Caelus and Dan Heng charged toward the enemies without the slightest fear.
The enemies came in all varieties: some bathed in holy light resembling preachers, others distant archers wielding bows, and massive ones that screamed tank and meat shield at first glance.
Though Caelus and Dan Heng were skilled, the enemies kept pouring in endlessly.
Gradually, the two were forced to retreat.
Just then.
A white-haired man descended from the sky wielding a massive greatsword.
BOOM—
After a thunderous crash, every enemy was repelled by a single strike.
"Watch out—!" Dan Heng's brows furrowed tightly as he gripped his spear even harder.
In the next instant, with blinding speed, the man appeared right in front of Caelus. "You're carrying… something quite interesting."
Caelus hadn't reacted yet—he simply felt his hand suddenly empty.
Dan Heng immediately swung Cloud-Piercer, thrusting straight at the white-haired man.
The white-haired man moved unhurriedly. He casually sidestepped, using the baseball bat he'd just taken to counter.
BANG—
The tip of Cloud-Piercer snapped clean off.
The bullet comments exploded.
[Holy shit! It's you, Kevin!]
[My sunshine cheerful boy Kevin!]
[I'm a calligraphy student—this is regular script!]
[The very first person we truly meet! March 7th's prophecy fulfilled.]
[Cloud-Piercer!!!]
[No—Cloud-Piercer actually broke?]
[Yingxing just got a one-star review—oh wait, Yingxing's gone now, it's Blade.]
[Damn, are the comments about to start knifing too?]
[Dan Heng with the classic zero-frame startup.]
[Blade: This is how you take care of the weapon I made for you? Hahahahahaha, I'm dying of laughter!]
[Bro, this relic is so OP it snapped Cloud-Piercer?]
[Kevin holding a baseball bat?]
[Big bro, third bro, keep it up—you two are so cool~.]
— —
The white-haired youth gave a slight smile. "Don't misunderstand—this is for everyone's safety."
Caelus scratched his head. "I can actually understand him…"
Dan Heng, far less carefree, glared fiercely at the white-haired youth. "Everyone's safety?"
The white-haired youth patiently explained, "In a place like the Abyss of Fate, carrying weapons is provocation. These soldiers are all pawns of the Titan of Strife. They show no mercy to outsiders. If you keep swinging blades, not only will you become prey… you'll draw their pursuit straight to the innocent."
"You could have simply spoken instead of resorting to such extreme measures."
"You two appeared out of nowhere—friend or foe was unclear. And even unarmed, the power you carry is nothing to scoff at…
Who knows? The one truly in danger might have been me. I couldn't afford to let my guard down. So—may I ask the two sky-fallen guests to state your intentions?"
The atmosphere grew tense and sword-drawn. Suddenly, a childish shout rang out from the distance.
"Little—White—! You're causing trouble again! Running off so fast and picking fights on your own?"
Before the words finished, a red-haired little girl came pattering over in a hurry, stopping right in front of the white-haired youth.
She glanced at the broken Cloud-Piercer. "Ah! You even broke their weapon! Oh no, is this how you greet strangers?"
The white-haired youth shrugged. "I just wanted to resolve things in the safest way possible."
"Not safe at all!" The red-haired girl seemed a bit angry. She turned around with an apologetic face. "Two unfamiliar friends, please relax—relax even more. We're all human. No need to be so tense."
[Aaaaah! So cute!]
[What kind of strawberry shortcake is this?!]
[Can I take a bite? Hehehe!]
— —
At this moment, subtitles finally appeared beside the red-haired girl: "Tribbie."
" Snowy was worried you two might be bad guys from the sky, but we think you mean no harm. Ah—first things first, introductions! We are Tribbie of Janusopolis, and this is… Snowy, apologize!"
[Wait—what? "We"?]
[They're saying "we"!]
"Since Teacher Tribbie says so…" The white-haired youth gave an awkward smile. "Sorry. You two landed in a dangerous zone with such a dramatic entrance—my caution got the better of me."
"Understandable." Dan Heng didn't fully lower his guard, but his expression had softened considerably. "We come from beyond the sky. We are 'Trailblazers' who have descended upon this world."
[Bro—Cloud-Piercer just snapped and you're accepting this so easily?]
[They're in unfamiliar territory. Dan Heng's choosing the safest option, and this Kevin-lookalike doesn't seem like a bad guy.]
[At the very least, extort him for two room upgrades?]
[If it was the bat that broke, maybe. Shame it's Dan Heng's Cloud-Piercer.]
"Just like that?" Caelus blinked at Dan Heng, feeling it was all too casual.
Dan Heng: "They've already seen everything—no point hiding it. If they were the ones who attacked us, they wouldn't talk this much."
"Not from 'the sky,' but 'beyond the sky'?" At the mention of "beyond the sky," the white-haired youth couldn't help frowning.
Not only him—Tribbie's reaction was huge too. "Whoa, this just got even bigger… You two are lucky you ran into us."
"What do you mean?"
"It means we won't hurt you—but others might not be so kind. You're very fortunate. Let's step aside and talk. It's not safe out here. As you can see, there are still many refugees trapped in the temple who haven't escaped.
