["I swear, there isn't a single normal Nyarlathotep."]
The System complained.
["She was literally being burned alive, and by flames of the mind no less. That kind of pain should be unbearable, yet she was smiling like she was enjoying every second of it. She's basically a masochist."]
"Perhaps that intense pain was exactly what made her feel that her life truly existed."
"Just like me in the past. Experiencing something so overwhelming gave me a new understanding of my own existence."
Caelus could somewhat understand Alicenaia's behavior.
When he had first been born, Gilgamesh had torn his body apart during their battle.
Through that overwhelming pain, Caelus had experienced the reality of life, stabilizing his own existence in the process.
It was also a way of defining oneself.
However, such a method only worked when a life had just been born and had never experienced intense pain before.
Afterward, if one wanted to use the same method again, the threshold of pain would have to keep rising.
Of course, gradually experiencing stronger and stronger pain could also become a path of self-growth.
It simply was not Caelus's path, nor was it suitable for Alicenaia.
["Although our mission progress was disrupted this time and we basically failed to complete the mission, delaying us for quite a while, we still gained something from the disaster."]
["You obtained the Armor-Clad Ritual as a trump card for critical moments."]
["You also obtained Grimm's story, recovered instinct and love, and made your existence more stable and powerful."]
["As for System Currency, I submitted an appeal and spoke with the instructors."]
["Nyarlathotep was indeed drawn there because of us, but the situation only happened because another System had already tampered with that world and altered its underlying logic."]
["That was why Nyarlathotep chose that particular world."]
["So I managed to secure additional compensation for you."]
["The amount was calculated perfectly. Combined with the System Currency we already have, it gives us exactly 30,000, enough to buy the Tiger Talisman."]
["It wasn't easy, but we can finally afford it."]
Caelus nodded.
When he had first seen the Tiger Talisman, he had assumed that completing one or two more missions would be enough to save up for it.
Instead, the situations that followed became stranger and stranger.
Several incidents had also forced him to spend some System Currency along the way.
As a result, it had taken until now before he could finally purchase it.
"System, buy the Tiger Talisman."
A horned stone talisman descended from above and appeared in Caelus's hand.
Engraved upon it were the upper bodies of two tigers, one black and one white.
Caelus sensed the power contained within the stone.
It represented the principle of balance from a world at the height of its power.
The image engraved on the Tiger Talisman reflected within his golden eyes.
The power of Nihility spread across the talisman.
Its dormant power was completely activated, releasing an intense radiance.
The talisman then split apart like a Yin-Yang symbol.
At the same time, pink light emerged from Caelus's body.
Cyrene separated from him.
The two looked at each other.
The half of the Tiger Talisman in Caelus's hand bore the black tiger.
The half in Cyrene's hand bore the white tiger.
A massive Yin-Yang symbol appeared between them.
The black side represented the power of Nihility.
The white side represented the power of Remembrance.
One denied all existence.
The other represented existence itself.
Nihility was also a form of existence.
And within existence, Nihility naturally existed as well.
Each contained part of the other.
The two halves of the Tiger Talisman suddenly released brilliant light.
The Yin-Yang symbol began rotating at tremendous speed, drawing Caelus and Cyrene toward one another.
The power of balance rose to an unprecedented level.
Even many objects inside the train were instantly equalized until both sides became perfectly matched.
Caelus and Cyrene embraced.
The two halves of the Tiger Talisman merged together at the same time, then fused with the Yin-Yang symbol.
Black and white light erupted throughout the train.
The radiance continued for a long time.
When it finally faded, only one person remained standing at the center.
["I thought this would let you step directly into the Sixth Rank."]
["So it still wasn't enough?"]
The System could clearly see Caelus's current condition.
He had one foot inside the Sixth Rank, but had not completely crossed into it.
"There is still a little missing."
"But the problem is not with me."
"Cyrene's side is still incomplete."
["Oh. Right."]
["Cyrene's existence was originally formed from your power of Remembrance, combined with the story and reality recognized by the Type-Moon Universe, creating a possibility from an unrealized and discarded future."]
["In other words, your darker side is currently too powerful."]
["Cyrene represents the positive side of existence, but she is still not strong enough to perfectly balance and mirror you."]
["So she needs to become complete."]
["That means you must return to your home universe and participate in the events of Amphoreus."]
["Only then can Yin and Yang reach perfect balance, achieve true harmony, and allow you to fully enter the Sixth Rank."]
"Can I intervene in Amphoreus now?"
Caelus asked.
He had wanted to visit that place for some time.
He also wanted to understand exactly what was going on with the Cyrene connected to his home universe.
["Not quite yet."]
["Amphoreus is a rather unusual world."]
["Strictly speaking, you could enter it from almost any point in time."]
["But the incident you caused on Penacony became far too large. At this point, practically the entire cosmos knows about it."]
["That caused some changes on Amphoreus's side, which created problems with the scenario evaluation."]
["Because of that, I currently can't generate a proper Main Quest route."]
["Of course, you do not have to enter through a mission."]
["You could simply return to your home universe and go directly to Amphoreus."]
["You would lose the rewards from a Main Quest, but compared to reaching the Sixth Rank, that hardly matters."]
Caelus thought for quite a while before shaking his head.
"Not yet."
"If I do that now, I will complete my ascent to the Sixth Rank inside my own universe."
"That may disrupt the universe's balance again."
"I previously promised the Aeon of Equilibrium that I would bring back objects or laws from other worlds that symbolize balance."
"Right now, I'm poor."
"I cannot afford to buy anything suitable."
"I think I should save some money first."
["That works too."]
["I'll contact a few friends I knew back at school and ask whether they know of any powerful plundering-type or extermination-type Systems."]
["Then we can keep taking competitive missions and earning points."]
"Why do I get the feeling you actually took my earlier suggestion seriously?"
"Improving your score by one point is less efficient than eliminating a hundred competitors."
["Hey, don't slander an innocent System!"]
["The graduation assessment isn't like university admissions. There isn't a fixed number of places that need to be filled."]
["If your score is too low, then your score is too low."]
["Eliminating other Systems doesn't magically make you pass."]
["I'm simply contributing to peace across more universes."]
"Tell me the truth."
["Fine."]
["Eliminating Systems that cause severe damage to universes does grant bonus points."]
["Hehehe! Now let me see which unlucky bastard gets chosen!"]
...
At that very moment, somewhere in another world, a System shaped like an upright green crocodile was preparing to issue an extermination mission to its Host.
It suddenly shivered.
An inexplicable sense of unease made it glance nervously around.
Its claws suddenly extended as it scratched the top of its head.
"Why do I suddenly feel like something bad is about to happen?"
(To be continued.)
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