?"
"So that's it..."
Lygus finally understood.
Mydei and Hysilens being able to break through his authority proved that the 'key' had been inserted, and power from beyond had intervened!
Therefore, the one sitting in front of him from the very beginning was just a decoy!
A facade!
"Since you are not the Phainon from beyond, I presume you are ready to die. I cannot even call you Khaslana."
The data streams around Zandar surged wildly, and the data flow forming his face began to violently distort and jump.
The perfectly expressionless, machinelike mask peeled away like a cheap coating, revealing a human face twisted by extreme rage.
"In that case, I don't need to pretend anymore!"
He knew that the insertion of the key meant the arrival of the Genius Society's most feared member.
Lord of Silence.
Just then.
A chill descended out of nowhere.
Zandar suddenly felt that a specific impression of 'danger' in his mind was rapidly fading and blurring.
A clear, cold female voice, without warning, sounded behind him. The voice had no echo, yet it cut through his auditory nerves with the precision of a surgical knife,
"Long time no see, Zandar."
Zandar's body stiffened.
He slowly, slowly turned his head and saw a woman.
She had a young and beautiful face, and a silver scalpel was deftly spinning between her fingertips.
But the most unsettling thing was that as Zandar's gaze moved from her nose bridge to her lips, he realized he had completely forgotten what her eyes looked like.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not construct a complete image of this face in his mind.
"Polka Kakamond."
Zandar's body involuntarily took a step back, moving to Little White's side.
He looked at Little White beside him and said,
"I at least won't damage Amphoreus, but since Lord of Silence has arrived, then both Iron Tomb and Amphoreus will be destroyed. Therefore, I suggest we temporarily join forces to repel her."
Polka ignored Zandar's words and walked towards him step by step.
Each step she took exuded an invisible pressure.
"Your experiment." She stopped, her voice devoid of emotion. "has severely impacted the 'knowability' of the universe."
"It's too messy... And I am here to clean up."