"Did you put that mission up to… to…"
"To help you grow through the loss of your friends."
Arthur lunged at the Sphinx, his daggers drawn.
An invisible force struck him and smashed him back into the wall.
The attack nearly knocked him out.
"Child of lightning, you've inherited the purest blood of Zeus. That's why you are the rightful owner of the words 'Kingsley'."
Arthur's father was the Great Sky God, Zeus.
The news would've shocked him if it was not for the current circumstances.
"They died because of me…?"
Arthur felt like he was being crushed under the weight of the truth.
Mars entered the giant library.
The shelves stretched as far as his eyes could see.
Each book contained a different Spell, a different technique, a different knowledge.
However, all of it was useless to him.
His cursed body could not use anything.
Suddenly, a voice spoke to him.
"Ask your question, child."
He could not find the Sphinx.
"No need to search for me.
"This form is your visualization of me.
"In my current state, I'm omnipresent. I'm knowledge itself."
"It's been a long time since someone thought so highly of me."
Mars felt as if the air was talking to him.
He could feel the faint presence of Sphinx all around him.
"Speak, child. What is that you want you know?"
Mars could feel his heart loudly thumping in his chest.
There was no hesitation in his words.
"I want to surpass the Supreme."
The moment he had been waiting for…
"You cannot surpass the Supreme. It's impossible for you."
The Sphinx's words struck him like thunderbolts.
For a moment, Mars felt everything came crumbling down.
He quickly composed himself.
It was not the first time his hopes were crushed.
"Child, I will allow you to ask another question."
The Sphinx's words were generous.
The Sphinx's ill-intended excitement.
It wanted to see how Mars would crumble.
Unfortunately for the Sphinx, he had long learned to keep moving forward no matter how thorny his path was.
"O Great Sphinx, from your words, it seems the method to surpass Supreme exists and I cannot use it?"
"That's the truth, child. The method is useless for you."
"I want to know the method, O Great Sphinx."
"Even though you can never surpass Supreme?
"Child, you should change your question. Chasing after an impossible dream is not worth your life."
"Please, O Great Sphinx."
"Sigh, if that is your wish, then…"
The Sphinx decided to answer Mars' question.
Lucas entered the massive room.
He saw the baboon, a type of monkey, resting on the stone in the center of the room.
A giant silver cube, made of millions of smaller glowing cubes, floated in the sky.
"It's Akashic Record," the baboon spoke.
"Greetings, heir of the mighty Zeus Clan.
"Or would you prefer 'puppet of the mighty Zeus Clan'?"
Contrary to the Sphinx's expectations, Lucas' smile did not crack.
He gave a pretentious bow.
"It's my honor to meet the omniscient Sphinx."
The baboon licked its lips, irritated by Lucas' smile.
"I don't like to talk with those who are the same as me.
"Just ask your question and leave."
"You are far too generous to compare my inconsequential self to someone as great as you, O Sphinx.
"I humbly thank you for your kind words."
"Yeah, yeah, hurry up."
Lucas raised his head to stare at the giant cube in the sky.
"Why is the Akashic Record being created?"
The Sphinx's smile disappeared.
"I want to ask the purpose of creating the—"
It appeared behind Lucas and grabbed his neck.
"Who told you that the Akashic Record is still incomplete?"
"O Sphinx, please calm down—"
"Don't test my patience, brat!"
The Sphinx tightened its grip around Lucas' neck.
"Tell me, who told you about the Akashic Record's truth and how much do you know!?"
"I… I know nothing. My question was borne purely out of curiosity."
Lucas' face reddened.
He could not breathe.
After a few moments, the Sphinx let him go.
It could not kill Lucas unless it had the proof that Lucas' question was borne out of malicious intent towards the Akashic Record.
"Will I receive an answer?"
The baboon scratched its head in a mad frenzy.
Just when it seemed the baboon would not answer, it opened its mouth.
"Akashic Record is the compendium of all knowledge we've gathered.
"The internet is but a small part of its true ability.
"Akashic Record is hope itself. It…"
Neo stepped into an empty hall.
He did not see the Sphinx.
An unfamiliar voice flowed into his ears.
"This is interesting.
"Although everyone knows I'm formless, they end up associating me with an image, even if that image is 'formless' itself.
"I did not think I would meet two students today who did not associate me with an image."
A table appeared in the center of the hall.
Sphinx, in a body of a man, wearing a suit and a faceless face, sat on one of the two chairs.
It beckoned Neo to take the other seat in front of it.
"I hope this form is acceptable?"
"I have no problem with it."
Both of them became quiet.
Neo opened his mouth after a few minutes,
"Why aren't you saying anything? I thought you liked to talk."
The Sphinx leaned over the table.
It stared at Neo in the eye.
"You are not supposed to exist.
"The S-rank mission I posted was meant to kill all but 5 participants.
"Not only did the composition of the teams change, more than 7 survived and the future changed completely."
The Sphinx leaned back.
It drummed its finger on the armrest and continued,
"Everything has been different since a while back.
"Elizabeth de Beaufort is alive, Morrigan di Montaigne is not the Ruler, the attack planned by the head of Mystical Fauna Reserve was thwarted a year earlier, and now the S-rank mission too.
"The future is not flowing as how it is supposed to flow.
"I was suspicious of what was causing the changes.
"It's you, isn't it? The one who is changing the pre-determined future," the Sphinx said.