Phainon mulled over Stelle's words, his expression growing increasingly grave: "Lord Lygus, How much do you truly know about Era Nova? Tell us everything!"
Lygus did not conceal anything and was surprisingly candid.
"Very well, I need no longer maintain this Theoros masquerade. You seek truth, Lord Phainon, and truth you shall have."
Lygus's gaze swept over Phainon, then Stelle, before finally falling upon the Overflowing Chalice:
"As you know, when the old gods fell, someone had to bear their broken pillars, to fill the vacant seats. Those who would assume divine authority must prove themselves through trials."
"Yet, for Kephale's demigods, the possibility of overcoming the trials has forever been nonexistent. For the "Worldbearing" trial is the divine duty itself — bringing forth the "Era Nova" and bearing its weight is an endless ordeal, ceasing only upon collapse."
Non-existent?
Lygus's words left both Stelle and Phainon stunned.
Lygus did not keep them in suspense and revealed the truth plainly: "The "Era Nova" ritual is not something that can be completed in an instant. No, but a long and arduous journey. While the sacrificial journeys of other demigods conclude in this world, Kephale must shoulder the gods' Coreflames, bear the memories of all worlds, and stand unwavering..."
"Until the next world... when the black tide consumes the Bearer and all that they carry, leaving nothing behind."
This was the truth of bearing the world.
After Lygus finished speaking, the image of that colossal statue in Ohkema suddenly appeared in the minds of every viewer.
No wonder, while the other Titans either disappeared or refrained from revealing their true forms, only Kephale had always remained standing there without change.
Because this world truly rested entirely upon His shoulders!
Whether it was the other demigods or the Titans, their journeys always had an endpoint. Whether that endpoint was death or madness, there would always be an end.
But Kephale was different.
Just as Lygus had said. There were two key elements required to reach the new world.
One was the Coreflames, and the other was memory.
In Amphoreus, the Coreflames could essentially be regarded as the operating system.
But having an operating system alone wasn't enough. You also needed a platform on which to run it.
In reality, the thing that runs an operating system is called a computer.
And in Amphoreus, the platform that ran the system was Kephale. Through Kephale, all the Coreflames were gathered and continuously processed to create a new world.
After the new world appeared, the Coreflames, as the underlying system, could not stop operating either. They had to continue running, or everything would collapse.
To give the most intuitive example, imagine Amphoreus as a computer.
After the computer is turned on, everything you do, playing games, opening files, browsing the web, storing files, is built upon the premise that the system is running.
Even if you do nothing, as long as the computer remains on, the system will continue running, and everything inside the computer will continue to exist.
What would happen if the system stopped running? In reality, the terms used to describe this would be a crash, or perhaps a shutdown.
But for Amphoreus, once the system stopped running, or could no longer run, it meant that the world was finished.
Because what this system contained were living lives and wills!
And so, to deal with such an unexpected situation, another objective of the Worldbearing Trial was born: bearing the memories of the entire world.
Memory was the storage medium.
When Amphoreus went dark and the Coreflames stopped operating, the entire world would be backed up into Kephale's memory.
Just like data stored on a computer. Suppose Amphoreus was an .exe file. Once the system stopped operating, this .exe file naturally could no longer continue running.
But because Kephale existed, the file wasn't formatted. Instead, it was stored on the hard drive.
When the computer was turned on again, the file could continue running. This was the so-called memory of the entire world.
With this, the two elements of re-creation had already been laid out clearly before the viewers and understood by them.
....
: Worldbearing, Worldbearing... so that's what it means...
: After finding out that this place is the Emperor's Scepter, this explanation actually makes the most sense.
: So the truth of re-creation is basically the equivalent of rebooting a computer.
: Except the one serving as the computer is Kephale.
: They've really gone wild with this setting! Awesome!
: From this perspective, isn't the Black Tide like a virus?!
: Honestly, it really does seem like one.
: This virus can't be cleared or destroyed. They can only keep rebooting again and again to hold the virus back and prevent it from completely formatting the entire computer, that is, Amphoreus?
: And this rebooting process, in the eyes of outsiders, looks like recreating the world!
: Holy shit! Everything connects now! Fuck! This is amazing!
: The Black Tide is the Iron Tomb? It wants to break out of Amphoreus?!
: The more ferocious the Black Tide's attacks become, the more active the Iron Tomb is?!
....
The truth behind the cycle had finally become completely clear to the viewers.
And when, amid their shock, they turned their attention toward Kephale, who bore the world upon his shoulders, they immediately felt an immense pressure.
...
: Looking at it over the long term, there's no way this trial can ever be completed!
: It doesn't even have an end!
: Or rather, there's no need for a trial at all. The moment someone chooses to shoulder everything, they naturally become the Worldbearing Titan.
: And the fate of the Worldbearing Titan is simply to keep enduring without end.
: The Flame-Chase Journey... Hah... So this is what chasing the flame really means.
: Whenever the one bearing the world can no longer hold on, the Flame-Chase Journey begins. All the Coreflames are gathered, and then a new person takes on the responsibility of bearing the world.
: That's way too hopeless...
: This is basically an endless cycle of despair!
: Wait... those numbers in Phainon's PV... don't tell me they were hinting at how many cycles there have been?!
: Holy shit?!
: Don't do this to me, bro! That's way too insane, way too hopeless! That string of numbers is long enough to be my QQ number, and you're telling me that's the number of reboots?!
: Exactly! Fuck, the Worldbearer has to carry the memories of the past. If they've really gone through that many cycles, wouldn't their brain just explode?! Who could possibly endure that? They would've gone insane ages ago!
: I don't think we have enough information yet! There are still tons of details that need answers!
: Holy fucking shit! I can't guess at all how things are going to develop from here!
...
