On screen, Phainon gripped his great sword, his gaze unusually dangerous.
Around him assassins lay sprawled across the ground in all directions, covered in bloody wounds.
Phainon had not killed them. Instead, he had beaten them until they were barely clinging to life, leaving them with only a single breath remaining.
When another squad of Cleaners arrived and saw this scene, they froze.
According to the intelligence briefing, Caenis had told them that Phainon's side was the least likely place for anything unexpected to happen.
She believed Phainon was someone full of weakness, someone who would still hesitate even when swinging his sword.
The captain felt a chill in his heart. He glanced at the wounds on the fallen assassins.
Most of them had only one wound, and each cut was deep. It was clear how decisive the attacker had been.
However, the mission had already been completed.
He had only brought his men here to see whether there was an opportunity.
If fighting had already broken out here, and if Phainon really was as Caenis had described...
Then they would have had to consider killing Phainon on the spot.
""Looks like she was wrong about you.""
The assassin captain shook his head regretfully.
"She...? Are you talking about the mastermind behind all of this?" Phainon asked coldly.
The assassin captain looked up at Phainon and replied.
"She thought you were weak. She believed that even when facing the "evil" you claim to oppose, you'd hesitate to strike."
Rather than defending himself, Phainon gave a smile that wasn't really a smile.
"Misinterpreting mercy for weakness shows how arrogant and foolish your master is." His indifferent tone, coupled with that oppressive aura.
Even Stelle and Mem beside him were startled.
"Bro, you sound kind of scary." Stelle smacked her lips and said.
Phainon ignored her. He stared straight at the assassins and delivered his final warning, his patience exhausted.
"They're still alive. With proper care, they'll pull through in a few days."
"But I must warn you, I haven't fought a human in ages. I can't guarantee I'll always be able to hold back. They're lucky they're still alive..."
"Get out of here. Don't show your face around us again. If your master wants to stop the Flame-Chase Journey, she'd better bring an army that makes Kremnos at its peak look like child's play."
It had to be said, when the assassin captain met Phainon's gaze, he felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
His strength might actually be above mine.
"Hmph." Forcing himself to snort coldly, he wanted to say something threatening.
But the instant he opened his mouth, he saw Phainon's greatsword begin to move again.
The words that had reached his lips were swallowed back down.
The captain felt irritated. But the plan had already succeeded anyway.
Thinking of that, his eyes rolled, and he suddenly chuckled.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Lord Phainon. Lord Phainon... we're not here to start a fight."
"We came only to ensure you weren't anywhere else."
"While you were unaware, we already accomplished our mission, to buy time."
"You'd better prepare yourselves mentally."
"Lord Phainon... until next time."
After saying that, the captain signaled to his subordinates.
They picked up their heavily wounded companions from the ground and immediately retreated.
Only then did the tense audience finally let out a sigh of relief.
It couldn't be helped. When the perspective first switched here, the ground full of severely wounded assassins and Phainon's expression had genuinely shocked them.
Not to mention the things Phainon had said to the assassins.
They were far too aggressive! He was practically a completely different person from the Phainon they had known before!
....
: Damn, Phainon suddenly became terrifying.
: A little... a little cool, though.
: He actually went straight to violence on this side. Awesome.
: Ever since the Citizens' Assembly, Phainon has been changing at an insane speed...
: Not just the Citizens' Assembly. From the very first episode, you could tell his adaptability was ridiculously strong. He really learns fast.
: Suddenly I understand why Castorice and Aglaea thought so highly of Phainon. Is this the perfect leader they were talking about?
: If Phainon ends up leading the Chrysos Heirs from here on... maybe things won't turn out so badly.
: 'Mercy is not weakness. When it's time to kill, kill...' Damn... ahhhhh, if only he had been like this earlier!
: I wonder if Phainon will regret letting them go once he learns of Aglaea's death.
: Huh... wait! Could this be the reason Phainon becomes Black Phainon?
: Because Aglaea was assassinated, the Flame-Chasing Journey came to a halt, Phainon was powerless to change anything... he watched his companions leave one by one... and eventually fell completely into darkness, becoming Black Phainon!
: Huh? Are you actually a genius?
: Damn, that actually makes sense! Black Phainon has always been chasing the Core Flame!
: And doesn't it perfectly match that prophecy? Only one person will witness the new creation!
: ??? That makes way too much sense!
....
As the audience discussed this possibility, they unexpectedly arrived at the topic of Black Phainon ahem, the Flame Reaver.
But, it was a very reasonable theory.
Now that most people already knew the connection between Phainon and Flame Reaver. This was the most logical conclusion they could come up with.
Many details actually lined up. For example, the reason Phainon became Flame Reaver, and why Flame Reaver continued pursuing the Core Flames.
What nobody realized, however, was the change that had already occurred in their own mentality after watching Phainon.
With Aglaea's death serving as the opening act, an indescribable anger had begun brewing in the hearts of the audience.
This fire was born from their unwillingness to accept Aglaea's fate and from their fury toward Caenis.
And that wasn't all. The Council of Elders had been built up for a long time already, a group of power-hungry parasites, thoroughly detestable villains.
In web novels, these were exactly the sort of antagonists who underestimated the protagonist and tried to oppress them.
From the moment viewers first saw Caenis, they had found her irritating and infuriating.
But as time passed, and as her crimes piled up one after another.
Combined with Aglaea's death, that anger grew larger and larger.
Until now, it had never found an outlet. Even while watching Cipher's storyline, viewers still felt a lump stuck in their throats.
But when they saw Phainon act decisively and strike without hesitation.
They felt a subtle sense of satisfaction.
It felt good! These vermin deserved to be crushed!
There should be no weakness.
