The moment Phainon spoke, he precisely dissected Lygus's core Cognition.
"Erudition is also within my sights."
These words stirred a storm within Lygus's logical core, almost causing him to crash on the spot.
His goal was actually consistent with his own?
If destroying "Erudition" was also his ultimate destination, then what was the point of him exhausting his efforts to research the destruction factor?
Why did the "solution" created by Erudition himself lead to the "cause" of destroying Erudition?
He exhausted all his computing power, frantically deducing the countless possibilities behind these words.
Was it a bluffing intimidation?
Was it a trap to induce him to expose his trump card?
Or... a pure madness, incomprehensible to him, belonging to 'unknown' itself?
Ultimately, Lygus, one of Zandar's nine avatars, chose the method most befitting a scholar.
Questioning.
"You... also want to destroy 'Erudition'?"
For the first time, a ripple of "uncertainty" appeared in Lygus's voice.
Phainon's answer was calm and certain.
"Of course."
He looked directly at Lygus, enunciating each word distinctly,
"If everything is predestined, if struggle is merely a string of code, and resistance is just one step in the calculation, then what future do we have to speak of?"
"We are nothing more than puppets on strings."
These words precisely struck the cornerstone of Lygus's existence.
He, or rather "Zandar," was born with the purpose of exploring the unknown and breaking the fixed numbers!
Lygus's mechanical body trembled imperceptibly.
He reined in his outward aura and once again bowed deeply to Phainon with utmost solemnity.
"Lord Phainon."
"Your foresight far exceeds my expectations. Perhaps, this game of chess should never have been played."
However.
Phainon curled the corner of his mouth. From his chest, he took out a Worldbearing seed.
"You're overthinking it. Telling you this is just to make you happy, so you can die in peace."
"My trump card is this seed; it doesn't just represent the Worldbearing."
"It's also a key."
"A key... that can unlock Amphoreus's highest authority."
The string of words made the respect Lygus had just offered seem incredibly ridiculous.
However, Lygus's defensive logic had never slackened in the slightest.
Phainon had the intention to destroy Erudition, but whether Phainon had the ability to do so was another matter entirely.
Lygus could be certain that the Phainon before him was fundamentally different from any "Phainon" in Amphoreus's more than thirty million cycles.
A huge variable, a variable powerful enough to push the final process forward!
If the "Iron Curtain" could devour this variable, then the "Iron Curtain" would gain unprecedented nourishment, completely break out of their shell, and become a Lord Ravager capable of contending with or even destroying "Erudition"!
But... Lygus's thoughts accelerated again.
Could this man in front of him... have come precisely to make contact with the "Iron Curtain"?
His root source code was no different from NeiKos496; deciphering him was not difficult.
It was precisely because of this that Lygus knew he already possessed the "key" to unlock the authority.
It seemed there were no hidden pieces in this game.
All the chips were laid out in the open.
It was a competition of who could deduce the more correct future.
"In that case..."
A perfect open conspiracy took shape in Lygus's mind.
A trap that even if Phainon possessed Omniscience and Omnipotence, he could not avoid and had to step into himself.
Because the bait of the trap was the truth.
"Lord Phainon."
Lygus's voice returned to absolute steadiness.
"Since we share a common enemy, then I believe I have to share with you a truth that 'Erudition' has deliberately concealed."
He looked at Phainon, uttering the cruelest reality, word by word.
"You've always thought you were Erudition's designated white blood cell."
"The only immune system for Amphoreus, this ailing body."
"That's not actually the case."
Lygus's tone revealed unconcealed mockery.
"A more precise analogy would be a syringe."
"A syringe responsible for precisely injecting 'medicine' into the lesion."
Phainon's expression didn't change in the slightest.
He listened quietly, as if hearing a story completely unrelated to himself.
Lygus continued:
"And the true 'medicine,' the ultimate means Erudition used to eliminate the 'Iron Curtain'...
"Is an existence hidden deep within your soul, one you haven't even noticed yourself."
But when that name was uttered—
"Genius Society #4 — 'Lord of Silence,' Polka Kakamond."
After saying all this, Lygus's sensors precisely captured the subtle physiological changes in Phainon.
He knew Phainon had fallen into the truth trap.
It was the supreme pleasure only a scholar could experience when a theory was verified.
He plunged this knife, named "truth," deeper.
"Everything you've experienced, the new life you've written in the simulated universe..."
"Your heroic determination to save Amphoreus..."
"Your unyielding will through countless cycles..."
"All of it was merely a psychological imprint forged by Erudition to make you believe you were the 'Deliverer.'"
"He needed a hero. A hero with a strong enough will to break through thirty million cycles of despair and finally reach the 'Iron Curtain.'"
"A hero willing to sacrifice everything to save the world."
"And then. The moment you unlock the final authority, offer yourself, and think you can purify the 'Iron Curtain'...
Lygus spread his hands, as if embracing a predetermined, cruel ending.
"The 'Lord of Silence' hidden within you will be released."
"She is the true antidote."
"And you, Lord Phainon..."
His gaze, carrying a scrutiny akin to pity, fell upon Phainon.
"You are not a hero."
"You are merely that syringe that will be casually discarded after fulfilling their mission."
"So, once you use the 'key' to unlock the authority..."
"Except for Erudition, we are all losers!"
"Therefore, I don't mind if you open the authority now; in the end, you will only have nothing."
Phainon looked at Lygus, his calm reaction completely exceeding the scope of all Lygus's calculations.
"Unfortunately... even after personally witnessing 33,550,335 cycles of eternal calamity, you still commit the inherent sin of arrogance."
"Tell me, in those thirty million cycles, has there ever been a Phainon..." Phainon's eyes suddenly sharpened, "who surrendered to you?"
"If that's the case, then what makes you think I would be scared by this 'truth' now?"
The next moment.
In Lygus's suddenly constricted pupils.
Phainon's five fingers closed, and he personally crushed the Worldbearing seed, which represented the key!
However, the golden mask at Phainon's waist flickered