At the highest point of The Grove, the hall housing the Throne of Enlightenment was vast and solemn, the air thick with the scent of knowledge and accumulated years.
"Child of humanity," a gentle voice broke the silence.
A slightly ethereal female figure materialized before the black-clad, masked individual—it was a wisp of consciousness left behind by Cerces, the Titan of "Reason."
Her gaze fell upon the uninvited guest, carrying scrutiny and a trace of imperceptible vigilance. "I see you have been standing before my throne for a long while, silent as a riddle. Tell me, what is it you seek?"
"…" Khaslana, the black-clad figure with the metal mask, remained like a cold statue, utterly ignoring her inquiry.
Cerces's avatar faintly frowned, ripples passing through her light-constructed form. "Your body… why does it carry an aura belonging to one of our kind? Could it be that you…"
"Titan," Khaslana finally spoke, his voice emerging from behind the mask, low, hoarse, devoid of any emotion. "You talk too much."
His head tilted slightly towards the sole entrance to this place. His gaze beneath the mask seemed capable of piercing the heavy walls—he could sense that they were almost here.
...
"Who would have thought the process of recovering the Coreflame of 'Reason' this time would go so smoothly," the Trailblazer remarked casually while ascending the final spiral staircase, a tone of impending task-completion relaxation in their voice.
"Haha, partner, that's exactly the kind of thing you shouldn't jinx by saying it out loud," Phainon chuckled in reminder beside them. "The best outcome is being able to recover the Coreflame without any incidents."
But at the very moment they were about to step into the top-floor hall, Mem, who had been quietly perched on the Trailblazer's shoulder, suddenly pricked up her ears, her small body tensing sharply!
"Mi——!!" Mem let out a sharp, urgent warning cry. "Wait! This smell… it's something burning! Danger!!"
However, the warning came a step too late.
As the group, assembled as agreed before the Throne of Enlightenment, stepped into the sacred hall, what greeted their eyes was the figure they least wished to see at this moment—the Flame Reaver!
Khaslana watched the highly-alert group calmly, observing them instantly shift into combat stance, weapons drawn, energy swirling.
His reaction was merely an almost imperceptible lifting of the hand holding the shattered blade.
No charging up, no warning, only three icy words, like a funeral bell tolling in the depths of everyone's soul:
"Three Cuts. Clear the field."
First Cut! His figure blurred like a ghost. In the next instant, he was already before Phainon, who was charging forward.
That shattered weapon swept out at a speed surpassing visual perception, not aimed at flesh, but with pinpoint accuracy striking the force-application point on Phainon's weapon!
An irresistible, tremendous force transmitted through. Phainon grunted, his entire person sent flying backward faster than his charge as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, his greatsword plowing a furrow into the ground.
Second Cut! Almost simultaneously, the edge of Khaslana's blade instantly closed in on the alchemical matrix Anaxa was about to complete.
The matrix seemed severed by an invisible blade, its light scattering, erupting into a chaotic flow of disordered elements that forced him to stagger back. The taste of alchemical backlash was clearly unpleasant.
Third Cut! The desolate arc of light from the shattered blade flashed once more, not aimed at anyone, but striking the ground before Trianne and Hyacine.
A deep fissure instantly appeared, accompanied by a powerful repulsive force that physically pushed back the two attempting to advance and support, forcing them all the way to the edge and corner of the Throne of Enlightenment hall, temporarily unable to enter the fray.
In the blink of an eye, three unexpected targets had been either repelled or contained by him in a single move!
And it wasn't over. Khaslana's wrist vibrated. Four "shattered vessels" similar to his main body but more illusory separated from him, accurately finding Phainon, Trianne, Hyacine, and Anaxa of this cycle. These four vessels clung tenaciously to them, preventing easy support.
Now, those remaining in the field who could move freely and faced him directly were only the Trailblazer and Welt.
Khaslana's gaze fell upon the Trailblazer. That shattered blade in his hand lifted once more, a dim light seeming to flow across its dull edge.
