Styxia, the Ancient City of Dragonbone ", atop the tower.
Khaslana silent, clenching the still-warm "death" Core Flame in his palm.
The wind whipped up his tattered battle robe, and the dried bloodstains on the hem were blown off in a flurry.
He stood on the desolate ground littered with wreckage, silent for a very long time.
Buzz--!
The world began to fade and crumble before his eyes.
The Black Tide surges backward, time flows backward, the golden light of former companions vanishes, the ruins of Styxia, the hole in the sky...
Everything vanished into Nihility as quickly as shattered glass.
Khaslana closed his eyes, letting the familiar feeling of weightlessness envelop him, waiting for the start of the next cycle.
But this time, in the last moment before his consciousness sank into darkness, he seemed to see an exceptionally bright starlight, piercing through the eternal darkness, gently swaying in his direction.
There are 29,550,335 Eternal Recurrence until the world's Destruction. The 4,000,001st Eternal Recurrence begins.
Aedes Elysiae, the small village in " Remembrance," where Khaslana and its " Hero in the Heart " stand.
"You've come, as always."
Khaslana turned around, "... You're still deep inside me, never truly gone?"
"Because you haven't completely severed your beliefs, have you?"
"You're also waiting for a miracle to happen, waiting for the true 'hero' who can save us to appear."
If that glimmer of hope exists, it must come from beyond this world, from that "real" starry sky...
"But... travelers who have nothing to do with Amphoreus may not understand our struggle and be willing to join this fight."
" The Hero in the Heart " paused for a moment, "Your thoughts... are wavering. The mark of ' Destruction ' is gradually deepening..."
"Even in the calculations designed by the gods, unconditional courage and goodwill will still arise. Therefore..."
"Never forget the belief that you must set out on this journey."
"How many times has this happened? Remind me again... my Remembrance is getting a little fuzzy."
"Four million times... exactly." Khaslana said slowly.
"... The fire in your heart must be burning incredibly hot."
Khaslana sighed softly, "Ah, yes... I had the same illusion when I first fused the twelve Core Flame into one."
" Destruction... An unprecedented power surged within me, violent flames threatening to shatter my body and devour this world, this wretched cage..."
"I believed that was the ultimate power in the world, nothing else."
"But now, this body is carrying a staggering 48 million Core Flame... I think it won't be long—perhaps only a mere ten thousand years—before it's burned to a charred, mangled corpse."
"Then, your long struggle will come to an end," said the ' Hero in the Heart '.
No. I have found a way to continue the cycle of reincarnation.
Would you mind sharing with me?
"In each new cycle, a new 'me' will be born. My task is to propel the newly born ' Phainon ' to the ends of the earth. And then..."
"Then he will kill me, shatter this body... He will inherit my flames and Remembrance, and continue his journey."
Upon hearing this, the " Hero in the Heart " sighed repeatedly.
A brave, yet fragile plan. What if, at some point, the newly born "you" refuses to follow the same path...?
"And how will you ensure the continuation of the cycle of reincarnation?" asked the ' Hero in the Heart '.
"If Teacher Anaxa or Aglaea who embarked on the cycle of reincarnation... perhaps they could find a smarter method."
"Unfortunately... I have no backup plan. I can only gamble everything on the newborn Phainon, hoping he will make the same choice as my original self."
But even within this tragic cage of fate, there are always lucky things that happen. Because...
The eternal clock hands have turned thirty million times. Just as every Cyrene would choose self-sacrifice, every Phainon would choose to " Worldbearing."
That's right, no matter how many times or even thousands of reincarnations occur, the Savior will still make the same choice as before.
"The only thing I will never forget is the conviction to set off."
"Could it be that you...?"
"I decided to begin implementing this plan... and in all these millions of cycles, there has never been an unexpected incident."
He is no longer the original ' Khaslana ', but ' Phainon ' who carries the " Remembrance " of four million reincarnations.
There are 9,980,336 Eternal Recurrence until the world Destruction, including the 23,570,000th Eternal Recurrence.
" Abyss of Fate " Dawncloud Cliff, this time the one facing away from Khaslana is Hyacine.
"I can do it... Your Excellency Phainon."
Hyacine trembled all over, forcibly suppressing the pain. "As a demigod of 'Sky,' and the healer of the Duskglow Courtyard... I will definitely be able to heal you, until..."
Khaslana said haltingly, " The Black Tide... is engulfing you. You are no longer able to sustain yourself, demigod."
"Give me the Core Flame. Let us... end our suffering as soon as possible."
"Oh... that won't do..."
"I can't... show a worried expression when facing patients suffering from illness."
" Hyacinthia... I swear, you will not die in vain..."
"As always."
In the end, Khaslana raised the " Dawn's Advance " sword and aimed it at Hyacine.
"I believe in you... you are the Chrysos Heirs of the ' Worldbearing,' and you will surely lead us... this world..."
"But... I don't understand, why?" Hyacine looked up, "In the sun on your shoulder..."
"That warmth that belongs to ordinary people... that belongs to you... is so faint?"
Khaslana replied, "Compared to the blazing divine fire, the human aspect... is truly insignificant."
"Then... don't abandon it."
"I... have never abandoned anyone. I remember everyone's wishes."
"Even though the divine fire is so intense,... every time I return to my origin, it instantly burns me to ashes..."
"But each time, it is your wishes... that lead me to the end of the cycle... to pass this flame to the next me..."
"Countless times... countless times... countless times."