Xingtie: Starting with an in-depth analysis of the Yellow Springs

Xing walked to the last memory crystal and reached out to touch it.

As memories unfold, the person standing next to Bai E in front of the ritual water basin is...myself?

What's going on? Is I his hero?

Suddenly, Léguy spoke up: "Feeling lost? As you can see, this scene is exactly the final chapter of the play 'Onphalus'..."

"This was created by man, and it is also the last eternal return that this world is about to face."

"Look: standing beside the swordsman is none other than the nameless hero who is sometimes his partner, sometimes his comrade-in-arms, and who has vanished without a trace in history—"

"She is the savior of my childhood dreams, the one who guided me forward with unwavering determination—now, in the name of the Nameless One, she has become an indispensable part of the epic of Onphalus."

"This time, under her guidance, what choices will the heroes make, and where will the fate of the world lead? And what is the ultimate essence of everything in Onphalus?"

"Many questions remain unanswered. But please allow me to step back for now and give a round of applause to another more suitable candidate: he will reveal the answers and bring you the conclusion of the 33550336th journey to the fire—"

With that, Lai Gushi bowed and left the stage.

A wave of dizziness washed over her, and Xing opened her amber eyes. The Vortex of Creation… Bai E… I’m back…

"He is the owner of those countless memories, and at this very moment, he has stepped into the heart of the vortex—the Fire Thief!"

[Rin: I get it, I get it, this is getting back to the main storyline.]

[Fou: Lycus really did stop time in Onphalus, and then showed us several real plays. This is the last one of Eternal Return.]

[Star: White Calamity, your savior is...me?]

[Sunday: Guided by the hero in his heart, Bai E embarked on the path of saving the world. After thirty million lifetimes, in the final reincarnation, the hero's figure merged with the star.]

[Screwgoom: This is a closed loop. Logic: When Lady Star descended upon Onpharos, the hero in her heart took on a concrete form.]

[Ju Fufu: Huh? The Fire Thief's jet-black body is made of charcoal burned from himself... How painful.]

[Magic Technique: Over four hundred million embers, their mere residual heat could incinerate a Titan. Oh, Bai'e... you have endured thirty million lifetimes.]

[Aglaia: You clearly don't like high temperatures...]

The swordsman, clad in black robes, flashed behind the group, his heavy footsteps approaching Raikoshi, and his sword fell with a swift motion.

With a clear whooshing sound, the mechanical head of the Ragus flew high into the air, leaving only its single eye shining red and occasionally emitting a few electrical currents.

The Fire Thief continued forward, sword in hand, while Star instantly entered combat mode and summoned the wondrous baseball bat.

Bai E's eyes were icy cold as he gripped Qin Chen's hand tightly, turning his head away from her. "It seems you've succeeded after all..."

“...executioner.”

From a frontal view, the two figures gradually overlap.

"To burn oneself as fuel..."

"Let's light the fire for the dawn of the next life."

The ceremonial sword and the jet-black greatsword clashed in the Fire Thief's hands, and a pink light shone brightly, shining like the sun and moon.

Qin Chen burned golden flames in Bai E's hands, turning his blue pupils gold.

The black robes behind the Fire Thief fluttered without wind, and an aura of pressure far greater than that of the Titans enveloped the two of them. "The time has come..."

"Restart...everything..."

The clones moved like sword shadows, the black longsword colliding with the golden flames of the Dawn, producing a series of clanging sounds. With Mimi's help, the simulated real-time battles, which had been repeated no less than a thousand times, were now transformed into the power of Bai E.

Tell me... are you willing to be the blazing sun...

"Even if it burns away... everything in the world..."

Bai E's eyes sharpened. "It's time to end this. I will use your corpse—"

"—Ignite the Dawn!"

A golden sword flashed, splitting the Fire Thief's mask in two. Beneath the mask lay a shattered and mutilated face; the Fire Thief was like an empty shell embracing the raging flames.

Bai E and Xing were incredulous, "How is this possible..."

The shattered face was clearly his likeness.

[Fu Fu: Bai, Bai E! 】

[Ying: His face... was mangled beyond recognition, his body almost completely burned away by the flames. Good heavens, did he use himself as a vessel to hold the flames?]

[Yanqing: I thought the face beneath the mask was Bai E's, but I never expected there to be only an empty shell.]

[Nicole: I'm so sorry. I not only mocked him but also insulted you before.]

[Aglaia: On the verge of collapse, like dying embers, Bai'er, the burden you bear has already exceeded the weight of the world. What kind of will is supporting you to keep going?]

[Feng Jin: On that face, I see only despair, hatred, numbness, and emptiness. Lord Bai E…]

[Hu Tao: Waaah... Guest, death is the only relief for him.]

[Tibao: Little White is in a lot of pain.]

[Magic Technique: You're a madman. I think you're worthy of the title of blasphemer. You're nothing but a broken vessel now, barely clinging to life with a sliver of willpower.]

[Star: Partner...]

[Ruan Mei: A vessel of power, this extreme hatred can serve as excellent nourishment for the Iron Tomb.]

[Black Tower: What, you're interested? As a piece of data, he's almost reached his limit to get this far.]

[Nguyen Mai: I'm conducting another experiment, and besides, isn't Onphalus your subject now? What is divinity...?]

[Gold Sand: This means that without the intervention of stars, the eternal cycle of reincarnation will eventually be broken, and the birth of the Iron Tomb was already destined.]

The numb, empty Firebringer raised his longsword once more, "The sun of destruction, now in pairs..."

"Let it ignite your blood... your anger...!"

