As the Scepter encountered trouble, everyone in Amphoreus watched as the endless black tide rapidly retreated and vanished without leaving behind even the slightest trace.
At the same time, the enormous black-and-white humanoid figure standing high above the heavens also gradually disappeared from sight, as though it had never existed in the first place.
Just like that, the world returned to peace and clarity once more. Even the sky regained its bright blue brilliance, no longer trapped beneath the oppressive veil of eternal night. Warm sunlight poured down across the land once again, illuminating the devastated yet still-living world below.
"We won...?"
"We won! We survived!!!"
""OOOOOOOHHH—!!!""
All the citizens of Okhema erupted into deafening cheers once again, their voices echoing throughout the city. Many of them even broke down into tears of overwhelming joy and relief.
For them, that world-ending black tide had been far too oppressive and suffocating, pressing down on their hearts like an endless nightmare. And now that everything had finally dissipated into nothingness, it was impossible for them not to cry.
Some people even collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion, while others tightly embraced their families and companions as though trying to confirm that they were all still alive.
"So that's it? Now that the black tide has receded, everything's over, right?"
Standing atop the city wall, Mydei crossed his arms and looked up at the clear blue sky as he spoke. Although his expression remained calm, the slight relaxation in his posture still revealed the relief in his heart.
"Not yet."
Khaslana immediately poured cold water over the joyful atmosphere.
"Did you forget what I said? We are all merely data-based lifeforms. As long as we have not become true lifeforms, none of this is truly over."
"No matter how beautiful things may look right now, it's only temporary. For the sake of giving birth to the cosmos-destroying being, Lygus will act again very soon."
"Only when Lucian arrives will we finally have a chance to ascend into true lifeforms and no longer fear the black tide."
"In any case, before he comes, don't let your guard down."
When those words fell from his mouth, the group that had been overflowing with joy instantly calmed down, as though they had just been forcibly awakened from a pleasant dream.
"He promised me that when the time comes, he will definitely come and save all of us..." Hysilens said softly while touching the spot over her chest where her heart was, her gaze carrying a faint trace of longing. "Now, all we can do is wait for him."
"Mm, that's right. Wait."
Trinnon nodded in agreement, a cheerful smile appearing on her little face once more. Even so, there was still a hint of seriousness lingering within her eyes.
"Let's just wait for now..." Cipher said with a shrug before lazily stretching her body. "At least now we can finally chill for a bit. It's been forever since I've seen blue skies and white clouds. Mmm~"
As she spoke, she narrowed her eyes slightly and looked up toward the sky with an unusually relaxed expression, quietly enjoying the rare moment of peace.
And so, with the battle against the black tide concluded, at least for now, what followed was a period of reorganization and stabilization, which began with Aglaea estimating the world's remaining population and overall condition.
After the corruption and devastation brought by the black tide, there were no longer many people left alive in the entire world of Amphoreus.
Okhema itself was left with only around a million inhabitants.
Just from listening to Khaslana explain the eternal recurrence, it was already clear that even four hundred million Coreflames had still been unable to stop the black tide. If not for Lucian's protection, the black tide invasion just now would have already wiped out every single person in Okhema without leaving behind any survivors.
Now that the black tide had suddenly vanished, everyone could finally turn their attention toward other urgent matters.
Three thousand little Tri ran throughout every corner of Okhema, busily opening numerous Century Gates to assist with reconstruction efforts—their small figures constantly moved back and forth across the city like tireless workers.
Because the population had dropped so drastically, productivity had also fallen sharply alongside it.
As a result, they had no choice but to rely heavily on the Century Gates to restore production capacity as quickly as possible, especially food production and the restoration of essential supplies needed for survival.
===
In Twilight Courtyard, Mortis was busily using the Godly Bandage to treat and restore the injured, while also resurrecting those who had lost their lives during the previous war against the black tide creatures.
Soft divine light continuously flowed from the white bandages in her hands, wrapping around wounded bodies one after another before restoring them to perfect condition at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Torn flesh healed, shattered bones reconnected, and even the exhausted expressions on the faces of the survivors returned to normal as if nothing had happened to them.
When the dead were resurrected right before her very eyes, Hyacine's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets from sheer disbelief.
