【"No, this isn't a Dryad..." Castorice leaned in to carefully observe the blue specter before her, "...it's the shadow of a deceased Dryad."】

【"A deceased Dryad..."】

【"...'s shadow?" Trianne scratched her head, signaling her lack of understanding.】

【"They are... strictly speaking, plants. They gained intelligence through Celsis's impartial blessing, but it's very limited compared to humans. These little guys in front of us are already dead... leaving behind only a small residual image of their soul." Castorice explained, "However, this also means the Golden Threads are indeed tied to the Nautilus's manifestations—without the outline of the Golden Threads, it would be impossible for us to see them."】

【"Then... what exactly happened to them? Why is only a tiny shadow left?"】

【"Castorice looked at Mimi: 'Mimi, could you please try to sense the memories they carry?'"】

【"I'll try. Mi... Mimi..."】

【Mimi closed her eyes, earnestly sensing the residual soul before her. After a moment, she opened them and slowly muttered a few vague words.】

【"Black... cloak... sharp sword..."】

【"Toward the Great Tree..."】

【"...Ugh, that's all. Their memories are very thin, without even images. I could only hear these few vague words."】

【A drop of cold sweat slid down Castorice's temple: "...Everyone, I have a bad feeling. Thanatos's Death Mist... seems to be approaching."】

【Stelle discovered a Memory Shard near the Dryad's residual soul. After she activated it, two figures appeared in the surroundings.】

【A young scholar rose from the ground and reported: "Lord Callinicus, we have installed the Bronze Detonators on some of the main roads of the Arbor Court as you requested."】

【"Good. Can they be detonated as planned?"】

【"Technically, there are no issues. We have organized trial explosions, and they can indeed cause damage to the Titan's Divine Body, but..."】

【The man turned around: "But?"】

【The young scholar showed a troubled expression: "But, to use such means for blasphemy..."】

【"Heh, in a moment of crisis, don't worry about so much. Slowing down the Black Tide's invasion as much as possible is the priority. I didn't expect that at the critical moment, we'd have to use Anaxa's unorthodox methods. Other scholars have always revered the gods and never studied such dark arts."】

【"Sigh... even if the Nautilus disagrees, it can no longer make a sound."】

【The man patted his shoulder: "Alright, stop sighing. Now, Gravitas, you have another important mission. I need you to find a way to leave the Arbor Court immediately and seek help from Okhema. I don't know if the Arbor Court can survive this calamity; if we can hold out until reinforcements arrive, all will be well. If not..."】

【"We can only entrust the Spark to that woman."】

——

Attack on Titan.

"The Black Tide has attacked... does that mean all these people in the Arbor Court are already dea—"

Eren gasped. He didn't dare to think further in the cruelest direction. If the students of the Arbor Court had been slaughtered, there should be corpses everywhere. Since there wasn't a single trace of blood now, it might be because they had all gone to take refuge.

To actually go as far as using detonators to blow up the Sacred Tree, not hesitating to use this "self-destructive" method to combat the Black Tide—Eren found it hard to imagine what kind of disaster this specifically was.

Could it be something like the Nautiluss... an existence that is difficult to resist with mere human strength?

"Black, cloak, sharp sword... could it be referring to the Black Tide monsters?"

Armin pondered these words, barely sketching the image of a humanoid warrior in his mind. If the Black Tide was a group of human-like monsters, there would be quite a few strategies to deal with them.

He was most afraid that the Black Tide would give birth to some eerie creations that were hard to comprehend with common sense, or those that were difficult to eliminate through "physical" means. Armin believed that as long as these Black Tide monsters could be killed, there would eventually be a way to target them.

"Armin, do you think these Black Tide monsters... have self-awareness? Or rather, is there some consciousness behind them directing their behavior?" Jean, looking up at the Celestial Screen, suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I want to know if the Black Tide is a natural disaster, or if someone with intentions wants to use it to eliminate humans and Nautiluss?" Jean said, "If it's the former, I think the Chrysos Heirs and the Astral Express Crew could work together to slowly manage it. But if it's the latter... imagine, if someone truly intends to use the Black Tide to wipe out all living beings in Amphoreus, what would their purpose be?"

"Destruction."

"Yeah, only 【Destruction】 requires no purpose." Jean took a deep breath, his expression darkening completely, "...In the worst-case scenario, Amphoreus is a planet targeted by 【Destruction】. But as for why they didn't send the Legion but used the Black Tide instead, and the cause of the Black Tide... I wouldn't know."

——

【The group continued deeper into the Arbor Court until they reached a platform. Countless corpses of twisted monsters lay scattered across the ground, interspersed with many scholars from the Arbor Court.】

【In addition, large areas of deep red grid-like Erosion areas appeared on the ground and stone pillars of the Arbor Court, obstructing their progress.】

【Trianne instinctively hid behind Castorice: "This... is terrifying..."】

【Mimi curiously observed the dead monsters: "What are these... beasts? Or are they followers of the Nautilus of Death?"】

【"No, neither..." Castorice shook her head, "These are Black Tide Constructs, twisted and empty husks formed when life is corroded. Everyone, stay alert... no matter what happened in the Arbor Court, seeing the remains of Black Tide Constructs here is not a good sign."】

【Mimi: "But, these black guys... shouldn't they be here?"】

【"Although the Arbor Court is in a relatively remote location, for the Black Tide to spread here so quickly..." Castorice's brow furrowed, "The world where 【Strife】 fell is likely more dangerous than we anticipated."】

【"Ugh, then wouldn't Okhema be in danger too?"】

【"Castorice was deep in thought: 'Judging by the mess on the ground... the scholars should have at least blocked the first wave of attacks. But, I don't know at what cost...'"】

【...】

【Meanwhile, in Okhema.】

【"Lady Aglaea, the patient who appeared on the outskirts of Okhema has survived after several days of surgery."】

【"I've added more to your burden, Hyacine."】

【Hyacine's expression was still not great: "He was affected by the Black Tide, and the fibrosis of his organs is particularly severe. It's a miracle he survived; I cannot guarantee when he will wake up..."】

【"Don't feel pressured, you have done your duty. Don't rush back to the Arbor Court now; take a good rest first."】

【After seeing Hyacine off, Aglaea pulled Tribbie aside: "Master, there's something else I want to tell you. The origin of that injured man... is somewhat suspicious."】

【"He is not from Okhema. The way the stitches are hidden in his clothes is quite special... it's the craftsmanship of the Arbor Court."】