In Lygus's perception, Phainon had already vanished from the chessboard, stepping into the Scepter's core.
However, at this moment, he was deducing every possible scenario of the Lord of Silence's arrival.
Because he had truly, clearly seen that orange figure.
Preoccupied with one thing and neglecting another, he completely overlooked a fatal piece of information.
The authority Phainon wielded extended far beyond Amphoreus.
The reality was...
Phainon walked steadily through an endless corridor composed of cold electronic screens.
The two chess pieces formed by Mydei and Hysilens floated silently beside him.
This was the gap between Amphoreus and reality, a cage constructed of data and rules.
As for the scene of crushing the Core Flames just now...
Phainon's lips curved slightly.
It was merely a drama meticulously choreographed for Lygus, the "God's Rite Spectator," by borrowing the authority of "Elation."
It was a small retort to that "Sin of Arrogance."
The Core Flames was his trump card for overturning the chessboard, his hope that remained unextinguished through thirty million cycles of reincarnation; how could he easily allow it to be crushed?
He took out Herta's communicator, which was flickering with a faint light.
Even before leaving the Space Station, Herta had revealed the deepest secret to him.
About the "Lord of Silence," Polka Kakamu.
About the "syringe" and the "antidote."
This statement perfectly aligned with Black Swan's warning that "she herself is the bait."
Therefore, Lygus's self-proclaimed "truth" was, to him, merely a belated verification report.
However...
The feeling of being used as a chess piece by a Stellaron was indeed very unpleasant.
Never mind.
There was no time to dwell on it now.
His companions were waiting for him to return to his position on the true battlefield.
He had to leave this distorted time-flow gap immediately.
"Buzz—"
The communicator vibrated once, and Herta's voice came through clearly, with a sense of urgency.
"White-haired brat, the portal coordinates have been sent. Screwllum and I have opened a 'back door' for you, but the authorization can only last for thirty seconds, and the coordinates will continuously drift. Figure it out yourself!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the communicator emitted a harsh buzzing sound, then started smoking, completely breaking down.
"That's enough," Phainon whispered, looking at the communicator.
At this moment...
The authority of "Omniscience and Omnipotence" roared into operation.
The underlying data structure of the infinitely extending corridor before him was instantly deconstructed, and countless traps and dead ends disguised as exits were nowhere to hide from his eyes.
A constantly drifting, weakest node was locked onto by him!
He didn't even accelerate; he simply took a seemingly casual step forward at a certain node.
His figure then vanished within the data corridor.
As if he had never been "invited," merely passing by.
Amphoreus, I'm coming.
—
Boom!!
A massive roar tore through the silence, as the Astral Express's independent carriage was impaled by a giant spear descending from the sky, crashing violently into the cold city wall like a broken-winged iron bird.
Inside the wreckage, smoke and dust permeated the air.
Not long after...
Stelle shook her head and slowly got up.
She looked around and found Dan Heng sitting against the wall not far away, his eyes tightly closed.
A brilliant idea flashed through her mind.
She pulled a marker pen from her pocket and tiptoed over.
Just as the pen tip was about to touch that handsome face...
"Stop messing around."
Dan Heng suddenly opened his eyes, his voice tinged with weariness.
He grabbed Stelle's wrist.
"Phainon said I was only knocked out by flying debris, so I avoided vital points in advance."
Stelle sheepishly withdrew her hand and scratched her head: "Hehe, I saw you lying there, and I subconsciously wanted to draw dragon horns on you..."
She suddenly remembered something, her eyes lit up, and she asked expectantly: "Oh, right! Was I cool when I got hit by the spear just now?"
Dan Heng's gaze became complex.
He didn't want to recall it.
He had watched with his own eyes as that spear of divine punishment pierced through Stelle, watching her shatter into countless fragments before him.
Even though he knew it was part of the plan, the impact still made his heart stop.
"You looked..." Dan Heng's voice was a bit dry, "shattered everywhere, in the literal sense."
Stelle raised an eyebrow, and far from being scared, she clapped her hands excitedly,
"Wow! So I'm a hero's fragment! That sounds even cooler!"
"Sigh..."
Dan Heng let out a sigh; he felt he would never understand Stelle's thought process.
"You have such a good attitude. Get up, we should go."
He stood up, his expression returning to their usual coldness and seriousness.
"Remember, Stelle."
"Our enemies are three: Erudition, the Lord of Silence, and the 'Iron Curtain.'"
Dan Heng's tone carried a kind of absolute disdain originating from Phainon.
"As for Lygus, he's not worth fearing... Phainon didn't even bother to include him in the category of enemies."
Stelle nodded solemnly, tightening her grip on the baseball bat.
"Don't worry!"
"I can recite this game's walkthrough with my eyes closed; there's no way I'll make a mistake!"
As her words fell, their figures flickered and disappeared behind the dilapidated city wall... The journey proceeded smoothly, as planned.
The two finally arrived at a platform where countless stone statues stood.
"Legion of Divine Retribution," Dan Heng summoned his Cloud-Piercer, his expression grave, "Mydei said their weakness is... smashing them forcefully. Be careful, we will meet this cycle's 'Phainon' here."
He hadn't even finished speaking.
Stelle had already rushed out with her bat, like a cannonball fired from a barrel!
She was curious about the "immortal body" constructed from memory that she had just acquired and wanted to try out their power on something!
Dan Heng smiled helplessly, his spear striking like a dragon, following closely behind.
Just as the two were fiercely battling the stone statue legion...
A white figure descended like a phantom from the sky.
He used only one sword strike to cleave a giant Divine Retribution construct in two, his movements fluid, elegant, and deadly.
Immediately, his figure flashed, appearing beside Stelle, reaching out to snatch the bat from her hand.
However, Stelle had anticipated this; this scene had been rehearsed hundreds of times.
She flipped her wrist, and the bat arced in a tricky curve, dodging the grab.
Then, with the momentum, she aimed at that white head.
"Thwack!"
A crisp, muffled thud.
"Ouch!"
The white-haired youth clutched his head, staggering back two steps, his face full of disbelief.
"Such quick moves!"
This person was indeed the Phainon of this reincarnation.
He slowly raised his head, but in the eyes of these two uninvited guests, he saw two completely different expressions.
One was the innocence of "Oops, I think I used too much force."
The other was the weariness of "Just as expected."
He was stunned.
"Uh... you two are looking at me so strangely."
"Do we... know each other?"