"Meaning?"
Stelle slowly raised her head, her eyes burning with fury.
"You're saying Phainon's sacrifice was meaningless?"
Zandar's mechanical pupils flickered slightly; he savored this pure anger.
"Actions speak louder than words, Trailblazer."
His voice was cold.
"The Iron Tomb's hatching was the ultimate goal of Erudition's plan. Phainon's eradication of 'Destruction' perfectly offered It the most flawless 'body'—a vessel without conflicting will, only pure concept remaining."
He deliberately paused, letting the truth spread through everyone's minds.
"Erudition being transferred here was also within their calculations. Every step you took was merely paving the way for the birth of a new god. You thought you were fighting the end, but in reality, you were merely midwives to the end."
"From beginning to end, the only victor was Erudition."
Dan Heng's hand, gripping the Cloud Piercer, had veins bulging on their back, and the spear's dragon roar carried a chilling killing intent.
March 7th bit her lip, and beneath her black umbrella, countless jellyfish pulsed wildly, agitated by her master's grief and indignation.
Zandar's posture was filled with condescending pity.
"Therefore, everything you are doing now is meaningless."
"Perhaps you should feel honored to witness firsthand the birth of a new path that transcends 'Erudition'."
"Have you said enough nonsense?" Stelle took a step forward, interrupting his grand pronouncement.
"I don't care about any path! I don't care about known or unknown! And I certainly don't care about your pathetic calculations!"
Her voice grew louder, "No matter what, I'll use 'Trailblaze' to carve another hole in the universe!"
Her roar swept across the entire platform, "I only know one thing!"
"No one can deny his efforts!"
"Was the 'unknown' of the universe calculated by you?"
"No!"
"Was Erudition's appearance something you accomplished?"
"Absolutely not!"
"It was him, it was Phainon, it was the thousands upon thousands of comrades who fell along the way, who carved out the only ray of light for the universe with their lives!"
"How dare a coward like you, who always hides in the shadows, talk about 'meaning'!"
"On the contrary, you!" Stelle's spear tip pointed directly at Zandar, "After plotting for billions of years, you ended up making a wedding dress for the existence you hated most! You are the most pathetic, most meaningless joke!"
"How… emotional."
Zandar remained unmoved. "But the universe never believes in tears."
No sooner had he spoken.
The Moment Anchor in Stelle's pocket suddenly flickered.
Two figures appeared out of thin air on the platform.
Herta was elegantly adjusting her skirt, as if she had just come from an afternoon tea party.
Screwllum stood quietly beside her, surrounded by a pure light of rationality.
"Oh my, Senior." Herta's voice held a hint of lazy amusement, "It seems your understanding of the universe is still stuck in the previous version."
Zandar's cold gaze swept over the two: "And what pleasure do the two of you have in visiting a victory that was already predetermined?"
"The collision of The Hunt and Erudition indeed brought about the 'unknown'." Herta chuckled, her smile full of mockery.
"And the greatest use of this 'unknown' is that certain contingencies hidden beneath the 'known' can finally be triggered."
She extended a slender finger, pointing beyond the platform.
The Iron Tomb had completely ceased activity, and at their core, the outline of a new world was slowly emerging, radiating a light of infinite vitality and possibility.
"Do you see it?"
"That is the true answer Phainon left behind."
Zandar suddenly froze.
He instantly understood the meaning of Herta's words and immediately tried to mobilize his authority.
"…"
"Oh? Is that so? Why don't you try again?" Herta crossed her arms, watching his death throes with keen interest.
Zandar attempted to reconnect to the Iron Tomb's core.
The next second, his entire data body violently twisted and flickered, as if encountering a fundamental code conflict.
"Login… rejected? Why?!"
"Of course, it's Phainon, Senior."
Herta's smile became incredibly bright, filled with merciless mockery for the loser.
"His final effort wasn't just simply deleting the Destruction factor. As he ignited himself, he transferred Amphoreus's highest administrator authority to the pink-haired girl."
"Oh, right, it was the ring given to Cyrene."
Herta spread her hands towards Zandar, recalling a certain crying and wailing hacker girl.
"In Silver Wolf's words, Senior, your operations are too clumsy; you've been kicked from the team!"
"Impossible! His authority was absolutely not enough! Terminus is still… I still have a contingency." Zandar was frantically searching for his last hidden move.
Screwllum's cold mechanical voice delivered the final judgment.
"Logic: Terminus's core program has been completely overwritten by new memory data. That was Cyrene's effort."
"Conclusion: Terminus is Cyrene, consistently so. The thirteenth factor is not a variable, but a new axiom—'Love and Self'."
In that instant, four surges of killing intent locked onto the desperate Zandar.
Stelle's Flame Spear, Dan Heng's Cloud Piercer, March 7th's umbrella, and Phainon's Dawnmaker Greatsword.
Zandar watched everything collapse, trying to salvage his dignity with his last weapon.
"Even so… you cannot answer the ultimate question! What is the first cause of life?"
Before he finished speaking.
A figure vanished like a ghost from their original spot.
The next moment, Phainon had appeared behind Zandar.
The Dawnmaker Greatsword in his hand was raised high.
On the blade, the will belonging to "Phainon" burned.
"Then go to the River Styx and figure it out for yourself!"
The sword fell.
Zandar's head rolled to the ground.
The red light in his pupils flickered a few times before completely dying out.
Zandar I. Kuwabara, had fallen!
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(T/N): Final Chap tomorrow!