RUMBLE—!!!
The entire Earth-Piercing Wedge vibrated violently. The thick Black Tide sediments covering its surface cracked and peeled off like fragile eggshells.
Countless ancient and complex runes lit up one after another, radiating a dazzling golden light. An incomparably massive suction force was generated from within the Wedge.
"Uuuuurrrghhh—!"
The Divine King in the air let out an agonized howl almost simultaneously.
The boiling Black Tide energy upon its body was forcibly drawn away like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea. Countless mixed frequencies frantically surged toward the Earth-Piercing Wedge, and the power within its body rapidly plummeted.
Realizing the fatal threat, the Divine King roared and gathered its remaining power, transforming it into a pitch-black torrent of destruction. It blasted fiercely toward Rover, who was entirely focused on rebooting the Earth-Piercing Wedge and could not afford to be distracted.
"Don't even think about it!"
In the nick of time, a crimson silhouette violently burst out from within the Divine King's body.
It was Augusta!
Bathed in blood but with eyes burning like torches, she threw herself recklessly in front of Rover and viciously plunged her greatsword into the ground.
"Thunder-Forged Crown! Bastion!"
A massive lightning shield instantly deployed, forcibly blocking this fatal strike for Rover.
The shield trembled violently. Augusta coughed up a mouthful of blood, but she didn't yield a single inch.
The Divine King's power had been drastically weakened!
An opportunity!
Augusta took a deep breath, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, gripped the hilt with both hands, and raised the sword high into the sky.
Her voice resounded through the basin, carrying endless resolve and summons:
"Heroic spirits of the Seven Hills! Fallen heroes! Please lend your strength to me!"
"Let this 'Counterfeit Divine King' witness what true guardian power is!"
As if responding to her call, countless specks of golden light emerged from the void around the basin. Like a sky full of fireflies, they converged into a mighty river of light and poured into Augusta's sword.
That was the residual will and power of the heroic spirits who had died fighting the Black Tide to protect the Seven Hills through the ages.
Countless golden silhouettes appeared. Their arms supported Augusta's greatsword, injecting surging heroic spirit power into it.
The greatsword in her hand emitted an unprecedented, scorching light capable of tearing the firmament asunder. At this moment, the blade seemed to transform into pure light.
"With this sword—end everything!"
Using all her strength, Augusta slashed a world-shaking final strike toward the terrified Divine King, whose power had plummeted.
A giant sword of light—its immense power beyond words, fusing the power of lightning and flame with the convictions of thousands of heroic spirits—slashed down as if splitting heaven and earth.
BOOM!!!!!!
A deafening explosion resounded through the heavens and earth. The blinding light instantly blinded everyone present for a brief moment.
A terrifying shockwave madly expanded forward in a columnar shape, directly blasting a massive gap into the rock wall on the western side of the basin, forcibly carving out a broad passage.
When the light and dust slowly cleared, the Divine King's twisted silhouette had vanished without a trace, not even leaving a speck of ash behind.
The false god had been slain!
A deathly silence fell over the basin.
Following that, the wild joy of surviving the disaster and an unbelievable sense of victory swept over all the survivors like a tsunami.
"We won! We won!"
"Hero King! Governor Augusta! Lord Rover!"
"Long live the Seven Hills!"
"Long live the Governor! Long live Lord Rover! Long live the Hero King!"
The cheers shook the heavens and the earth.
Everyone was going crazy for this hard-won victory.
Leaning on her sword, Augusta knelt on one knee, panting heavily. Her face was full of exhaustion, but even more so, the joy and pride of a massive burden lifted.
Looking at the spot where the Divine King had vanished, she slowly stood up and spoke softly, as if whispering to those departed heroic spirits:
"I pay tribute with my howling. Heroes of the Seven Hills, rest in peace."
She turned around, carrying the joy of victory and a trace of relaxation, and walked toward Rover on the base of the Earth-Piercing Wedge.
She wanted to share this joy with him, to jointly celebrate this great victory.
However, what she saw was Rover's gloomy, desolate back.
He stood there, head bowed, as if the surrounding cheers had nothing to do with him, shrouded in an impenetrable layer of sorrow.
"Rover?"
Augusta walked up to him, somewhat puzzled. "We won! What's wrong?"
She acutely sensed that his mood was off.
Rover slowly raised his head. His golden eyes were bloodshot and filled with bottomless grief.
He looked at her, his voice hoarse and difficult: "Augusta... do you still remember... Yuno?"
"Yuno?"
Augusta froze, a blank look appearing on her face. "Who is Yuno? Haven't we... been fighting side by side all along, and just now, finally defeated the Divine King?"
She found Rover's question very strange.
Rover's heart sank heavily.
Refusing to give up, he looked at Bu Ling, the Black Shores technicians, and the other gladiators who were gathering around.
"What about you guys? Do you remember Yuno? You know... that Oracle with the blue-black twintails?"
The crowd looked at each other in dismay and shook their heads one after another.
"Lord Rover, are you perhaps too tired?"
"An Oracle? It seems there were a few Oracles supporting from the rear, but I can't remember their names..."
"Yuno? Never heard that name..."
Bu Ling also tilted her head, her eyes flickering a few times: "Boss, you might be experiencing hallucinations or memory confusion as a lingering effect of the Black Tide."
He confirmed it.
Except for him, everyone had forgotten Yuno.
The traces of her existence had been completely erased by the world.
Immense loneliness and sorrow instantly drowned Rover like an icy tide.
The joy of victory completely vanished, leaving only endless emptiness and heartache.
Although puzzled, Augusta patted his shoulder: "Let's go, Rover. Back to the camp first, we should leave."
She scratched her head and said with a slightly unnatural expression, "Although the camp is gone from the bombardment earlier, the people are still waiting to welcome their Hero King. Over at the Quadrangle Hall, the celebration banquet must already be prepared."
"When we return to the city of Seven Hills, there will be an even grander celebration waiting for us."
Rover, however, slowly shook his head, his voice low and exhausted: "No, Augusta. The celebration banquet... I won't be attending."
He walked to the core of the Earth-Piercing Wedge.
There, after the Earth-Piercing Wedge was successfully rebooted, a small, quaintly designed, and exquisite compass had surfaced.
It was engraved with undecipherable ancient runes, emitting a faint aura homologous to the Sentinel.
This was the relic left for him by Sentinel Imperator.
He fiddled with it for a moment, found that it couldn't be opened, and tucked the compass away.
Then, under the bewildered gazes of Augusta and the crowd, Rover silently and alone walked step by step toward the western side of the basin.
He walked toward that broad passage cleaved open by Augusta's final sword strike, leading to the western mountainous region of the Sanguis Hunting Grounds.
His silhouette was stretched very long in the afterglow of the setting sun, filled with an indescribable desolation and resolve.
Rover knew that in his memories, on the island in the center of the lake on that mountain next to the Plains of Bygone Flowers, beneath that giant tree... perhaps... he could still find the last trace she left behind.
And he had to go find her.
No matter where she was, no matter what the price.
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