"Lady Mortis, th-this is incredible! Please teach me! I want to become your disciple!"
"I'm sorry, but I can't. Actually, this isn't my medical skill, and I don't know medicine at all," Mortis explained while gently shaking her head. "What I used was Lucian's ability called the Godly Bandage. It can restore anything to its most perfect state—dead people included, souls included, even completely lifeless objects."
Hearing about such a miraculous ability, Hyacine froze for a moment before her heart was completely overwhelmed with envy, while her eyes became filled with intense longing and admiration.
It couldn't be helped.
What doctor wouldn't desire such an ability?
"Lady Mortis, if Lord Lucian ever comes to Okhema, please be sure to introduce me to him. I'm serious!"
At that request, Mortis felt slightly speechless, and just as she was about to respond, Cipher's voice suddenly sounded from beside them.
"Did I hear that right? Even lifeless objects can be fixed?"
Apparently, Cipher had come to deliver supplies and had happened to overhear Mortis's explanation about the Godly Bandage.
"Lady Cipher, please don't just appear out of nowhere!"
Hyacine complained while clutching her chest, clearly startled by Cipher's sudden appearance.
Mortis smiled softly as she looked at the cat girl before her, who appeared cute and slightly mischievous, like a playful kitten that could never stay still for long.
"Mm, that's right. If you have something broken, I can help you fix it, too."
Mortis spoke gently to Cipher like a loving mother.
"Well... what about that?" Cipher asked while raising her hand to point toward the Dawn Device high above them. "Can that thing be fixed, too?"
"Of course," Mortis replied while looking toward the Dawn Device, though she soon frowned slightly. "But I can't get up there, and it's very large. Wrapping the entire thing up would take quite a long time."
Hearing that, Cipher's eyes immediately lit up with shockingly bright excitement, while the corners of her mouth curved upward into a cat-like smile.
Ever since she had taken upon herself the lie of the Dawn Device, she had been worried every single day, afraid that one day the lie would be exposed and the dawn would completely disappear.
Yes, what maintained Okhema's eternal dawn was not Kephale's power, but Cipher's lie, woven through the divine authority of Trickery—deceiving all the people of Okhema into believing that the Dawn Device's light would continue to shine forever.
As long as no one discovered the lie, the lie woven through the divine authority of Trickery would become reality itself, essentially functioning as a terrifying reality-warping ability.
Thanks to her lie, the Dawn Device had been sustained for seven hundred years beyond its original shutdown date, forcing her to silently bear the light of the entire world upon her shoulders alone for centuries.
Thankfully, Lucian's blessed power had helped them drive away the black tide and restore the brightness of the sky, allowing her to finally relax for a short while after carrying such enormous pressure for so many years.
Now that she was being told that his so-called Godly Bandage could even restore the Dawn Device itself, how could she possibly not feel excited?
"Well, that's easy!" Cipher said while snapping her fingers confidently. "I'll take you there! Easy peasy!"
Indeed, with the boost of her god-like speed as the Demigod of Trickery, she could easily circle the massive Dawn Device three times within mere seconds.
In the next second, Cipher grabbed Mortis's hand without the slightest hesitation before speaking excitedly.
"I'll let you in on a secret: the Dawn Device actually broke a long time ago. It's my power of Trickery that's been keeping it shining this whole time."
As soon as Cipher revealed this shocking truth to Mortis and Hyacine, the Dawn Device atop the Kephale statue immediately began to dim.
Now, the golden radiance that had illuminated Okhema for centuries rapidly weakened, while cracks gradually spread across the surface of the enormous mechanism. Soon after, the Dawn Device even began to wither and decay as though it had truly remained broken and abandoned for seven hundred long years.
Everyone in Okhema immediately noticed this horrifying scene, and an overwhelming sense of terror instantly spread throughout the entire city.
Even though the black tide had vanished and sunlight had once again returned to the land, the Dawn Device remained the ultimate protector upon which the people depended, so in no time at all, the entirety of Okhema was thrown into unrest and confusion as rapidly escalating panic and unease began spreading uncontrollably throughout the crowd.
"No way… It's true! Wait, so Lady Cipher has been bearing such a heavy responsibility all this time...?"
Now, finally learning the truth, Hyacine covered her mouth in disbelief as she stared at Cipher with widened eyes, clearly unable to process the revelation immediately.
