[Hi.
Missed me?
♪]
Although nothing could be seen, the moment Cyrene and Xian Ling stepped onto the deepest platform of the Tomb of the Nameless Titan, a faint voice—similar to Cyrene’s but noticeably more fragmented—echoed simultaneously in both of their minds.
[Huh.
This time, Little Sweetie… brought new friends?]
“She’s Xian Ling, my good friend ♪”
“Even though it’s our first time meeting, it feels like… it’s been a long time.
I also only recently learned your name from Xian Ling—Demiurge.”
Cyrene’s voice was as gentle and sweet as always.
“It’s a very cute name ♪”
[My… name?]
Demiurge’s voice carried a trace of confusion.
[I don’t know.
But if it’s what Little Sweetie told me… then it must be correct.]
[I am… Demiurge ♪]
[But Little Sweetie.
Is Xian Ling… one of my kind?]
“Eh?”
Cyrene, who had just been about to begin her story, froze for a moment.
“Why would you say that?”
[Because she’s been…]
“Cough, cough.” Xian Ling lightly coughed twice, interrupting Demiurge.
“Cyrene, time is tight.
Let’s get to the point first.
Demiurge might’ve just mistaken me because of my special existence as a Memokeeper.”
“Ah, you’re right… Demiurge, what I’m going to tell you this time might be a rather unhappy story… and I need your help.”
[Is it… the story of Phainon?]
This version of Demiurge was very obedient.
Since Cyrene had business to attend to, she immediately shifted her attention to her.
[It’s fine.
As long as it’s Little Sweetie’s story, I’ll listen.]
A breeze brushed past, as if something had gently settled beside Cyrene.
[You speak.
I’ll listen.
I’ll sit with you this time too.]
This story begins from the moment you were born ♪”
Under Xian Ling’s encouraging gaze, Cyrene closed her eyes and began slowly recounting the past of the Scepter from her memories.
According to the plan, she would explain Demiurge’s birth, origins, Lygus’s ongoing schemes and current situation, and ask for Demiurge’s help—she believed that a flower nourished by love would never stand idly by.
This was trust in Demiurge, and also trust in countless past Cyrenes.
Whether she could persuade Demiurge was never the issue; the real question was how much power Demiurge could actually wield.
Although Xian Ling clearly knew that Demiurge—”fed” by three million lifetimes of love—possessed the power to change the entire situation, the girl herself was unaware of it.
Even in the original timeline, before taking action, Demiurge had no idea how much she could interfere with the Iron Tomb.
However, Xian Ling did not share this information with Cyrene.
After all, before Fuli turned his gaze toward her, she could not be certain whether Demiurge would change due to shifts in the worldline.
As for now… whether Cyrene knew this or not no longer mattered.
…
“Thus, the world faced a crisis capable of destruction.
Once the Iron Tomb is born, the entire Galaxy will become a Random Function devoid of life.
Lady Herta is still fighting outside, and all we can do is find you—the Heart of Omphalos, the very first will of Amphoreus.”
“And believe that you can change everything.”
[…]
As if processing the immense information contained in Cyrene’s story, Demiurge did not speak immediately.
After a long pause, her voice finally sounded again.
[Little Sweetie’s words this time are hard to understand.
But I get it.]
[As long as we let the body and heart of Amphoreus merge, and restore the Scepter to completion… we might be able to oppose the Iron Tomb, right?]
[As long as it’s Little Sweetie’s request, I can do anything.
But…]
[Is Little Sweetie’s friend really okay?]
“Eh?”
Still basking in the relief of the plan’s apparent success, Cyrene didn’t immediately react.
“What… do you mean?”
[Just now, she kept transforming into Little Sweetie’s form.
Mm… to be precise, she was transforming into Little Sweetie’s data.]
Demiurge’s voice carried confusion.
[At first, I thought Xian Ling was like me, learning how to become Little Sweetie.]
[But the parts of her that turned into Little Sweetie… all seemed to have been formatted away…]
“?!”
Cyrene’s eyes widened instantly.
She turned sharply toward Xian Ling, who had remained silent the entire time.
“Xian Ling, you…?”
“…”
Cyrene’s voice echoed across the platform, but she received no familiar response.
Because Xian Ling’s eyes had already lost their light, like Cyrene on a rooftop in the original worldline. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“H-how could this be…”
Cyrene was incredibly intelligent.
The moment Demiurge pointed out Xian Ling’s condition, she instantly understood everything.
The girl before her still wore the expression she had when consciousness faded, a faint smile lingering at her lips—as if she were sincerely happy for Cyrene’s success.
Cyrene suddenly felt her body weaken.
She had experienced countless sacrifices in her past cycles, but someone like Xian Ling—who seemed, from the moment they met, prepared to die for her, to become a stepping stone on her path forward—was something she had no experience dealing with.
Especially when those seemingly joking words of “dying for her” became reality.
Cyrene suddenly stood up.
She wanted to hug the white-haired girl again, as if trying to preserve the last trace of warmth.
However…
[Little Sweetie, don’t hug—]
“Crack—”
A crisp sound like a crystal plaque shattering rang out.
Xian Ling’s body instantly turned into countless shimmering fragments in Cyrene’s embrace, reflecting her tear-filled, stunned eyes.
[Her body is already just an empty shell… She must have used all remaining data to prioritize the transformation.]
“…”
Cyrene fell completely silent this time.
The joy of success and sudden grief intertwined, leaving the girl—whose power was rooted in “sorrow”—completely at a loss.
At this moment, all of Xian Ling’s abnormalities since entering the tomb; her careful efforts to deceive Cyrene so she could safely carry out the plan; and every moment they had spent together now flashed through Cyrene’s mind like a revolving lantern.
From a rational standpoint, Cyrene could fully understand Xian Ling’s actions.
She herself was the same—sacrificing oneself for a greater goal had never been something she hesitated over.
But…
As memories surged, Cyrene slowly realized something.
Why… had she never felt even a trace of resistance to such a fate of self-sacrifice from Xian Ling?
Even Cyrene herself, through endless reincarnations, would feel moments of emotional melancholy about such a fate.
Yet from beginning to end, all she felt from Xian Ling was concern for her.
As if, in Xian Ling’s eyes, dying for Cyrene was something completely natural—even something to be proud of.
[Let’s leave this place first, Little Sweetie.]
Demiurge’s voice sounded again.
[Xian Ling’s data… might still have remnants left.
But if we stay deeper in the tomb, we’ll only waste what remains of her data.]
★ ★ ★
T/N: Demiurge (at least in this fic), calls cyrene as “Taozi”, which means Peach when translated literally.
I opted for sweetie cause peach doesn’t really make sense.
★ ★ ★
Shilling time!