The viewers had now completely understood the general truth behind the cycle.
It was just that, within this framework many details still didn't match up.
The World-Bearing Titan, Phainon, cycles, restart. These could all be connected together.
But if that were the case, then Gnaeus and the others shouldn't have appeared in the reincarnation. Those accompanying Phainon through the reincarnation and restart should have been companions of his own generation.
The audience racked their brains but couldn't come up with an explanation. For now, they could only hope that more information would be revealed.
....
On screen.
After Lygus revealed the truth, both Phainon and Stelle felt an immense pressure and heaviness in their hearts.
The journey had no end. He had to bear everything until the Black Tide swallowed him.
"...Unless their Coreflame finds a new bearer." Phainon said heavily.
"The holy flame that illuminates all worlds rests in your hands. All that remains is one choice..."
Lygus stood with his hands behind his back and calmly said, "Nurture it, pass it on to future generations, or extinguish it here and now?"
"Deliverer, the fate of all worlds rests in your hands."
Lygus's voice carried a profound meaning.
Deliverer... This was clearly a title of considerable weight.
In other works, it meant having the protagonist's halo.
But now, this title was as heavy as an abyss. To bear the memories of the entire world, and then pursue a hope so distant it could barely be reached.
To walk toward an ending where he was destined to be worn away and devoured.
Rather than being a hero, the responsibility of bearing the world seemed more like a prison. Anyone who understood the truth of creation would probably hesitate at this moment.
The camera froze on Phainon's face.
"Enough testing. I've made my decision."
Without the slightest hesitation, Phainon said decisively, "But before I ignite the dawn of the next world, you need to promise me something, two things, actually."
Lygus politely lowered his head. "Speak your terms."
Phainon stared fixedly at Lygus and said, one word at a time:
"Promise me this: Professor Anaxa's vision of the "New World" is absolute. The world will be reborn from my memories, all souls, living and dead, will return as the first humans, unchanged from their past lives..."
"And my friends, the fallen demigods, they shall transcend the cycle to become new Titans. Our heroes shall not have died in vain."
Lygus stood perfectly straight, his demeanor becoming somewhat solemn.
"Of course. This I can guarantee."
Without hesitation, Phainon continued coldly:
"Good. The second one,"
"Promise me Stelle can return safely to her homeland, unbound by Amphoreus's laws."
Lygus shook his head and replied sincerely:
"...My apologies, but I cannot promise this. As you mentioned, she now bears the Time Titan's authority..."
"Her bonds with this world run too deep."
The audience watched Phainon and Lygus solemnly exchange questions and answers. They sincerely felt that something was strange.
Why ask the untrustworthy Lygus for such a promise? Who could guarantee that Lygus wouldn't deceive him? Besides, what could his promise even accomplish?
The audience instinctively distrusted Lygus.
However, just a second later, many people suddenly realized the answer.
When they looked again at Phainon's stubborn and determined face on the screen, their hearts suddenly ached.
There weren't that many reasons. Because the Phainon standing here now was the same Phainon they had personally watched, step by step, walk all the way from Aedes Elysiae to this point.
He had been pushed forward until now, and throughout the entire journey, just as Aglaea had predicted, he had become the perfect leader and successor.
But Phainon would still feel lost and confused. He would still fear losing things. And precisely because of that, he had to keep moving forward with even greater determination.
Because he truly had already lost everything. Aedes Elysiae, Cyrene, Okhema, the Chrysos Heirs, they had all gone far away from him.
After hearing the truth of creation, Phainon, who should have been deeply shaken, hadn't even furrowed his brow.
He only needed confirmation. Confirmation that the future and hope were undoubtedly real. Confirmation that everything he had lost could return to his side with the rebirth of the world.
Even if, by then, he himself would become that silent giant statue, it didn't matter!
It didn't even matter whether Lygus' answer was true or false. What Phainon was doing now was more like repeating something he had already done countless times before.
When he first attempted to take in the Coreflame of Strife, he had felt uneasy, so he went to Chartonus and Aglaea.
After Aglaea, he was designated as the leader of the Chrysos Heirs. He displayed an incomparably strong and resolute bearing, but upon returning to the bathhouse, he once again became like the child he had once been, listening to the teachings and encouragement of the Tribios.
He was perfect, yet he was also an empty shell. Rather than living for himself, Phainon seemed to live for others.
The same was true now. Only this time, there was no one left by his side to strengthen his resolve.
And that was why Phainon had asked Lygus such a strange question. In truth, even if Lygus had told him that Aglaea and Anaxa had been deceiving him, the current Phainon's ears would only hear the words he wanted to hear.
"Re-creation is undoubtedly real!"
Rather than asking Lygus, it was more like Phainon was asking and answering himself.
And after this re-creation, there was Stelle, someone to whom he could entrust his life. Phainon didn't want Stelle to remain in Amphoreus and bear pressure that didn't belong to her.
All of Phainon's delicate emotions and careful considerations were woven into this conversation.
Once again, the audience was left speechless and amazed.
It was precisely through characterization like this that Phainon increasingly became, in their hearts, a living, breathing person, someone who seemed almost close enough to reach out and touch.
"No need to worry, I have a plan." Stelle sensed what was going on in Phainon's heart.
She took out a strange object and showed it to Phainon.
It was the "Chronocognitive Anchor."
Phainon couldn't understand what the thing actually was. But since Stelle said there wouldn't be a problem, he was willing to believe her.
Lygus, on the other hand, spoke in a subtle tone after seeing the Cognition Chisel:
"Well... I stand corrected. An outsider like her does have ways to defy destiny."
But that was all. The questions had been answered.
Lygus stepped aside, yielding the stage.
"As the Theoros, I declare: Amphoreus has determined her path."
"Step forward, heroes, follow her path and see it through."