Phainon moved like lightning, his sword flashing as he precisely cut into the edge of the battlefield.
With a single sweep of his blade, a fierce sword aura instantly shattered the three outermost stone statue monsters!
As he swept past Stelle's side, he even lowered his voice, speaking in what he thought was his most steady and reliable tone:
"You seem... to be in need of a little help." At this moment, Phainon felt he looked 'cool as hell' inside.
Without pausing, he swiftly dashed to Welt's side—who was busy using gravity to suppress the monsters—and with another flash of his sword, he cleanly knocked down the last few struggling Titankin.
The entire sequence was fluid and executed with utter confidence.
However, when Phainon finished off all the enemies and looked back with a hint of smug satisfaction, he sensed the atmosphere was... off.
"Huh? This... mister?" Phainon asked, scratching his head in confusion as he looked at Welt, whose body was trembling slightly and who was staring intently at him.
"Even if I helped you out, you shouldn't be so moved your hands are shaking, right? I could tell you guys could have handled these grunts even without my help."
He naively assumed the other was simply overcome with emotion by his "heroic act."
In reality, the moment Welt got a clear look at Phainon's face, his mind went nearly blank. The hand gripping the Star of Eden trembled uncontrollably; he almost couldn't stop himself from blasting a pseudo-black hole right into that face!
This face... he knew it too well! It was practically "Kevin Kaslana"! At least a ninety percent match!
Thankfully, his formidable reason held back this impulse.
He desperately reminded himself: 'I just saw Acheron, a counterpart of "Mei," on Penacony. There's no way my luck is this "good" to run into a "Kevin" counterpart right after! Calm down, Welt Yang. Calm down!'
And then...
"Phainon," a gentle, slightly chiding female voice sounded. Cyrene walked over slowly from behind, smiling as she looked at Phainon. "As the prophesied Deliverer, it's rather impolite to casually call someone 'mister,' you know."
Deliverer?
Welt Yang felt the last thread of his sanity groan under the strain.
'That face, that voice, and a "Deliverer" title... You're totally Kevin, aren't you?! Even the character archetype fits!'
"Calm down, Mr. Yang! Calm down!" Stelle and Dan Heng, sensing the nearly tangible dark aura suddenly radiating from Welt, were instantly scared out of their wits. They frantically grabbed his arms from either side. "This is the first local we've met! He's a vital source of information! You can't fight him! Don't fight!"
The scene descended into momentary chaos.
Phainon, frightened by Welt's stare, shrank back and hid behind Cyrene.
Watching this inexplicable scene unfold, he whispered to Cyrene, "Seriously? All I did was call him 'mister.' Is he really that mad about it?"
Finally, after everything settled down and Welt regained his composure, Phainon spoke up.
"A word of advice," Phainon said, sheathing his sword, his expression turning somewhat serious.
"In a place like 'Abyss of Fate,' openly carrying weapons like you are is in itself a strong provocation."
"Those stone soldiers are the claws of the Titan of Strife. They have always been... merciless towards outsiders who show hostility."
He paused, offering a well-intentioned suggestion. "So, to avoid unnecessary trouble, I suggest you put your weapons away for now."
"Put away our weapons?" Welt Yang adjusted his glasses. The gaze behind the lenses still held scrutiny and a trace of unresolved vigilance.
He looked at Phainon, then glanced at Cyrene, who maintained her gentle smile but whose gaze subtly lingered on Stelle.
"We are grateful for your timely assistance. However, whether you are friend or foe remains unclear. You ask us to lay down our weapons and show sincerity, yet you haven't even provided the most basic courtesy of introducing yourselves."
"Ahaha," Phainon chuckled awkwardly, scratching his distinctive white hair. A sunny, slightly apologetic smile appeared on his face.
"My oversight, getting caught up in helping and forgetting introductions. I am Phainon, from Aedes Elysiae. Greetings to you all." He gave a slight nod, his movements carrying a soldier's efficiency and sincerity.
"And I, Cyrene of Aedes Elysiae, greet you." Cyrene also gave an elegant bow, her voice soft, though her curious eyes still occasionally drifted towards the gray-haired girl trying to subtly hide her bat behind her back.
"Both of you are from Aedes Elysiae?" Welt seized on the place name, pressing for more information about this unfamiliar world.
"Judging by the name, it must be a... splendid place, full of remarkable people?" he probed.
The sunlight in Phainon's expression dimmed slightly. Then he stated calmly, "It... has been destroyed."
"...!" Welt was taken aback, immediately realizing he had touched a sore subject. Even he felt a pang of remorse.
"Ah, my deepest apologies. My condolences..." he offered a sincere apology.
"It's quite alright," Phainon waved a hand. His expression didn't sink into heavy grief, but instead held a sense of release and hope born from surviving catastrophe.
"Fate was ultimately kind to me. Everyone in Aedes Elysiae was saved from the final disaster by a nameless hero."
"Though we lost our home forever... at least we didn't lose something more precious—each other."
"These days, there are still people who do good deeds without leaving a name?" Stelle couldn't help but interject, her tone carrying a note of incredulous admiration. She imagined the scene and thought it was pretty cool.
"Indeed," Phainon nodded, a glint of determined pursuit in his eyes. "All these years, I've been searching for him, hoping to properly thank him in person for saving our lives. Unfortunately, I've found no leads yet..."
He suddenly paused, catching himself, and laughed, steering the conversation back. "Hey, wait, how did we get sidetracked talking about me? Cyrene and I have already properly introduced ourselves." He looked at the three members of the express crew, his gaze urging them on.
Welt took a deep breath, temporarily setting aside his myriad suspicions, deciding to reciprocate with courtesy for now. "My apologies. I am Welt Yang."
He introduced himself first, then gestured beside him. "This is Dan Heng." The black-haired youth gave a silent nod.
"As for this one..." Welt's gaze turned to the gray-haired girl.
Stelle straightened her posture, cleared her throat, and in her most "formal" tone, announced with a barely detectable hint of pride: "I am—the Galactic Baseballer!"