"Perhaps... it's because the carriage we're in has detached from the main body of the Astral Express, resulting in incomplete overall defenses?" Welt analyzed, though even he sounded unconvinced by his own reasoning. "Or perhaps, as Miss Black Swan stated, this world called Amphoreus is exceptionally unique. Apart from those three Paths, the power of other Paths here is significantly suppressed and weakened?"
He paused, frowning deeper. "But what kind of world rules could have such a pronounced effect on an Aeon's creation?"
"Never mind that for now," Stelle scratched her grey hair, a look of belated worry on her face. "Did you manage to contact the Astral Express? Our carriage has a giant hole in it. If Himeko and Pom-Pom find out, they'll kill us." She made a throat-slitting gesture with exaggerated expression.
"Heh," seeing this, Welt couldn't help but chuckle lightly, his tense expression easing slightly. "Seeing you still so lively and worried about that actually reassures me quite a bit."
He then became serious again. "Dan Heng and I already tried while searching for you. Unfortunately, all communication methods have failed. We are completely cut off from the Astral Express."
"Indeed, my decision to come down with you was correct. Otherwise, Himeko would likely be even more anxious."
"I believe the priority is to quickly ascertain our location," Dan Heng suggested coolly, his vigilant gaze sweeping over the somewhat desolate yet visible man-made structure in the surroundings. "Judging by the vegetation, soil, and the faintly visible structures in the distance, this world undoubtedly possesses a mature civilization. We need to gather information and find a way to restore communications."
Just then—
"Mi mi...?"
An extremely faint, questioning, and timid voice drifted over from not far away.
"Who's there?!" All three instantly became alert, weapons immediately at the ready.
Welt's cane glowed faintly, Dan Heng's Spear of Cloud-Piercer aimed at the sound's source, and Stelle tightened her grip on her bat.
The faint noise seemed frightened by their reaction and vanished instantly.
"Let's follow it," Welt whispered, making a decision. "Stay alert, watch your surroundings, beware of ambushes."
...
Meanwhile, at a location not far from the Astral Express's crash site.
Civilians gathered here under the orders of the Demigod from Okhema, awaiting evacuation from the now unsafe Abyss of Fate, Janusopolis.
"Tribbie, I followed your instructions and went to scout that place where the huge commotion just happened," Cipher ran back like a gust of wind, reporting to Tribbie who was maintaining order. "I found three people who look super suspicious over there!"
"Three suspicious people?" Tribbie looked up, her clear eyes filled with concern. "Refugees fleeing here?"
"Mmm... they don't look like civilians at all!" Cipher waved her hands emphatically. "Their clothes are weird, doesn't seem like styles from here, and they're all carrying weapons! They look tough."
"Carrying weapons?" Tribbie's brows furrowed slightly with worry. "Don't they know that openly carrying weapons here easily attracts attacks from the Titankin?"
"Those monsters drawn by the aura of conflict won't distinguish friend from foe... Ciphy, we need to go help them quickly, at least warn them..." Her innate kindness made her first consider others' safety.
But before Cipher could answer...
"Ah, this sort of trivial matter hardly requires two Demigods to personally handle it, does it?" An excited male voice interjected.
A young man with white hair, blue eyes, and a clean aura stepped forward. "What kind of training is it for a warrior to just stand guard around here? Leave it to me, how about that? I promise to handle it properly."
"Phainon?" Tribbie relaxed slightly seeing him. "Alright, but you must take Cyrie with you. We'll only feel at ease if you two go together. Remember, first confirm their intentions, ensure their safety, try to avoid conflict if possible."
Phainon nodded, taking the pink-haired girl who was comforting the civilians among the crowd. Together, they swiftly and silently moved towards the direction where the Astral Express trio was.
...
"That little pink creature just now, did you guys get a clear look?" Stelle asked her companions.
"It was very fast, and its form seemed... unlike any known creature from the biological records I remember," Dan Heng frowned slightly, recalling the fleeting figure.
"That's to be expected. Amphoreus is a completely unknown territory to us," Welt said gravely, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings. Unknowingly, they had chased into a more open area. "If that phenomenon resembling flickering jumps across different timespaces was caused by that creature, then this world might be even more mysterious and dangerous than we anticipated."
"Huh? What are these... statues?" Stelle pointed curiously at a group of grey statues standing in the middle of the path not far away. "But why are they placed right in the middle of the road? This is so strange."
Before the words fully left her mouth—
"Careful! They're alive!" Welt was the first to detect the abnormality—fine cracks appeared on the surfaces of those "statues"!
Without hesitation, he raised his cane. An invisible gravity field instantly pressed down, crushing the first few statues that animated and tried to pounce into dust!
Stelle and Dan Heng reacted extremely fast, entering combat stance almost simultaneously with Welt's warning.
Stelle swung her bat, Dan Heng leveled his spear. The two tacitly met the remaining statues flanking them from both sides with perfect coordination.
...
On a nearby high ground.
"Sigh... I originally wanted to pull off the classic hero-saving-beauty trope, leave them with a deep, favorable impression," Phainon watched the trio 'struggling' in battle below, somewhat regretfully summoning his one-handed sword. "But it seems now, if we don't intervene, they're going to clean up those Titankin all by themselves. Right, Cyrene?"
"Hehe," Cyrene chuckled lightly, but her gaze looked past the battlefield, observing with keen interest the grey-haired figure—the one carrying the long-awaited "variable" Amphoreus craved. "Phainon, the hero-saving-beauty act is considered cliché even in novels."
"But weren't you moved by just such a 'cliché'?" Phainon blinked. "I remember clearly, back on the day Aedes Elysiae was saved, someone stared at a certain figure for a very, very long time~"
Cyrene shot Phainon a glance.
"Ah... ahem, alright, enough said. If we dawdle any longer, there really won't be a chance for us to make an appearance!" Phainon suddenly realized he'd probably said the wrong thing.
So, to avoid Cyrene's gaze, he leapt down from the high ground.