"Oh? Isn't this just like Lu Bu?" Okita Souji tilted his head with a smile, looking at Lu Bu meaningfully.

"Hey hey, you shorty, what does Dahlia liking to betray have to do with me?" Lu Bu's tiger-like eyes widened into round circles as he glared fiercely at Okita Souji.

However, Okita Souji turned a deaf ear. Not only did he not step back, but his smile deepened even more: "Even I have heard of your deeds—if you put Dahlia's experiences on yourself, wouldn't they be very similar? First the Garden of Recollection, then after betraying the Garden you joined the Annihilation Gang, treating Duke Inferno as your foster father, and then as soon as the Duke died, you defected to the Cremator."

"Speaking of which, Lu Bu also once defected to Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo. If Dahlia knew of your deeds, she would surely feel a sense of kinship, right?"

"You guy..."

Lu Bu was so infuriated by his breezy attitude that his teeth itched, the problem being that he couldn't refute it at all.

"Having said that, I don't have the hobby of 'betrayal'." Lu Bu cleared his throat, "From this point alone, that woman and I are fundamentally different."

【 "That's impossible, the Antimatter Legion has always been looking for her (Dahlia)." Black Swan said, crossing her arms. 】

【 "Aren't you all the same? To erase me, the Garden of Recollection carried out fourteen pursuits, and that last time, I clearly died right in front of you, right?" 】

【 Black Swan's gaze sank: "It really is you..." 】

【 "Ring ring—" 】

【 As the two were talking, the phone nearby suddenly rang. 】

【 "Interrupting someone else's reminiscing is really lacking in grace. But please go ahead—after this, let's have a good talk about your ingratitude, my dear 'cellmate'." 】

【... 】

【 Returning to reality, Dahlia was still sitting in front of Stelle, smiling brightly at her. 】

【 "Hmm? Your expression is a bit strange. Before this, I always felt nervous about the arrival of this moment—always worrying that you might think I'm a bit scary." 】

【 "It is quite scary." 】

【 Dahlia wore a naughty expression: "If you are willing, you can also endure it... I can actually remain consistent. Or rather... would you prefer to enjoy my 'double standards'?" 】

【 Stelle thought about it and decided not to discuss this aspect with this dangerous woman for now. She changed the question: "You also participated in the operation?" 】

【 Dahlia nodded: "Of course, everything in Penacony is more important than you think. To avoid other bad directions, the Stellaron Hunters must invest so much power." 】

【 "You know Black Swan?" 】

【 "Mmm, quite 'intimate'. Don't misunderstand because of what I said back then. I've always believed that the moment two people locked in a death match with daggers press the tips of their blades against each other's throats is much closer than ordinary dance partners." 】

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

"These two people... their relationship feels quite twisted too." Stark curled his lip, "She calls Black Swan a 'cellmate'. Could it be that she regards the Garden of Recollection where she used to stay as a prison?"

"I'm afraid so, and she actually managed to escape from the hands of the Garden of Recollection fourteen times..." Fern also found it completely unbelievable. She had thought Dahlia and Black Swan knew each other, but she didn't expect their relationship to be this complex.

Perhaps in Black Swan's eyes, Dahlia was an extremely dangerous element—the Cremator and the Garden of Recollection could be said to be at loggerheads, but Dahlia seemed to thoroughly enjoy the "opposition" between herself and Black Swan.

"If she really likes 'betrayal', then her betraying the Cremator in the future is probably just a matter of time." Zane said with disgust, "She actually claims to be a Stellaron Hunter... If Silver Wolf finds out someone is impersonating the Hunters to act, she'll definitely sort her out."

"Probably not. She also helped Firefly a lot. If it weren't for Dahlia... Firefly might not have been able to execute her plan smoothly."

Frieren seemed to suddenly think of something, a Shimmer flashing in her eyes as she muttered to herself, "Right... Could Dahlia's appearance also be within Elio's foresight? He didn't tell Firefly everything, just to create an opportunity for Dahlia to slip in, letting her guide and protect Firefly—the former could obtain memories she was interested in, and the latter's plan could also be guaranteed."

"But Firefly unknowingly told Dahlia so much intelligence and information... Is that alright?"

Frieren gently nodded: "If it were important, Elio would definitely have told her in advance. Just like not letting Stelle get even a touch of 'Nihility', important intelligence is something Elio would emphasize repeatedly. Aside from that, all other information has no impact on the overall situation of Penacony."

【 "Now, let's cast our gaze toward a certain intersection of fate—" 】

【 "Shortly after, you finally learned of Black Swan's intentions. She made a trade with the IPC, bringing you before Gold Dust. To reclaim Penacony, the IPC had always been looking for temporary allies. As initial sincerity, he showed you his discovery—the 'Robin's murder' scene fabricated by the Fool." 】

【 "From then on, Gold Dust launched his high-stakes gamble. Not hesitating to shatter the Cornerstone that was heavier than life, he tricked Sunday with schemes, trading for the chance to wager everything." 】

【 "The astonishing heavy stake allowed him to trigger an Emanator's slash as he wished. The secrets that the Family painstakingly concealed were thus exposed, and you, caught in the center of the Uzumaki, fell into it as well. But these are the stories of the living; meanwhile, what would the world of the 'dead' be like?" 】

【 "That Miss Robin arrived at Dreamflux Reef a step ahead of you. Yet what faced her was not the unknown of a high-stakes gamble... but predestined life and predestined death." 】

【... 】

【 In the lush garden, a pair of tender siblings were crouching beside the grass. The younger sister cupped a fledgling Bird in her palm, her eyes sparkling. 】

【 "I don't understand Brother's words... For a little Bird, does flying... also need to ask 'why'?" 】

【 The gloomy boy said: "Since it is up to us to decide whether to release it back to the sky, we must take responsibility for it." 】

【 "It sounds just like Mr. Mr. Gopher Wood's tone..." The young girl said with certainty, "But... I've decided. Let it fly freely. If I had feathers and wings like it, I would definitely want to fly, even if just to give it a try. Besides, Brother will help it, right?" 】

【 The boy hesitated for a fraction of a second: "But..." 】

【 "Hearing such words at the time of parting is truly reassuring. Sunday, your younger sister is going to walk ahead of you." Mr. Mr. Gopher Wood smiled and walked behind the two of them. 】

【 "Mr. Mr. Gopher Wood? How are you..." 】

【 "11:15 █ The divine grants us heavenly fire, and also grants us sacred trials. Let them exist; you and I are both mortals, born to love and to suffer. Today, more than one little Bird is about to embark on a distant journey—at the moment of your departure, how could I be absent?" 】

【 Gopherwood kindly waved at Robin: "Come here, child, I have prepared a 'parting gift' for you." 】