The Duke's Belief! SAM's true identity exposed?

Just when everyone thought the wielder of The Nihility was finally going to draw her blade, the scene suddenly shifted again.

It entered Acheron's memories.

An unexpected figure appeared— It was Duke Inferno!

...

: What the hell?! The Duke?!

: Did he get resurrected?

--------------------------------

As the audience was taken by surprise.

On the screen, Duke Inferno collapsed beneath his own throne, no longer exuding the overwhelming aura of dominance seen in the preview.

The flames surrounding him engulfed and consumed the opulent palace that once belonged to the Destruction Faction.

Before The Duke, Acheron stood, holding an unsheathed katana, her gaze cold and contemptuous.

However, it wasn't as the audience imagined.

At this moment, The Duke's words and demeanor remained dignified.

"It seems the outcome has long been decided..." The Duke spoke slowly, his tone unwavering.

"They are still alive, I guarantee it."

"You still have a choice—leave that music box behind, and then leave." Acheron pointed at The Duke with the sheath of her katana.

Though the blade remained sheathed, The Duke had no doubt about its ability to obliterate him effortlessly.

"A choice?" Faced with the sliver of hope Acheron offered, The Duke let out a scoffing laugh.

"Destruction runs through my blood; submission is not an option."

"The Fire Demon of Fetora... Even if you offer your life to that Aeon, you will not earn Their favor." Acheron spoke calmly, merely attempting a final persuasion.

"Ranger, you walk the narrow path of the 'hunt,' a path without cure or salvation."

"We come from the fire, are born in it, spread it, burn, and destroy, until the fuel is gone, leaving only ash."

"Burning defines a Fire Demon's existence—the beginning and the end."

"We are born to die, embodying the universal truth: all things are born to be destroyed."

The Duke's voice carried a fervent intensity.

Even as Acheron invoked his children, his resolve remained unshaken.

Even though these children were desperately trying to buy him a chance of survival.

"They are my children, untempered sparks of fire. They are still young, and I will not blame them."

"But my flame has already grown hoarse. Before it fades, I must surpass you."

"Destruction is a glorious instant. To live in cowardly survival would make life unbearably long."

"Draw your blade, emanator!"

"May this resplendent and explosive fire burn brightly, illuminating your bottomless dreams!" The Duke slowly rose, his voice growing impassioned.

On him, there was no trace of defeat or disgrace.

Only an unyielding will to walk the path of destruction, carrying it through to the very end!

In his march toward the inevitable conclusion of ruin, Duke Inferno's bearing perfectly aligned with the impressive image he had projected in the preview!

...

: Damn! The Duke is so cool!

: What's going on? I always thought The Duke was just a clown.

: His unwavering belief in destruction is hitting me hard!

: This is completely different from what we guessed. The Duke knows exactly what he's doing—he's not even that inhumane.

: Even when his children failed to embody the will of destruction, he didn't blame them. Damn, he's like a father figure for the faction.

: I'm in tears!

: The Duke is truly igniting himself—his belief and determination are actually respectable.

: Does this count as another little twist?

...

On the screen, Acheron also expressed respect for The Duke.

In many ways, the two shared similarities.

At least when it came to the ending and its consequences, neither of them cared.

What mattered most was the process.

"Apologies. This blade remains sheathed—not out of pity or disdain. It contains secrets I do not wish to reveal."

"But as a gesture of respect... I will be honest with you." After speaking, Acheron slowly adjusted her grip on the hilt of the blade.

"May death end your long dream and guide you to a world of clarity."

At this critical moment, the screen suddenly went black.

Only the sound of the blade being drawn was heard.

In the next second, the scene returned to the present timeline.

That lengthy flashback not only revealed The Duke's story before his death but also seemed like Acheron's response to her own doubts: Do you dream of those who died by your hand?

"I still dream of them." Acheron gazed at SAM, her expression calm. At this moment, she let go of the katana's hilt.

"Stop. Your time has not yet come."

"My... time?" The flames on SAM's body gradually died down.

"I have seen many clever disguises that can mask the surface but not the heart. You are no exception."

"SAM, you didn't intend to kill her, did you?"

Sam remained silent.

Though his expression was hidden beneath a mask, it was clear he was shocked by Acheron's guess.

And the audience was stunned.

This wasn't what they expected.

"Did fate's slave make you do this?" Acheron continued with her deductions.

