When Lu Li and Clorinde, carried by the torrent from the dragon prince Scylla, arrived before the golden, lyre-like palace, they had no time to be amazed. A figure was already waiting for them. It was their target, the remnant of the Remurian dynasty, Boethius.

The stone-masked man watched them ascend the steps. "Humble and insolent descendants of barbarians. I did not expect you to truly have the courage to set foot in a god's sanctuary... For your transgression, you will pay the price!"

Clorinde exchanged a glance with Lu Li and stepped forward. "I advise you to surrender now. All your attempts are futile. No matter how many stone statues you reanimate, you are no match for us."

"Hehe... hahaha—Such arrogance..." Boethius laughed wildly. "Very well. Come forward, and I will let you comprehend the majesty of a god!"

Just as Clorinde was about to speak, Boethius stretched out his hand. Purple energy ripples spread out, and a huge magic circle formed at her feet.

Lu Li, having anticipated this, instantly rushed forward. Just as the teleportation array was about to ensnare Clorinde, he threw himself into it and flung her out of the circle.

"Lu Li—"

Clorinde landed safely with a flip. The next moment, she gritted her teeth. Lu Li and Boethius had both vanished. She then heard a sound and turned, her brow furrowed. The stone guards lining the path had all come to life and were slowly moving towards her.

She turned her gaze back to the palace and swam inside. Her training as a Champion Duelist had honed a powerful intuition, and her intuition told her that the answers lay within.

————

Lu Li stood with his arms crossed in the middle of a grand, dreamlike hall, a strange aura brewing within it. So, just as I expected. Boethius used his power to drag me into his consciousness space.

He looked up. Boethius appeared on the judge's seat, looking down on him. "So you are not an ordinary human... You have the appearance of a mortal from the surface... but your soul does not belong to this world... No wonder I could not touch or control it... But it matters not. Your defeat is already sealed. The justice I enact will ensure my immortality."

"Justice?" Lu Li sneered. "Using the power of Phobos, all you want is to absorb the souls of the innocent to achieve your own godhood, am I not right? Remus's plan to use Phobos to fight Fortuna (Fate) failed precisely because he overlooked the flaws of human nature. And you, a prisoner of Phobos, do you think you are stronger than him?"

"Enough! You insolent brute... I know not why you know so much, but it is of no consequence... You will die here, and in the symphony I compose, your body and soul will be annihilated!"

"No, the one to be annihilated is not me," Lu Li said calmly. "Though Remus was a tyrant, he made another provision against your eventual betrayal. And that provision will be the tomb of you, the traitor who seeks to usurp a god's throne."

"What did you say?!" Boethius demanded, shocked and enraged.

Lu Li snorted, drawing his twin knives as the reanimated stone guards charged. "You are not immortal, Boethius. By bringing me into your mental space, you have sealed your own doom."

From the panicked look in his eyes, it was clear the traitor was far from calm. He watched as Lu Li effortlessly dispatched the guards with bursts of Pyro, and his sense of unease grew. He could feel his control over the power of Phobos slipping.

Finally, he roared, and with a wave of his arm, a centaur-like stone knight descended—the Legatus Golem.

"Enough! Now, you will die!"

"Clang—"

The golem's spear sent Lu Li flying. Seeing this, Boethius's form dissolved into light and merged with the golem, intending to use its physical might to deliver the killing blow. He was not afraid of being destroyed. As long as Phobos existed, the resentful souls of the Remurian dynasty would allow him to reform.

But he soon realized something was terribly wrong.

"I told you, Boethius, you would pay the price for your recklessness," Lu Li said, getting to his feet as the massive golem began to tremble uncontrollably.

"You... what have you done?!" Boethius roared in panic.

"This was never my doing. It was Remus's," Lu Li said coolly. "The Legatus Golem is formidable, but you forgot that you were not the only tuner of Phobos. The other tuner, unlike a traitor like you, was steadfast in his loyalty. And so, just as Remus planned, Cassiodor has destroyed your control from within at the moment of your triumph."

"Damn you, why do you know so much?! Was this all part of your plan?!"

With an enraged roar, the Legatus Golem fell to one knee, its face flickering between blue and red light, proving Lu Li's words.

"Everything you do has a price, Boethius. Now, it is time to atone for your sins," Lu Li said, then summoned countless fiery phantoms and unleashed the full power of his Pyro, blasting the Legatus Golem to pieces.

"BOOM—"

The mental space collapsed, and countless white souls scattered and dissipated into the air.

[Thank you.]

A familiar yet never-before-heard voice echoed in his mind. Lu Li closed his eyes.

-------

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