The Flame Reaver was like a ghost. He always managed to, at any time and any place bring a suffocating pressure to everyone.
Last time, in Castrum Kremnos, everyone barely escaped from the Flame Reaver at the cost of Trianne's sacrifice.
And because of that incident, the audience also realized that the Flame Reaver was so strong, even stronger than the titans themselves.
Throw him to the ends of the land, he'll come back. Trap him in another space-time, he'll still come back.
No one knows if there's anything he can't do.
The moment they heard news of the Flame Reaver again, everyone's heart tightened.
....
: This guy really just won't go away...
: Can't beat him, can't kill him, can't trap him, damn it, what even is this?!
: Seriously, this dude is so strong it's like he's not from here.
: Forget human, I doubt he's even human at all!
: Yeah, his strength is ridiculously over the top.
: Hopefully this time they can escape! Please don't let anything happen again!
: Someone hurry up and take this monster down!
: As long as he's alive, it just feels like a weight on my chest.
....
The pressure from the Flame Reaver was overwhelming.
Mainly because the audience simply can't imagine how such an obviously overpowered existence could exist.
Even during the battle against Sunday in Penacony, they hadn't felt such intense pressure.
This piece of information also cast a shadow over the journey to Styxia.
Suppressing their unease, the audience continued watching.
On screen, after learning about the Flame Reaver, Stelle's expression also turned extremely serious.
But things had already reached this point, there was no way she would stop because of this.
She still followed the plan and arrived at the agreed location.
Stelle had come early, but Cipher and Castorice were already there before her.
"Mmm! Bright and sunny, just the weather for farewells." Cipher greeted with a cheerful grin.
"Stelle, you're here. Morning." Castorice replied with a gentle smile.
After responding to them, Stelle scratched her head and asked, "So… what's the process now? How do we get to Styxia?"
Cipher gave a sly smile. "Since Castorice has already paid the fee, I won't charge you this time. A fleet-footed trip to the nether realm, here we come!"
Today, she was surprisingly easy to talk to. In Stelle's view, something definitely felt off.
But before she could say anything, Cipher took out a strangely shaped cat coin right in front of them.
With a flick of her thumb, the coin shot up into the air.
At the moment it rose, a light, cheerful piece of music began to play.
The camera, and Stelle's gaze, instinctively followed the arc of the coin.
When it reached the highest point, Stelle and the audience were suddenly shocked!
Because Cipher and Castorice had disappeared!
"Huh?!" Stelle instinctively turned to look at where Castorice had just been standing.
At that exact moment, the coin fell.
Cipher abruptly reappeared in front of Stelle and caught the coin.
"Hey. Your turn."
Putting the coin away, Cipher smirked at Stelle.
"Huh?" Stelle froze for a moment.
Just like before, Cipher flipped the coin upward again.
The camera followed the spinning coin back into the sky, once again freezing at its peak. Everything in the world seemed to enter ultra slow motion.
The camera lowered.
Stelle still maintained her instinctive posture of looking at the coin, her movements slowed to an extreme.
But Cipher, remained at her normal speed.
Like a real cat, she bent slightly, clasped her hands behind her back, and revealed a mischievous grin.
Then suddenly, she scooped Stelle up in a waist grab! At the instant she lifted her, the entire scene twisted.
Their figures, light, and shadows stretched into countless thin lines. Amid the interwoven light, it felt like a tunnel through time itself!
After about a second of dazzling visual effects, the scene snapped back to normal.
What appeared before the audience, was the cat-like Cipher carrying Stelle while sprinting at incredible speed!
The violin in the background struck up an especially comical, lively tune.
The scene was so absurd that many viewers burst out laughing.
Even funnier, after Cipher crossed an unknown distance in an instant and finally set Stelle down, Stelle's body was stiff like a mannequin, still spinning in place.
Thankfully, Cipher reacted quickly and steadied her, otherwise Stelle would've fallen flat on the ground.
"All done."
"Bye bye~"
After helping Stelle stand properly, Cipher clapped her hands and vanished.
Only after she left did Stelle's stiff expression, and even the surrounding scenery and flow of time, return to normal.
The Galaxy Baseballer held back the dizzy, motion-sick feeling, instinctively turning to look back, but all she saw was a vast ocean.
There was no trace of Cipher anywhere. She couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock, replaying what had just happened.
One second, she was still in Okhema.
The next second, she was already in this mysterious place. The entire process probably didn't even take a full second!
...
: Damn, so that's how they travel?!
: Amphoreus Flash!
: Hahaha, I'm dying laughing.
: This was way too ridiculous, I thought it'd be some cool flashy moment, but she just carried her and ran over, what the hell!
: But honestly, that speed is insane!
: No wonder she can go where the Century Gates can't.
: The way Cipher carried Stelle looked like she was stealing her, lol!
: Straight up kidnapped her.
: And Stelle even spun in place at the end, I'm dead.
: It should've been a cool scene, but it turned out so unserious, I can't, hahaha!
: With that kind of speed, how did Zagreus even die back then?
....
The Trickster Demigod, as always, filled people with a mix of pressure and amusement.
The catgirl truly lives up to being a demigod who starts off by scamming people, her style is completely different from the other Chrysos Heirs.
