As March 7th pressed the shutter, the Flame Reaver and the group of Golden-Blooded Memory Spirit were truly frozen in that crisp 'click' sound!
The entire temple instantly transformed into a glittering, ice-sculpted artwork. Do you even understand what a powerful visual impact is?
Wow!
March 7th maintained her camera-holding posture, her pink ahoge (antenna-like hair sticking up) swaying slightly as she gazed at the battlefield before her, a scene that seemed to have been paused.
She wiped her sweat, then proudly put her hands on her hips, "Hmph~ Easy peasy, now you know how powerful I am, right?"
The camera is like a divine soldier descending from the heavens, capable of capturing beautiful scenery and freezing powerful enemies—that's what a true 'multi-functional camera' should be!
March 7th lovingly touched the camera's cool body, even starting to consider taking close-up shots of ' Flame Reaver ' and ' Golden-Blooded Memory Spirit ' as souvenirs.
Hmm... after thinking about it, those Memory Spirit ' looks aren't really suitable for appearing on camera...
Seeing that the enemy had been successfully 'eliminated', Mimi stopped pretending and began circling around the various ice sculptures:
"Wow! They've all turned into ice sculptures... well, they're a bit ugly though." Mimi stopped in front of the half-humanoid Memory Spirit and commented seriously.
However, just as the two were immersed in the joy of victory and the appreciation of ice sculpture art, another unexpected event occurred!
Click... Sizzle...
The shimmering, starlight-blue ice suddenly emitted a sound like static on a television with a poor signal, without any warning.
Immediately afterward, under the astonished gazes of March 7th and Mimi, the outlines of the frozen Flame Reaver and the strangely shaped Golden-Blooded Memory Spirit ice sculptures became blurred.
Like a holographic projection with an unstable signal, it was 'perfect' one second, and the next second it was wiped away as if by an eraser, powerless and uncontrollably dissipating.
There was no loud cracking sound of ice shattering as I had imagined; only a silent melting.
Along with their distorted forms, they transformed into countless shimmering dust particles, silently merging into the golden mist surrounding the temple and disappearing completely.
In this way, it's as if the thrilling, tense, and absurd battle just now was merely an illusion.
"Huh?!"
March 7th and Mimi both froze on the spot, "It... it disappeared?!"
"Gone just like that?"
Mimi rubbed her eyes in disbelief, looking at the empty battlefield. Only a few stone pillars affected by the blast still had some ice crystals remaining, proving that what had just happened was not a dream.
"Hey, hey, hey~ What's this? No reward after the game's over?!"
March 7th angrily shouted at the air, feeling that her 'trophies' had been ruthlessly taken back by the trial.
Mimi flew back to March 7th's side, her little face full of confusion. "Gone? Was it blown away by the wind?"
Just as the two were staring at each other, bewildered by the outcome, a familiar figure appeared in front of them.
Ye Yan's entrance was so simple, he was holding a cup of milk tea, and he didn't even use a teleportation effect like " Gate of Myriad Paths ". If you didn't know better, you would think he was just an ordinary milk tea lover passing by.
" Teacher Ye Yan, why are you just watching?"
In just a few minutes, March 7th experienced a rollercoaster of emotions during the trial, feeling as thrilled as riding an interstellar rollercoaster.
Ye Yan looked at March 7th, not answering directly, but instead posing a question that seemed out of place with the current atmosphere:
" Miss March 7th, perhaps you should think about this carefully." His voice remained gentle. "Press the shutter, and the enemy vanishes, as if they never existed. So, tell me—"
What lies between " Eternity " and " Remembrance "? Ye Yan's gaze seemed to pierce through March 7th.
"Or rather, what makes something that should be etched in ' Remembrance ' ultimately so vulnerable in the face of ' Eternity '?"
Ye Yan gently swirled the milk tea cup, causing the black tapioca pearls at the bottom to rise and fall, and added meaningfully:
Are they some overly heavy "obsessions"?
This question was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, freezing the expression on March 7th's face.
She subconsciously looked down at the camera in her hand, the image of the enemy disappearing flashing rapidly through her mind, intertwining with Ye Yan's words.
" Eternity " and " Remembrance," dissipation and obsession...
March 7th isn't ignorant of the meaning of these words. Do you really think she's stupid? Actually, she, Little March, is the number one strategist of the Astral Express!
Having gone through this absurd trial of " Years," under Ye Yan's seemingly casual yet incisive questions, a vague understanding quietly sprouted in her heart like a tender bud breaking through the soil.
On March 7th, I recalled the twisted forms of those Golden-Blooded Memory Spirit, memes of " Remembrance " that had been forcibly mixed together and driven utterly insane by the power of " Eternity ".
Once captured by the camera, the enemy vanished like a bubble, never truly captured in " Remembrance ".
Could it be understood that, on the scale of " Eternity," their very existence becomes a futile struggle?
"Obsession"...
March 7th murmured to herself, a glimmer of understanding flashing in her blue eyes. She raised her head and looked at Ye Yan:
Is it "obsession"? Like those Memory Spirit, twisted by madness and obsession, ultimately leaving no trace of their very existence?
"Or perhaps... an overly heavy 'obsession' can actually hinder ' Remembrance ' from reaching true ' Eternity '?"
March 7th didn't give a completely definite answer; it seemed as if she was sorting out her thoughts, but her eyes said it all.
Ye Yan looked at her, his smile seeming to deepen slightly, carrying a hint of barely perceptible approval.
He didn't offer any comment, but simply took another sip of his milk tea and then nodded gently to March 7th and Mimi.
As he nodded, the entire scene of the " Holy City of Prophecy " began to ripple and fade like water.
The magnificent temple, the golden mist, the remaining ice crystals... everything faded away in the soft light.
"Huh? Wait a minute..."
Just as March 7th was about to say something, a flash of white light appeared, and the surrounding scenery had already changed.
She and Mimi stood once again at the place where they first entered the trial— the Vortex of Genesis.
Mimi flew onto her shoulder, looking around Curiosity: "We... are back? The trial is over?"
March 7th gripped the camera tightly, feeling the power within her body becoming even more closely connected to the " Six-Phased Ice," and let out a long sigh of relief.
A slightly tired smile appeared on her face, "Yeah! It's over!"
On March 7th, looking at Mimi, and perhaps also saying to herself, "This girl's 'trial of Years '... has been successfully passed!"
"Although the process was a bit... well, too surprising."
On March 7th, she thought of the ' Flame Reaver ' and ' Golden-Blooded Memory Spirit ' that she had conjured up; she would probably never forget them in this lifetime.
After all that, it turns out that Teacher Ye Yan, the examiner, isn't very responsible at all! You can never guess what he's thinking.
But... it's good that she passed! She's gotten a tiny bit stronger on March 7th!