But then Aha’s tone shifted, becoming light and brisk once more, as if the moment of silence had never happened.

"But! You did have a drink here at Aha’s place! You made this cold, rundown little spot of Aha’s a tiny bit livelier for a while! For that alone, Aha has to give you a little gift of ’Elation’!"

His voice became cheerful and excited again, like an announcer starting a grand spectacle:

"Listen up, it’s not just one Aeon watching the game on Amphoreus now! If... if you find that relying solely on the power of ’Remembrance’ can’t achieve the miracle you want..."

His tone was thick with implication.

"Why not think about who would be interested in the consciousness of thirty million Amphoreans?"

"Which Aeon would be interested in the consciousness of so many people?" Cyrene repeated softly, unconsciously lowering her head. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

After a brief moment of contemplation, she jerked her head up, a sharp light flashing in her eyes as she cut straight to the heart of the matter:

"Why are you telling me this?"

She knew these lofty Aeons too well. They never did anything without reason. Even Aha, the representative of ’Elation’ famous for seeking fun, must have some motive behind his actions, or... an even bigger ’joke’.

"Why?" Aha seemed unsurprised by her question, even a little pleased. He pretended to think about it for a moment.

"Just think of it as... Aha wanting to get rid of this ’thing’ that’s been lurking here forever a little sooner! All those corpses are such a nuisance to look at!"

"Here? What do you mean? Isn’t this Phaethon’s subconscious...?"

Before Cyrene could fully voice her question, before she could even process Aha’s baffling words, a sudden change occurred!

The solid ground beneath her feet abruptly vanished! So, opening the wooden door to leave was just a diversion!

Aha never intended to let her leave the normal way!

Caught off guard, Cyrene was helplessly ’thrown’ out of that bizarre tavern space!

...

Cyrene’s form suddenly materialized high in the air.

The sensation of weightlessness instantly seized her, her vision plummeting downwards. Below her stretched the continent of amber, built by Phaethon, that covered the entire planet’s surface!

It was like a giant, cold amber sarcophagus, sealing away the joys, sorrows, and memories of over thirty million cycles.

So this... this was what Asterion intended for the Astral Express to take away? This solidified, desperate ’salvation’?

But... why did Aha tell me all that? An Aeon interested in the consciousness of Amphoreus...

And why had little Phaethon’s memories shattered like that?

Cyrene’s thoughts spiraled as she fell, but once her vision was completely filled by the boundless amber, a more pressing matter presented itself:

Right now, she had to change the answer to Phaethon’s Prime Mover of Life, at the very least... prevent him from taking the old path of sacrificing himself.

But...

With her own power alone, Cyrene probably couldn’t even break through the outermost layer of that amber barrier in Phaethon’s heart, the one forged from his obsession...

Just as this thought crossed Cyrene’s mind—

"May the hatred from ’Destruction’... help you burn away the confusion and stubbornness in his heart..."

A faint, ethereal whisper echoed clearly in her ear.

This was the will of ’Destruction’ that Phainon had left within Phaethon!

Whoooosh—!

The power of ’Destruction’, pure and violent, symbolizing the will of Khaslana, transformed into a black-red streak of light, rapidly gathering and taking shape beside her hand—it was unmistakably the blade "Dawnmaker" that had once pierced her heart!

Phainon had guessed her intention!

Without hesitation, Cyrene’s left hand seized the hilt, which felt as scorching hot as if forged from molten lava!

Almost simultaneously, the rage, the heat, the hatred and power to burn everything belonging to ’Destruction’, like an uncontrollable volcano, surged madly up her arm through the hilt, eroding her very bones, climbing higher and scorching her soul.

The intense pain even caused the corner of Cyrene’s mouth to twitch. Yet, her fingers remained welded to the hilt, without the slightest slack!

Compared to the solitude and vigilant waiting of over thirty million recurrences that Phaethon had borne alone, this torment of body and soul was... insignificant!

"Break—NOW!!!"

With a cry that poured out all her strength, she swung the blade that held the twin wills of destruction and salvation, and slashed it fiercely down at the seemingly impenetrable continent of amber below!

Boom——!!!!!!

A thunderous roar that seemed to shake the very foundation of the world! The outermost barrier of this amber continent, the physical manifestation of Phaethon’s inner world, was shattered utterly by this strike that gathered the conviction and power of Khaslana!

However—

When the surface amber shattered and dispersed, what was revealed were... fully thirty million towers of amber, even more crystalline, even more sturdy, standing like tombstones, blocking Cyrene’s way.

And what made one’s heart tremble even more was that from within each tower-like amber, a figure emerged—a ’Cyrene’ with no expression on her face, empty eyes, like an exquisite puppet.

They appeared silently, by the thousands, and in an instant, they had surrounded Cyrene, who gripped Dawnmaker, in layer upon layer, like a silent, frozen ocean.

Cyrene’s gaze instantly turned as cold as ice, gripping Dawnmaker tighter.

No matter what obstacles lay before her, no matter what these ’selves’ represented, now, nothing standing between her and Phaethon would make her retreat!

Cyrene prepared for battle, her will like a drawn sword.

But the next second, the unexpected happened.

Those expressionless ’Cyrenes’, one after another, did not attack.

They simply and silently, in perfect unison, slowly retreated to both sides, silently clearing a path that led straight to Phaethon.

Because...

In all of these thirty million recurrences.

There was not a single ’Cyrene’ who did not wish for Phaethon to be saved.

Nor was there a single ’Cyrene’ who would refuse to help ’herself’ save him.

Cyrene look at this path that countless "selves" had voluntarily cleared, a complex understanding and resolute glint flashed in her eyes.

She hesitated no longer, and strode firmly along this path that held the hopes of all ’Cyrenes’, walking unwaveringly towards the deepest part of Phaethon’s consciousness.