Khaslana casually cast "Miracle of Oronyx " and pulled back the fleeing " Spirithief " Bartunik.
"Hmph, at School of Worship's foolish inventions have come in handy."
Bartunik gasped for breath, "Huff... huff... how could this happen...?"
"You've arrived, Zagreus... as punctual as ever."
"W-what, you know about me?"
Khaslana sighed. "My patience is almost exhausted, so I'm even less inclined to waste my breath."
"Listen carefully, Spirithief: Hand over the Core Flame, and we'll pretend we never fought. That way, you and this world can be saved."
Bartunik, huddled up in a ball, laughed, "Heh heh heh, that sounds better than a bard's song! Talking about 'salvation'..."
"If you ask me... you yourself are the greatest scourge upon Amphoreus!"
"No matter how powerful you are, you're still just a mortal! Bearing twelve Core Flame? Don't be ridiculous. You'll only be devoured by the divine fire, dragging this world down with you..."
Khaslana slowly uttered a number, "...-134."
"What..."
"This is my 134th reincarnation. The number of Core Flame I have carried is..."
At that Anaxa said on his behalf, "...1,596."
"... Um."
" Spirithief " Bartunik looked at Khaslana in disbelief. "Over a thousand Core Flame, and just one Chrysos Heirs Descendant... How is that possible?!"
"My ability to get this far is proof enough."
But one day... you will be burned to ashes.
"Of course, the divine fire will one day burn my eyes and blind me..."
Khaslana changed the subject, "But before that, they can be tempered for ' Dawn's Advance '. That way, you won't feel pain when I cut open your stomach."
"You, you..."
"This is an ultimatum."
After all, back in the forty-second " Eternal Recurrence," Khaslana's emphasis on protecting the rights of his companions had decreased.
"Hehehe... Okay, okay..."
"Suppose there are one hundred million possibilities for the future of this world. No matter how you look at it, ninety-nine million, ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine of them all point to an ending of ' Destruction '..."
" Spirithief " Bartunik made up his mind, "Even so, I, this great one, will use my divine power, despised by the world, to make that one in a billion possibility a reality..."
Hiding behind the stone platform, Cipher anxiously called out, "... Bartunik!"
Bartunik assumed a fighting stance, "Kid... if you've got guts, step over my dead body first...!"
"Hehehe! You little cat-eared thief, run! Go find Aglaea..."
Bartunik's gaze never left Khaslana. "This brat... is definitely not a threat that the two of us can handle together...!"
Khaslana sighed helplessly, clutching " Dawn's Advance " tightly in his hand.
Even after a hundred reincarnations, he still gives this " Spirithief "... or " Trickery " Titan the respect he deserves.
Clearly, the Spirithief's attempts to stop it were ineffective; it couldn't even last a minute against Khaslana.
At that Anaxa looked at the gleaming Core Flame of " Reason " before her, and thought, "Ha, how absurd..."
"In my Remembrance, Zagreus always seems to repeat his own ending..."
"Its departure no longer stirs any emotion within me." Khaslana's tone was almost completely calm.
" The Core Flame of ' Reason ' before us is a fake, it's obvious."
"Ah... I know."
"I knew it would always be like this. Under the cover of the Spirithief, the demigod ' Trickery ' will escape with the two Core Flame..."
Hearing the approaching footsteps behind him, Khaslana had already anticipated this:
"... Then, out of resentment or hatred, they stood before me once more."
"Like countless others I've known in the past... both cunning and naive."
Cipher bit her lip. "Since the same scene has played out countless times before your eyes, tell me..."
"Next... will you pluck the Core Flame of ' Trickery ' from my heart?"
"... It depends on your attitude. At least so far, in all the cycles where you asked that question... the ending hasn't been so cruel."
Khaslana turned around and looked at Cipher.
"Hmph... Well, thank you anyway. But I also believe you won't catch me this time--"
"No one can catch me; I stopped running for my life a long time ago."
Believe it or not, I will tell you that this was a wrong decision.
Cipher retorted, preemptively grasping the " Flipping Coin ": "Alright, let's give it a try--"
"--quiet."
Seeing Anaxa, who had been silent for a long time, speak up, Khaslana quite surprised. "Ah... this is the first time."
Cipher crossed her arms. "Ha... one-eyed boy, what's this all about now?"
"You may leave now, Cifera. Give us some private time."
"This isn't for her, it's for you."
At that Anaxa gazed at Khaslana. He didn't speak to him as his " Savior," but simply wanted to offer Khaslana some advice:
"You've gone too far down this path; it's time to discuss a possibility: perhaps what you're doing isn't a path to salvation at all, but simply dragging the world into flames."
"For the sake of our past teacher-student relationship, turn back. I don't care how many times you've tried, because one thing I understand perfectly well—"
"Your Savior complex has made you no different from the cold-hearted gods you speak of. Those children of humanity you swore to save... now, in your eyes, their lives are probably no different from ants, aren't they?"
Khaslana sighed deeply, while Cipher scoffed, "Heh~ No wonder."
"Every day I wonder, what kind of demon could burn down my hometown in an instant, without even blinking an eye..."
"Now I know the answer. It turns out that the fiery demon was obsessed with becoming Savior!"
Khaslana didn't say much more. "I don't want to argue anymore. No matter how much I try, the outcome won't change."
He issued an ultimatum, his eyes icy, "Fight with all your might, or accept your fate and hand the Core Flame to me..."
Even if it's all in vain, we all have the right to choose.
Seeing his expression, Anaxa stopped arguing. "That's right, even if it's just 'futile,' the world is nothing but a joke played by the gods..."
Cipher stepped forward, "But when I step into the ' Destruction ' written by the gods on my own two legs, you will witness—"
Even the smallest footnote leaves its mark on the story!