@beeqwop ...oh my god. You're a genius.
After I read this chapter, I had the exact reactions as everyone else. "What the hell, Phos is just endless suffering, ahhhhh, make it stop, let them be happy", and so on and so forth. And I kept mulling it over. Why? Why do this to Phos? You're gonna force them top basically be the savior of two species, who have either disrespected/loathed Phos' existence, or used them for their own gains. Why would Phos want to help the former Gems and Lunarians after they finish their transformation, if all they ever did for Phos was make them suffer?
And then, I saw your comment.
And suddenly it clicked for me. You are absolutely right. The Bodhisattva is supposed to be a savior for all existences. All of them. And this world had three species to start with: the Gems, the Lunarians...and the Admirabilis, the slug people in the oceans. After the first fews arcs or so, we haven't seen them much in the story. Which is strange, if you think about it. They are supposably the third descendants of humans, and would be affected if Phos released the Lunarians. And yet, they haven't been given much focus.
Now, Ichikawa-sensei could have tossed the Admirabilis aside, and they could be just minor characters. But I always had a gut feeling that they were more important to this story than we were led to believe. My theory is that after the hiatus, we're going to see Phos reunite with the current generation of Admirabilis, and they will be a key part of the final arc. Their kind view Phos as a legendary hero, and their "scent" has stayed on them even after all Phos' appendages were added onto their body. I think the Admirabilis will the ones who don't use Phos for any reason. As Phos has been selfless to them in the past, they probably want to repay Phos for their kindness.
And remember what Phos said at the end of the last chapter: they want to be happy. They wanted to be useful, accepted, helpful, loved. The Gems and Lunarians (with one or two exceptions) could not give Phos what they wanted. But I think the Admirabilis can. They can give Phos everything they want: love and acceptance, despite everything that they've done.
And that will be the key to Phos completing their true transformation.
But that's just a far-fetched theory lol we'll see what happens 🙃