At Dawncloud Cliff in the " Demigod Council," Anaxa looked at the " Creation " Kephale so close to him, without saying a word.
"So, Son of Man..." Cerces floated to his side, "You went to such great lengths just to gain Kephale... surely it wasn't just to question the gods?"
Anaxa crossed her arms and said, "Hmph, not bad."
"If I were a foolish and ignorant Earth Beast, faced with such power, I might have crawled on all fours on the ground, hoping that the gods would grant me Prophecy."
"Unfortunately, I am a human being who walks upright on two legs, possessing intelligence and dignity."
"Heh~ However, if I may be so bold: in the face of such a disparity in power, what difference does it make whether one is a human or Earth Beast?" Cerces asked.
"You must have heard the story of the Styxia," Anaxa said, citing an example, "That when faced with the surging tides of the sea, they did not sit idly by but built dikes to withstand the raging waves, thus putting shackles on the mad Fagina."
" Cerces, people call me Blasphemer. But that doesn't mean I deny the existence of divinity; it's just that, in my view—"
" --Titan are merely a force that humanity has yet to conquer."
"Oh? Since you intend to possess power comparable to the Titan, then as the Prophecy foretold, proceed with the trial."
"Ha, merely grasping the power of the Titan is far too superficial."
At that Anaxa coldly snorted, "What I want to master is the method of the root of life, the essence of the 'soul'—what exactly are 'we'?"
"Thanks to you, I have personally verified through various signs that death is the end of the soul. But where there is death, there is life; where there is an end, there is a beginning—"
"How is the soul born? -- In my equation, only this one unknown remains."
Judging from your tone, you must have some suspicions, right?
"... No, the conclusion has already been reached." Anaxa said calmly, "Just now, during my journey to death, I witnessed the answer with my own eyes."
" At that Teacher Anaxa..."
Castorice had arrived at Dawncloud Cliff at some point, standing behind Anaxa Ke.
"Everyone's here, so... let the performance begin."
Cerces interrupted the spellcasting, "Wait. Allow me to interrupt you for a moment. Are you preparing to prove both the location of Thanatos and the true nature of 'us'?"
"First, I must admit that I have been falling into a cognitive trap all along."
On the surface, these two propositions seem unrelated; however, they are logically equivalent, merely two descriptions of the "essence of the soul."
"Secondly, why do I say this? As I just explained, the answer lies in that journey to death."
"Teacher, you... went to the Underworld?"
Castorice stared at Anaxa in shock. In less than a day, he had actually been to the Underworld?
"That's right, because I'm a living dead now. But that's not important. What's important is—I overheard a conversation between a group of heroes."
"And not only that... Remember, Cerces? I also saw you participating in that conversation."
"But as I said, I have never had such Remembrance. Not even a hallucination you conjured up before you died."
Anaxa was very satisfied with that answer. "That's right, you don't remember—"
"Because that wasn't you at all, but ' Calypso,' one of the Seven Sages from Grove."
"... Calypso?"
Castorice remembered this name; when the Black Tide invaded the Grove of Epiphany, Cerces called himself " Calypso."
"Isn't that a pseudonym I made up on the spot in front of this girl? How did you know?"
" The Seven Sages are even more of a joke. If they were truly sages who had found refuge under my shade, I would surely have discovered them. Don't you also know the past of the Grove like the back of your hand?"
"It seems you've even Enigmata the Remembrance imprinted on your soul."
"Use your brain, think about it: since all of this happened in the realm of the dead, then they must all be the souls of someone from the past."
"The living could never have entered this world, so who are they? Especially Calypso, whom I just mentioned, why does he have the same face as you and Cerces, yet the latter has no recollection of anyone?"
"I think the answer is already obvious--"
At that Anaxa concluded, "Those fallen heroes were exactly what the Titan looked like before they became gods."
"The gods are not creations born out of thin air, but beings no different from humans, and evolved from them."
"Hmm..."
"What, is this answer disappointing you?" Anaxa looked at the silent Cerces.
"Of course, isn't that the same as saying nothing at all? If I am truly a son of man, then where do you sons come from?"
Castorice was also Curiosity, "And even if that's true... it's still very far from where Thanatos is. How are we going to find it?"
"Ha, I knew you would say that... I am confident. Let this aspiring god before us explain it to us one by one," said Anaxa.
"You... are you confident you can resurrect a Titan?"
"Humans cannot be brought back to life, let alone gods." Anaxa, "But if we reverse our thinking, everything will fall into place."
"The answer is simple, just like what you did to me..."
"I have come to be reborn as Kephale, and to recreate all things in the world in his way, is that not it?"
Meanwhile, the storyline returns to Xing's side, where she and Phainon, following in Aglaea's footsteps, also arrive at the " Demigod Council," Dawncloud Cliff.
However, they were still some distance from where Anaxa were.
" Kephale? What is this all about...? Will the Senate allow such a blatant act of disrespect?"
"He truly deserves the title of ' Grand Performer '; anyone could be fooled by his acting skills."
Phainon lowered his head. "I... I'm sorry."
"There's no need to feel guilty; on the contrary, this is good news. The Senate's allies are not loyal, Anaxa's ambitions will certainly be of our use."
"As for now, we'll see what kind of trap Canis sets and we'll just have to deal with it as it comes."
" The Demigod Council is the political heartland of Okhema, its importance no less than that of the Vortex of Genesis."
"When my mission is over, one day this place will replace the battlefield of the hunt and become your next challenge—"
"While there's still plenty of time, let's get used to this stage as soon as possible."
Xing nodded in agreement. This was her first time visiting Dawncloud Cliff, and the colossal statue Kephale " Worldbearing " was quite magnificent.
She passed the "Trial of Years " on March 7th, but she can't borrow a camera right now... tsk, when will her hourglass necklace unlock the photo-taking function?
Sigh... it seems that " Eternity " isn't as comprehensive as she imagined...