No compromise. Avenge Aglaea.
Ensure that the Flame-Chasing Journey of the Chrysos Heirs would not be disgustingly sabotaged by people like them.
Crush Caenis beneath their feet. Watch her break down.
Make her understand just how insignificant she truly was.
Kill! Destroy them all!
Originally, there were countless ways this anger could have been vented.
But at this delicate point in the story, in this brief moment of emotional release... MiHoYo chose destruction, annihilation, as the way to release the emotions bottled up inside the audience, even striking directly at the parts of their hearts they cared about most.
After that slight release of tension, the viewers finally managed to breathe a little easier.
Suppressing their emotions and holding their breath, they waited for the moment when the news of death would finally arrive.
....
On screen, after the assassins left, Phainon's expression softened once more. Just as he was about to say something to Stelle, Stelle's communication tablet suddenly rang.
Stelle picked up the tablet. She only glanced at it once before freezing in place.
On the screen, within just a few short lines, was an unbelievable message.
Garmentmaker: Announcement. Due to force majeure, the World Wound Web operations will be temporarily suspended. Please stay calm and remain in your homes.
—Whitelist Protocol Loaded—
Garmentmaker: Local golden thread enabled for emergency internal communication only.
Garmentmaker: Lady Goldweaver deceased. Please return to the holy city at once.
....
Stelle's pupils contracted. Her mind went completely blank.
"What happened, partner?" Phainon felt his heart skip a beat. He stepped closer and glanced at the tablet.
Then his entire body froze.
"Aglaea!? Is this-"
Phainon stared at the message in disbelief.
After confirming several times that it wasn't a mistake, he staggered back a step, one hand pressing against his forehead as his eyes squeezed shut.
Only then did Stelle come back to her senses and swallow hard.
"Blast it! Those guys..."
Phainon didn't answer.
"..."
After a brief silence, Phainon suddenly opened his eyes.
Those beautiful, brilliant blue pupils were now bloodshot. Looking at his face, the audience felt dazed.
"Damn it! Those bastards..."
"But with just them, how could they possibly-"
"Calm down, calm down, Phainon! You have to stay calm!"
"Maybe this is one of her plans. Right, it's Aglaea's plan..." Phainon muttered rapidly to himself.
Forcing himself to calm down, he even clung to such a ridiculous possibility.
Only after finally regaining some composure did Phainon, his eyes red, turn to Stelle and say,
"Stay calm... this could just be one of her schemes. I won't believe it until I see it for myself..."
"I... I won't either." Stelle's mind was a tangled mess, but she instinctively agreed.
Mem stood there at a loss, her ears flattened behind her head. "What do we do now?"
Stelle took a deep breath and looked at Phainon.
"Stay on course. I'll contact Tribbie and ask her to keep the citizens calm. We'll hurry back to Okhema as fast as possible and assess the situation in the city. If we run into any enemies along the way..."
At this point, Phainon paused and looked toward the bloodstains on the ground.
He had shown mercy and spared those assassins.
Now, Phainon regretted it.
"...I won't be merciful this time."
He spoke each word slowly and clearly. Although his face remained expressionless.
The fire in his heart had already begun to burn. He had been far too lenient with these people.
If it only concerned himself, Phainon might have continued tolerating these obstacles.
But the End was the enemy of everyone. And re-genesis was everyone's hope.
Anyone who stood in the way of re-genesis was an enemy of all Amphoreus.
That was the end of it. Phainon and Stelle immediately rushed back toward Okhema at full speed.
At this point, all conflicts, all plotlines, had converged upon Okhema.
The Flame-Chase Journey lacked only its final Coreflame. The Council of Elders' final desperate struggle.
And the unresolved matter of Aquila.
With Aglaea's death, every conflict began accelerating, and the story itself started spiraling out of control.
The audience's hearts pounded faster and faster along with it.
....
Okhema.
It now resembled a powder keg waiting to be ignited.
News of Aglaea's death had already spread throughout the city-state.
But thanks to the order and laws Aglaea had established, public security and daily life within the city remained relatively stable.
Yet everyone knew, that it was only the surface.
Behind the scenes, the various groups from all corners of the world were already making frantic moves.
These people had previously been united under Okhema by Aglaea's leadership.
With her death, that unity and trust naturally began to fracture. Because what they believed in was not Okhema.
Not Kephale.
Only Aglaea.
They didn't know whether what awaited them next would be purges, slaughter, or something even worse.
But they couldn't afford to gamble. Either choose a side now.
Or save themselves now. Would they stand with the Chrysos Heirs?
Or with the Council of Elders? It was a difficult choice, one tied directly to survival.
Among them, a portion of the clans, led by the Kremnoans, chose without hesitation to stand firmly with the Chrysos Heirs.
The Kremnoans even organized small volunteer security teams to maintain order throughout the city.
They were called security teams. But when necessary, they could instantly merge into a true army.
And unsurprisingly, these people were fully prepared to fight to the death for Aglaea.
Not only because of the stance of Kremnoans' Final King, Mydeimos.
But because everyone had witnessed everything Aglaea had done.
Without Aglaea, they would never have survived long enough to see Mydeimos become a demigod.
.....
As the major factions began making their moves, the atmosphere within the city grew increasingly tense.
Yet amidst all this tension. One blacksmith shop remained as busy as ever.
The furnace burned brightly, while the steady, unhurried sound of hammering echoed endlessly.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Chartonus. The craftsman was completely absorbed in his forging.
Hammer after hammer descended. As sparks flew in every direction, the object resting upon the anvil gradually became clearer.
It was unmistakably a great sword.
And upon closer inspection... Its design looked remarkably similar to the great sword in Phainon's hands.