"With you as tinder, to prove…"
He moved again! This time, faster, with greater presence! Like black lightning tearing through space, he closed in on the Trailblazer directly! That broken sword carried an aura of annihilating everything, descending in a slash aimed at their head!
"Partner!" Phainon's eyes widened with fury, wanting to rush over but was tenaciously blocked by that shattered shadow, only able to let out an anxious roar.
The Trailblazer's pupils contracted. An intense sense of crisis stretched every nerve in their body to the limit!
Almost instinctively, they gripped the flame spear with both hands, channeling power into it. Blazing flames erupted from the shaft as they raised it to block upward!
"CLANG——!!!!!"
A deafening impact sound swept through the entire hall! The Trailblazer only felt an indescribable, massive force transmit along the spear shaft. Their arms shook violently, palms numb, the ground beneath their feet cracking inch by inch! But they clenched their teeth, forcefully taking this terrifying blow!
The scenario Khaslana anticipated—of the Trailblazer's weapon being knocked away or even serious injury—did not materialize.
The moment the Trailblazer's flame spear collided with the broken sword, amber patterns on the shaft suddenly lit up, emitting a warm, tenacious light that absorbed nearly seventy percent of the destructive force!
"So this is… Amber?"
Khaslana's movements paused minutely.
His icy gaze fell upon the still-vibrating flame spear in the Trailblazer's hands.
From behind the mask, there seemed to be an extremely soft murmur.
But this hint of sound vanished in an instant.
The next moment, the aura around him suddenly became more dangerous, more profound. As if a lazy leopard had finally restrain its playful attitude.
He, should get slightly serious now.
Then, Khaslana's body spun forcefully. The tip of the broken sword pointed with pinpoint accuracy at the tip of the cane attacking from behind.
That seemingly casual touch instantly caused Welt's certain strike to deviate from its intended trajectory, its force diverted into emptiness.
Almost at the same moment the cane was deflected, Khaslana's figure melted into the shadows before eerily reappearing at Welt's side.
That shattered blade radiating an ominous aura, with a low whistle tearing the air, mercilessly slashed towards Welt, who seemed too late to defend.
But Welt's battle-hardened intuition and experience were not to be underestimated? Just before the blade reached his body…
"Gravity Field, Deploy!"
Formless, massive gravity descended abruptly with him as the center! The air seemed to turn into viscous solid matter, the ground groaning under the strain.
The slash Khaslana unleashed was as if stuck in an invisible quagmire, its speed dropping sharply. That strike aimed at a vital point was forcibly interrupted!
"Mr. Welt!" The Trailblazer's voice held urgency and resolve. Seizing this fleeting opportunity, they used the flame spear to push off the ground forcefully, their body like lightning, charging forward!
Putting away the spear, they summoned the bat and swung it straight at Khaslana's gravity-slowed figure.
"Clang——!"
Under the powerful gravitational restraint, Khaslana turned the shattered blade with difficulty, barely managing to parry the strike at the last moment. The Trailblazer's immense force caused his already hindered frame to sink further.
He did not choose to resist head-on. The moment the broken blade made contact with the bat, he used the force to retreat, his figure flickering again, quickly moving out of the gravity field's area of effect.
Reappearing several meters away, his cold metal mask clearly aimed at the Trailblazer—or rather, the seemingly ordinary bat in their hands.
During the parry, he had clearly caught, from the corner of his eye, the brief flash of heart-stopping dark red patterns on the bat.
"Destruction…!"
The two words were almost squeezed from between his teeth. His aura fluctuated violently for the first time, the surrounding air seeming to grow hot and unstable because of his mood.
"Be careful, Trailblazer." Welt moved to their side, cane held horizontally before him, his expression unprecedentedly grave.
"His capabilities far exceed our previous estimates. While his raw power may not be overwhelming, his combat style is bizarre and unpredictable, especially that near-space-distance-ignoring teleportation. It's impossible to guard against completely."