"You know Elio?" Sam didn't answer directly but instead posed a question.

"I thought this would be written in your 'script.'" Acheron replied indifferently.

"My script always has only a few lines. Anything beyond that is unnecessary and unimportant."

"He knows my nature: there is only one path, and no one can escape it. But before that, I have the right to choose."

"But it seems you don't know, so now it's my turn to ask: who exactly are you?" At this moment, Sam also realized there was no need to hide the truth.

However, he was equally curious about Acheron's identity.

But this time, Acheron did not answer directly.

Instead, she responded with cryptic words, implying that she might not be SAM's enemy.

And then, she revealed a piece of shocking news.

"I often forget certain things. Because of that, I rely more on 'feelings' than memories to capture something, so..."

"I know who is inside that armor." Acheron actually knew SAM's true identity!

SAM's sudden, somewhat startled reaction indirectly confirmed this.

This revelation made the audience's eyes widen in disbelief.

And then, one explosive revelation after another followed.

On the screen, Sam, whose identity had been exposed by Acheron, did not remove his armor for some reason.

"...If we are not enemies, I can offer you some advice."

"If your goal is the watchmaker's legacy, investigate The Family. They not only covered up the truth about the death but also suppressed the treatments for Robin's past illness."

"And, the Astral Express is not your enemy." SAM's words were an exchange of intelligence.

This information had already been revealed to the audience through Black Swan and Aventurine.

But when SAM mentioned it again, combined with Acheron's earlier explanation of SAM's motives, it overturned the audience's speculations from last week entirely right at the beginning of the second episode!

What was even more surprising was Acheron's reaction—she remained completely calm and even stated that she had known all along!

All the attention shifted toward The Family.

Regardless of whether a character was perceived as good or bad by the audience, everyone pointed their fingers at The Family.

...

: According to the speculations from the first episode, Acheron and Sam, both of whom held extremely special identities, might not have had low compatibility.

: It turned out that Sam's actions were aimed at driving away Black Swan and Acheron, possibly to protect the Astral Express from his perspective?

: And Acheron, who appeared to support the Express, seemed to share a positive stance toward it as well.

: What on earth is this? My brain is overheating again! These two both recognize the Express as a legitimate power—then what does that make Aventurine and Black Swan?

: Among these four, one of them has to be the villain, right? They're all trying to act loyal. This isn't Werewolf ,anymore! Ahh!

: Now the alliance between Black Swan and Aventurine has broken down, with both sides vying for the Express.

: SAM seems intent on protecting the Express from Black Swan and Acheron, while Acheron... as the emanator of nothingness... also—ah, screw it.

: This is a mess! I can't make heads or tails of this anymore.

: What's even more intriguing is that no matter who it was, everyone unanimously pointed fingers at The Family.

: So, after all this, is The Family the true villain? Wasn't Robin already dead? The Family was supposed to be the victim!

: Ahhh! Mom, I don't want to think anymore! My brain is about to fry!

...

Black Swan, Aventurine, Acheron, and Sam.

The attitudes of these four, along with their previously established alliances and rivalries, were completely shattered and reorganized.

Adding to that the new information, the audience was utterly unable to distinguish who was good and who was bad.

Instead of resolving the mysteries, the second episode deepened the shadowy fog.

The audience was desperate to uncover the truth.

At that moment, on the screen, Acheron and SAM's conversation had ended.

Before departing, SAM answered the question Acheron had initially asked.

"Your first question: do I still dream, and dream of those who died because of me?"

"I don't. Never."

"I was born without the ability to dream. I live for the cold, hard reality, burning for a sliver of light, burning endlessly until I am reduced to ash."

"So, I envy you."

This was the first time SAM set aside his identity as a Stellaron Hunter and spoke from his own will.

"Is that so... Then you are already living in a world of clarity." Acheron said this and left without looking back.

Their conversation left the audience feeling as if it contained vast, hidden information.

Why was the inability to dream of those who died because of oneself considered by Acheron as living in a clear world?

No matter how much they thought, they couldn't understand the meaning.

Only Xia Wen knew, this conversation was between one who could not awaken and one who could not rest.

After Acheron departed, the screen shifted.

Under the golden glow of Penacony's clock, beneath the statue of the clockie, the members of the Express gathered together, exchanging the intel they had just gathered.

Faced with the thoroughly reshuffled clues, the audience could only pin their hopes on the Express crew, the sole focal point.