"In short, Mimi's plan is my plan!"
Xing shifted her focus to Mimi; this little one was shrouded in mystery, almost as mysterious as the Stellaron within her...
"That's great! I was worried you'd be Mimi."
"Thank you for your generous assistance, and thank you all again. Let's set off immediately to hunt down the enemy!"
May Kephale sharpen our eyes and help us defeat our enemies.
Xing suddenly asked, "Hmm... is someone missing?"
"You mean Mydei? He's dealing with another problem right now. Don't worry, that man will definitely not be absent from this battle," Phainon said.
The scene shifts to the Vortex of Genesis.
With his Mydei tightly shut, the words of his close friend Hephaestion and the late King Olyphan still echoed in his ears:
"Farewell, my dearest friend. You must... lead us back to our homeland..."
"It's the same... you and me... we both feed on Strife and fear..."
"If you can truly lead your people to break free from this blood-stained fate, then prove it to me once again, Mydeimos."
"..."
Mydei opened his eyes, only to find Phainon had appeared behind him without his noticing.
"You were here after all."
Mydei turned around. "I've heard. You're about to embark on an expedition."
"That's right, this will be an incredibly difficult battle. The destination... is still Castrum Kremnos."
"So, you've come to pray for the deceased Nikador?" he asked, arms crossed.
"No, quite the opposite. I've come to tell you..."
"This time, you just need to hand over the front lines to us. The battlefield you're about to face... is one that cannot afford to fail."
Mydei nodded. "' The Mountain Opener ' Geokles —have you heard his story?"
"It seems you've spoken with Hatonus. That name belongs to the legendary Mountain Man, isn't it?"
"Before we part, let me say a few more words. Hatonus told me that in ancient times, the mountain people lived in seclusion in the hills. They spent their days digging and gathering... living a peaceful and simple life, far from Strife."
"But Geokles was an outlier; he didn't accept tradition and longed for the world beyond the mountains. The mild customs seemed like a prison to him."
"Your situation is quite similar," Phainon said, looking at Mydei.
"That's right, so he too had to face the same choice: One day, Geokles, as usual, climbed over the hill. But he saw an entire camp of Ladonans stationed at the foot of the hill."
"The Ladonans are fighting their arch-enemies, the Kampans, using the mountains as their guerrilla base. Geokles taught himself the Common Tongue and extracted intelligence from the soldiers—"
"--The Ladonans plan to lay hidden mines and explosives throughout the mountains, luring the enemy deep into their territory. That means the mountain people's homeland will no longer be safe, and will be fraught with danger from now on."
Geokles immediately returned to the village and informed his people. However...
Phainon stroked his chin. "I guess... they'd rather endure than seek change?"
"... Indeed. The mountain people fear change, let alone migration. War is imminent, yet the elders only intend to sue for peace and are unwilling to leave the mountains. Geokles feels sorrow and anger."
"But he didn't give up. If you were him, what would you do?" Mydei posed the question to Phainon.
"Lead the people in rebellion? I can't quite put my finger on it; I can't think of a perfect solution at the moment."
"The best of both worlds—that's where our naivety lies. But Geokles... I'll tell you how he did it."
"He took the gems hoarded by the mountain people and traded them for a large amount of gunpowder with the Ladonans, but not to fight the enemy—under the cover of night, he set fire to the forests surrounding the settlement, forcing everyone to flee the mountains."
"That great fire became the starting point of the mountain people's history. Only after that did they join the great river of civilization, and only then did giants appear in the holy city."
"And those once-lofty mountains have long since become mere specks of foam in the Black Tide."
"But leaving their homeland also brought misfortune to many mountain people. For example..."
"... hunted by the Kremnosians, or reduced to slavery. Yes, that too is part of history."
"This is Geokles, whose merits and demerits are for others to judge. But history still regards him as a ' Mountain Opener,' why do you think that is?"
Phainon did not answer.
"The truth couldn't be clearer—because he took action, carving out change with his own hands. He didn't try to make everyone understand him, nor did he ever falter in a dilemma where he wanted to please everyone."
He burned away the shackles called "tradition" with a great fire, then drove everyone... towards the coming era.
After a long silence, Phainon finally spoke, "... You've made up your mind, haven't you?"
"Soon I will leave Okhema to fight against the darkest place in the world, to bear... Nikador's fate."
"So listen carefully—if one day we meet again on the battlefield, and I stand on the opposite side of the Flame-Chase..."
Mydei was also worried that they would follow in the footsteps of Nikador in " Strife," and said to Phainon in the middle of the conversation:
"Remember to stab me in the tenth thoracic vertebra from behind? That's the only weak point that could kill me."
Phainon fell silent again.
"... It's a deal."
"Go, head to your battlefield, and send that fire-stealing hyena to its death."
With his back to Phainon, Mydei gradually walked towards the " Tides in the Basin," ready for battle.
"But if you are driven to a dead end, then pray to the blades of heaven—"
"--Then, loudly proclaim the name of the new god."
Meanwhile, in the " Strife Ruins " of Castrum Kremnos
Ye Yan appeared silently below " Edge of Divine Retribution," sipping his milk tea.
"Is this the final battlefield?" Silver Wolf's virtual projection reappeared.
"Without a doubt, a good show is about to unfold, and I'm looking forward to their performance."
Ye Yan walked over to Silver Wolf and handed her a cup of milk tea. "But... be careful this time, don't get caught up in ' Eternity '."
"Huh? Getting dragged into a fight by the spectators? How many walls have you broken down now?" Silver Wolf asked Curiosity.
Who knows?
Ye Yan shrugged, glancing at Anaxa, who was still setting up her plans not far away.
" Reason " versus " Erudition "...?
Now that Xing has mastered the skills of " Romance " and " Strife " in Amphoreus, it's time for her to awaken the power of " Reason "!
Hmm... I hope she'll be noticed by the " Erudition " Nous soon.