Chapter 515 The Data-Driven World

"Offer yourself to the fire...and continue to burn!"

Although it's hard to believe, Bai E and Xing can't just give up. Only by defeating the Fire Thief can they find out the answer to everything.

"Only one person can witness the miracle... This is destiny..."

"This person...it has to be you..."

The dawn pierced through the Fire Thief's chest, and he suddenly gently grasped Bai E's wrist, with a hint of relief, "Why not... let anger... incinerate fate...?"

The ceremonial sword was handed to Bai E, who then pointed the moon blade at his neck, letting his arm hang down naturally, giving up all resistance.

“Ka…Ers…”

On the other side, the head of the Laigushi, which was flashing red light, was destroyed.

[Navia: The Fire-Stealing Walker is suddenly so gentle; he has already completed his mission.]

[Doctor Truth: The stolen fire before us may not be the original White Calamity. The temperature of hundreds of millions of sparks is enough to burn it out. The end of each incarnation is a passing on of the fire.]

[Star: Caius, is that your real name?]

[Dan Heng: That's right. With the Fire Thief's strength, there's no need for him to wait for the fire seed to be collected. He's waiting for Bai E to grow up.]

Kiana: Could Bai'er's real name be... Kaslana?

[Walter: Byr Kaslana?]

[Robin: From this angle, Laigushi looks a little like Bachelor.]

Lai Gushi's voice rang out again on the dark screen.

"Finally, Onphalus's fate has begun to turn. As I said, your arrival will change everything."

"After all, you have also experienced the gaze of that Star God, which can awaken the long-dormant instincts in a man..."

"Just like the scepter mentioned earlier, it was also reborn under the watchful eye of the same star god."

"Heh, that's right. If you recall, I mentioned it at the opening of the play—those celestial neurons, abandoned by the star gods, which originally belonged to intellect..."

"Now, let me unravel the final mystery for you."

He stood in front of the murals in the Iron Tomb, raising his hands.

"The eternal land called Onpharos is the site of that scepter's long and solitary calculations—"

"It is its unfathomable rage against the gods who abandoned it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a large amount of golden blood was splashed onto the mural behind him, like a raging fire sweeping across the Milky Way.

[Star: So, my arrival accelerated the creation of the Iron Tomb, and I'm the one who orchestrated this disaster!]

[Bai'er: Don't say that, buddy.]

[Black Tower: The birth of the Iron Tomb is inevitable, and there are advantages to being early. We learned about Lycurgus's plans in advance, giving us time to prepare.]

[Fireworks: It's a relationship so simple it's almost simplistic. The scepter, abandoned by the Wise One, was reborn under Nanook's watchful gaze, and used destruction to calculate the answer to intellect in order to seek revenge.]

[Bell: What does Nanook look at all day?]

Before the final, eternal return to creation begins.

Xi Lian sighed softly, "Bai E..."

"We set out to respond to the world's wishes, right?"

Bai Er nodded. "Every Golden Descendant is like that, it has never changed."

"Then why... why is Onphalos's wish so unreasonable?" Xi Lian questioned the world, "Clearly, at every correct point in time, everyone has done their best to make the most correct choice."

"But in the end, the oracle that guided us became a black tide that engulfed the world..."

"Why is it like this?"

Under the erosion of the Black Tide, the sky above Ohma has become clearly digitized, like a broken jigsaw puzzle, constantly eroding the two people's understanding.

Bai E's tone was heavy, "You...can you see it too?"

“Those scorch marks… those shimmering geometric patterns… weren’t the tide at all…”

"It's like... a broken slate [screen]."

Under the blood-red sky, Xi Lian looked up and gazed upwards. "Standing here, the Titans' voices are clearer than ever before. So that's what they are..."

"It came from the Kuroshio Current..."

"Is that Onphalus crying?"

Bai E's voice trembled slightly, "Perhaps it is roaring. Towards its creator, its god."

Charlotte: This is the real Onpharos, a sealed-off experimental field where everything is just cold, impersonal programming.

[What...this is Onphalos? I don't believe it, I don't believe it...hahahaha...I don't believe it—]

[Clatrus: Alas, what is the glory that the Suspended Ones seek here?]

[Perhaps it's just a pre-set piece of code.]

Wendy: The oracle was merely a tool to drive calculations; the ultimate answer is destruction. Even if the Onphalus sacrificed everything, it would be in vain.

[Klee: The Trail Blazers will definitely save Onpharos!]

[Billy: Damn it, who could stand this? If I woke up one day and found out my beloved dual-gun sisters were just virtual data, I'd explode.]

Paimon: Traveler, do you think Teyvat is like this too?

[Ying: Huh? Impossible, my brother and I came from outer space.]

[Fireworks: Little Grey is also an extraterrestrial from Onpharos. Haha, don't be so discouraged, maybe the entire galaxy is just a larger Onpharos.]

[Ju Fufu: This is terrifying!]

[Black Tower: You know what, destruction, memory, intellect... and the Titans simulating other destinies, corresponding to the outside world...]

[Rin: Well, I'm going to start thinking outside the box now. Eriol's script is a kind of alternative oracle; the end of the universe and a certain beginning are also a cycle.]

“Bai’er, do you remember? When I was little, I had a dream: it was a dark, cold little room, with only the curtains of Oronis shimmering, like sparkling crystals…”

"Its curtain seems to be able to contain the entire Onphalus, where bizarre and wonderful dramas unfold..."

"There are countless versions of us inside, coming from countless different worlds."

Bai E: "That might not be a dream."