So full of energy, and completely unpredictable. Just as the audience was thoroughly entertained…
The one who arrived first, Castorice, also came before Stelle.
Seeing the shock in Stelle's eyes, she explained: "She's the demigod of Trickery. When she flips the Coin of Whimsy into the air, she gains incredible speed that lets her travel anywhere in an instant."
"...Just like how she clearly had no intention of lingering here for even a second longer. We can only depend on ourselves for the rest of the way."
As her words fell, Mem suddenly popped out from Stelle's body.
"Don't worry. Mem's here to help!" Mem waved its little paw at Castorice.
The cute gesture eased Castorice's mood, and she unconsciously smiled, gently nodding at Mem. Stelle also recovered from her earlier surprise and began to observe the unfamiliar land around her.
Following Stelle's line of sight, Styxia revealed itself before them.
From earlier information, Styxia was a fallen city-state. But what lay before them now could no longer even be called a city-state, at most, it was just a ruin.
As far as the eye could see, almost no buildings remained intact.
Rubble, weeds, ruins, half submerged by the sea, hidden beneath the waters.
Only in the distance stood a tall city wall, half sunken into the ocean, isolating a small island within this dim sea.
Yet even that wall was badly damaged.
And for some unknown reason, the sky here was shrouded in dense fog. Visibility was extremely low, yet at the center of the fog, a broken crescent moon emitted a pale glow.
But this moon was anything but normal.
First, it was far too close to the ground, almost like the blade hanging over Castrum Kremnos, looming within reach.
Second, its light, refracted through the fog, took on a sorrowful purplish-red hue.
This eerie moon, combined with the ruined Styxia… At first glance, it gave the audience the feeling of stepping into some kind of horror scene.
It felt as though a monster might emerge from the fog at any moment.
That said… With the added visual effects, the strange scenery was also breathtakingly beautiful, both unsettling and oddly captivating.
…
: Such a fantastical landscape.
: Heh, they're going all out again.
: But looking at this, I really believe Thanatos is here.
: It's just too eerie.
: Feels like the most dangerous area in an adventure story.
: Wouldn't be surprised if there's a boss hidden inside.
: Just hope it's not a Flame Reaver.
: Shut the hell up!
: If there really is a Flame Reaver, this becomes a horror story.
...
While the viewers admired the scenery and chatted.
On screen, Castorice stared into the distance, momentarily lost in thought.
"This is Styxia, the city of dragons and waves... Anaxa hypothesizes that the missing Thanatos is somewhere in these ruins."
"This is the land of their birth... Or perhaps of their death."
Stelle frowned.
"Are there any other clues? How would we find them?"
Snapping back to her senses, Castorice replied seriously:
"Anaxa had used a secret alchemical art to temporarily fuse his soul with Cerces and Kephale. And when he was on the verge of death, he was pulled by Thanatos and caught a glimpse of the flowing River of Souls."
"This alchemy, considered a sacrilegious act, might actually make the souls of mortals and Titans attract each other..."
"Even though Thanatos has been missing for a thousand years and even their followers haven't been able to find them... perhaps that special attraction could summon them here."
"So, we are going to use that Philosopher's Stone to conjure the Titan."
The plan was clear.
If Thanatos was inside, they would seek an audience directly. If not, they would use that method to forcibly summon Him.
Either way, since they were here, they would try every option.
Led by Castorice, they found a patch of shore amid the waves, stepping over ruins and crossing the sea until they reached the base of the city wall.
But just as they approached… A phantom purple butterfly appeared out of nowhere.
Along with it came a drifting voice:
"Go back whence you came... Go back..."
"Ahead lies the realm of the dead..."
Stelle and Mem were confused.
But Castorice quietly spoke, "This is a Eulogistic Butterfly. They are found in places where many have met their demise."
"In Aidonia, some think of them as manifestations of Thanatos' benevolence. By turning the lingering obsessions of the deceased into these creatures, it is as if the Titan has made life into a specimen."
"The fact that we're able to hear their whispers proves that we're fast approaching the realm of the dead."
At the very least, it proved this place was indeed connected to death.
Encouraged by the appearance of the butterfly, they circled the wall, searching for a way into Aidonia.
Before long, they found a massive, slightly broken gate.
With Stelle's immense strength, the gate, capable of holding back thousands, was pushed open just enough to allow passage.
As they slipped through the gap and truly stepped into Styxia… A chilling wind swept through, making their very bones tremble, blowing away much of the fog surrounding them.
The scene within the city became clear, and what they saw… were souls!
Souls everywhere! Semi-transparent figures filled the space.
Not the crystalline projections formed from memories, but pure translucent spirits. One after another, endlessly connected.
From the main road before them, to the ruined houses, inside the buildings, even in the ditches,
Men and women, young and old. They were everywhere, densely packed!
And as their gaze followed the countless spirits forward, they could see the end of it all, a crescent moon hanging high in the sky, emitting its unsettling purplish-red glow.
Looking at the scene, both of them couldn't help but think, so this… is what the underworld looks like?
But this was only the beginning. The most chilling part was that many of the souls still retained the features they had at death, far from dignified.
Yet they seemed unaware of it, still communicating with the souls around them.
Their voices were indistinct, blending together into a vast, oppressive murmur that filled the entire city of Styxia.
This wasn't the city of dragons and waves.
It was clearly a city of the dead.