Realizing that, all these years, it had actually been the Demigod of Trickery carrying the light of the Worldbearing Titan behind the scenes, she felt that this truth deserved to be known. Otherwise, it would simply be far too unfair to the silent sacrifice Cipher had carried for so long.
"Hey, keep it low-key, keep it low-key..." Cipher said with a casual smile, waving her hand like it was no big deal at all. "If I didn't know Lucian had my back, I wouldn't have dared spill it. I was always worried the seamstress would see right through me since, y'know, I've never really been able to fool her."
It really was Lucian who had given her the courage to finally reveal the truth she had hidden for so many years.
Although she had never met him, didn't even know what he looked like, and only knew his name, she still felt an inexplicable sense of security from him and always believed that he could take responsibility for any trouble that might arise afterward.
For that reason, she finally felt safe enough to reveal the secret she had guarded for countless years.
"Alright, let's fix that giant ball first, Great Lady Mortis!"
Right after saying that, Cipher immediately led Mortis forward while casually tossing a spinning coin in her hand, the metallic surface gleaming faintly beneath the surrounding light.
In an instant, divine speed surged forth like a sudden flash across space itself, and before Hyacine could even blink, the space before her was already empty, leaving only the spinning coin suspended in midair as it continued rotating silently.
Several seconds later, the very moment the coin fell and lightly touched the ground, the two figures instantly reappeared in the exact same spot as though they had never left at all.
"All done!"
Cipher bent down, picked up the coin from the ground with practiced ease, and casually hung it back around her neck.
Hyacine quickly looked upward again and saw that the Dawn Device had already been tightly wrapped in an enormous amount of white bandages, layer upon layer completely sealing its massive surface.
A few moments later, as the white bandages gradually peeled away and slowly dissipated into countless fragments of light, the dim and withered Dawn Device regained its former radiance and once again illuminated the city below with its brilliant and sacred light, dispelling the previous gloom almost instantly.
Aglaea and the others hadn't even had time to react before everything had already returned to normal, leaving them momentarily stunned by how absurdly fast the entire process had been.
"Lucian really is my lucky star! Thanks to his ability, I've finally been able to set down this heavy burden that's been weighing on me for ages. I'm definitely gonna thank him properly someday."
Cipher spoke with a relieved sigh as she patted her chest, the tension in her expression visibly easing afterward, then turned toward Mortis with a bright grin.
"And thanks to you, too, ma'am. I'll send you a whole box of gemstones another day!"
===
At the Hero's Bath, every single word Cipher had just spoken to Mortis and Hyacine was carried along the flowing golden threads and quietly reached the ears of the resting Aglaea.
Aglaea slowly let out a long breath as her body gradually sank deeper into the warm pool, allowing the water to wash over her shoulders.
"So that kitty hadn't left me because I had done something wrong..." Aglaea muttered softly to herself before releasing another quiet sigh, her expression turning increasingly complicated. "You had been carrying such a heavy duty all alone this entire time... Seriously, you made me worry for hundreds of years, you bad kitty..."
"What are you muttering about over there?" Hysilens, who was also soaking lazily in the same pool, teased in a casual tone while glancing sideways at her. "I heard that Dux Goldweaver is supposed to be cold, dignified, and someone who rarely smiles. Please restore that image a little."
"You seem a lot more cheerful too, Dux Gladiorum..." Aglaea immediately shot back with a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Mr. Lucian's influence, right?"
Hearing that, Hysilens merely curled her lips into a small but unmistakably gentle smile.
"Well, after spending a happy hundred years together with him, of course I'd be different."
When those words fell, Tribios, who had been quietly resting in the pool alongside the two of them, instantly froze on the spot.
'A hundred years... A happy hundred years...'
Tribios slowly turned her head and stared directly at Hysilens with an expression that looked as though she wanted to swallow her whole on the spot.
'I only stayed with big brother for a little over ten years... how did the one who came first end up being the one who lost out?'
In the end, the more she thought about it, the more wronged Tribios felt inside.
===
At the very same moment, the person currently being talked about suddenly sneezed aboard a distant space station located within another star system.
Lucian rubbed his nose suspiciously and narrowed his eyes slightly.
'Who's complaining about me now?'
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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