BOOM——!!!
A terrifying power, as if intending to split the entire planet Amphoreus in two, wrapped in the aura of Destruction, came crashing down!
It was Phainon's ultimate strike, condensing the power of himself and the twelve shattered vessels. Its might had already exceeded the boundaries this domain could contain.
Under the impact of this absolute power, the data world constructed by Phaethon using the path of Erudition let out one final, unbearable whimper, and then completely disintegrated and shattered!
Countless "0"s and "1"s scattered into specks of light in the sky, dragging the battlefield back to that real land covered in amber!
CLANG——!!!
The deafening roar nearly tore the sky apart! Phaethon gripped the hilt of the "Judgment of Shamash" greatsword, condensed from amber, with both hands, barely managing to block this earth-shattering strike.
The immense impact sent him, like a cannonball struck with full force, plummeting from mid-air towards the solid amber ground below at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye!
THUD!!!
The moment his toes touched the ground, he tried to dissipate this terrifying kinetic energy.
However, the thousands of meters thick, orange-red amber, capable of bearing the weight of mountains, was easily torn apart and shattered by this force, as if it were fragile water surface!
His figure slid rapidly backward, plowing a massive chasm thousands of meters long and of unfathomable depth beneath his feet. Shattered amber crystals splashed and surged to both sides like tidal waves!
Phainon and Cyrene quickly descended from the high sky. They didn't give Phaethon even a second to catch his breath.
With a flicker of their figures, they had already formed a pincer attack—Phainon, wielding the "Dawnmaker" burning with black-red flames, teleported behind Phaethon, his sword tip aimed directly at his back;
Meanwhile, Cyrene, holding the ceremonial staff flowing with the aura of time and memory, burst forward as if tearing through space itself, closing in on Phaethon!
At this moment, Amphoreus had already completely changed. Looking around, the entire world was sealed by a crystalline and deathly orange-red Preservation amber.
This thousands of meters thick crystal not only completely froze the "Dawn Device" carried on Kephale's back—that Device symbolizing reincarnation and hope—but also "perfectly" sealed and protected all remaining life within Okhema city, like insects in amber, in a way that stripped away all freedom and possibility.
THUD!
Phaethon's heel suddenly stomped backward, forcibly halting his retreat as if taking root. The amber ground for thousands of meters around his feet, due to this abrupt halt of impact, exploded violently, turning into a field of crystalline powder!
The "Judgment of Shamash" in his hand, which had chipped a corner from withstanding the Destruction strike, was rapidly repaired and reshaped by the surging amber energy around him.
But weapon damage could be fixed, yet the trauma to his body could not heal instantly.
Was his situation bad?
Very bad.
A piercing pain came from the bone of his right arm, it had clearly been cracked in several places during that fierce clash just now.
More troublesome was the power of the Destruction path belonging to Phainon, blazing hot like the scorching sun, which had already invaded his body like bone-gnawing maggots, frantically searing his body and consciousness.
The existence of Phainon's Destruction had only one purpose, it is to completely burn someone to ashes.
But actually, the worse thing was his heart.
Looking at Cyrene, charging at him with sword in hand and a resolute gaze, Phaethon's heart surged with an indescribable strangeness.
It was a warning from the depths of his soul. His intuition screamed wildly: He must not let Cyrene get close! He must not let her touch him! Otherwise, something he absolutely did not want to see, something irreversible, would definitely happen!
That premonition was even more unsettling than Phainon's blade of Destruction.
So… it was time to get serious.
In fact, compared to that flimsy data world of Erudition, composed merely of "0"s and "1"s,
The Amphoreus before him—both completely covered by Preservation's amber and itself existing within the supercomputer "Scepter"—was the true, perfectly suited domain for Phaethon's authorities, his home field advantage!!!
"Hmph—!"
A sharp light burst from Phaethon's eyes. He gripped the fully repaired hilt of "Judgment of Shamash" with both hands again!
As he fully mobilized his power, the entire amber land of Amphoreus seemed to resonate with him!
Vast expanses of amber crystals, as if possessing life, wildly grew, thickened, and condensed along the orange-red blade, instantly transforming "Judgment of Shamash" into a divine weapon as if carved from a mountain!
First Strike! Facing Cyrene charging head-on, Phaethon chose not to fight her head-on. Instead, he swung the amber "Judgment of Shamash," now expanded several times over, from bottom to top in a fierce arc!
RUMBLE——!
A mountain-range-like amber barrier instantly rose along the trajectory traced by his sword! It was thick, hard, containing the absolute defense concept of Preservation, like an insurmountable natural barrier, forcibly blocking between Phaethon and Cyrene!
Cyrene's sword, containing the power of Memory and Time, stabbed into the barrier, only sending up a ring of orange-red debris, unable to advance further!
Second Strike! Almost at the same moment he blocked Cyrene, Phaethon used the inertia of his swing to turn sharply, and with the amber "Judgment of Shamash," accumulating all his strength and empowered by the entire land, he delivered a heavy horizontal slash towards Phainon, who was ambushing from behind!
CLANG——!!!
Amber's "Judgment of Shamash" and Destruction's "Dawnmaker" violently collided again! But this time, the result was completely different!
Phainon only felt an indescribably immense force transmit along his sword—it wasn't just Phaethon's own strength, but the weight of the entire Amphoreus world covered in amber!
His sword, struck with confident certainty, was cleaved apart without any flourish, and even he himself was sent staggering backward by this immense force, the "Dawnmaker" in his hand almost flying out!
Phaethon, relying on his home field advantage, had repelled Phainon and Cyrene with just two strikes!!!
The moment he forced them back, Phaethon's movements had no pause or hesitation. His right foot suddenly stamped in the void, his figure abruptly rising, hovering in mid-air.
And then…
The entire land of Amphoreus, completely covered by the path of Preservation, seemed to become an extension of his body, producing a deep and majestic resonance.
RUMBLE——!!!
Endless amber tore through the earth, surging skyward, frantically compressing and condensing in the high sky above his head!
In an instant, a solid amber meteor, over ten kilometers in diameter, resembling a small celestial body, abruptly took shape!
It flowed with the unbreakable power of Preservation throughout. Although it looked small in volume, its mass and energy, more condensed than ordinary stars, even caused the surrounding space to begin warping and wailing!