We came to rescue and escort them to the 'Sacred City' Okhema. That's why I asked you to stand down and repeatedly confirmed you meant no harm. If anything unexpected happened, they would have no means to resist."
The white-haired youth spoke with complete sincerity. "I am Phainon of Aidonia. I apologize for offending you earlier."
"We were this close to actually fighting." For some reason, Caelus let out a sigh.
Dan Heng's mouth twitched. "You sound disappointed."
He gazed steadily at Phainon and Tribbie. "My name is Dan Heng. This is—"
"Wait." Caelus raised a hand to stop Dan Heng. "Doesn't anyone think we look like brothers?"
Hearing this, Phainon carefully sized up Caelus. "Actually… kinda? What fate—guess that makes us friends who met through combat. Here, your weapon."
With that, Phainon tossed the baseball bat back to Caelus.
Caelus caught it and raised an eyebrow at Phainon, as if to say, "We're bros now!"
At that moment, Tribbie added, "And your spear—don't worry, we'll hold Snowy fully responsible. He'll definitely help you fix it!"
"We're newcomers with many questions still unanswered. If you can guarantee our safety, traveling together would naturally be the better choice." Dan Heng nodded solemnly. "Please lead the way."
After receiving the signal, Phainon and Tribbie moved forward to regroup with the other civilians.
Once the two had walked off, Dan Heng and Caelus exchanged their observations.
Dan Heng believed Phainon's strength was unfathomable—he'd swiped Caelus's bat without him noticing and snapped Cloud-Piercer in counter.
Moreover, their timing was too perfect—right after the car was pierced by the spear.
Another doubt: why did the people of Amphoreus speak a language they could understand?
"I'm analyzing all possibilities, but… I haven't figured it out yet. Perhaps this place, like Jarilo-VI, was once connected to the Star Rail long ago? But if so, the archives would have records…
And that girl keeps referring to herself as 'we'—very strange. I don't think it's just a verbal tic.
But compared to the other mysteries, mutual language comprehension is actually the least important. Let's get moving. Hopefully the answers will come naturally—cough… fall into place."
[Hahaha, "fall into place"!]
[Point-Knife Bro really left a deep psychological scar on Dan Heng.]
[Cleansing Dragon, my High-Cloud Quintet lord!]
[Dan Heng: One more word and I'll transform.]
— —
After confirming their intel, the two followed Phainon's lead.
But on the other side of the gate came noisy voices.
The rough plot: an old man refusing to leave for the so-called Sacred City.
Of course, this segment dumped a massive amount of lore.
Things like the Golden Descendants, the Titans, the Titans' names, and the Sacred City.
Though the subtitles kindly provided notes, the sheer volume of information still felt overwhelming to viewers.
[Info dump incoming.]
[Can't be helped—this is a brand-new world. Without explaining these basics, there's no immersion.]
[But Belobog's plot wasn't this bloated.]
[Mainly because of the Titans. They just dropped twelve at once—of course the info load is huge.]
[Actually pretty similar to Jarilo-VI. From the earlier PV, all of Amphoreus is now eroded by the black tide, just like the Eternal Freeze. Only one city-state remains standing. But Belobog only involved Preservation—here the powers are far more diverse.]
— —
Caelus, who'd been watching from the side, snarked, "So the ride's here, but nobody's leaving yet?"
Dan Heng rolled his eyes at Caelus. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The next moment, he asked, "The elder just mentioned 'the end times' and said nowhere in Amphoreus is safe. May I ask what this…"
Viltus didn't answer Dan Heng's question. Instead, he seemed puzzled that someone would even ask. "Sir, you truly don't know? This is common knowledge—a prophecy known to all."
"Viltus, our priority is convincing Mr. Nodus to return. The Abyss of Fate is crawling with vicious enemies. They have no means of self-defense—they could be in danger at any moment.
Two friends—I have a humble request. Your skills are impressive—would you be willing to go after Mr. Nodus? Teacher Tribbie will accompany you and answer all your questions."
Dan Heng didn't give a direct answer. "We'll discuss it."
He pulled Caelus aside. "Earlier, Phainon stopped me from questioning the refugees and said the girl would answer our doubts. His meaning is clear."
Caelus thought for a few seconds. "He's hiding something from the refugees?"
"Yes. In his view, the greater risk is others discovering we're completely ignorant of this world. He wants to conceal that we're 'visitors from beyond the sky.' Right now there's a gap between us and the locals—better to go along with Phainon's thinking for now. When we're alone with that girl named Tribbie, we can probe her attitude too."
[As expected of Dan Heng—still rock-solid!]
[I still miss March 7th. Feels like something's missing without her.]
[True—this is the first journey without March 7th. Wonder when the trio will reunite!]
— —
In the end, to uncover the truth of the world and gather more intel, Dan Heng and Caelus reluctantly agreed to make the trip.
"We've decided. Since we'll be traveling together, it's only right to help where we can."
Phainon expressed gratitude. "You two are truly noble! I'll stay here to protect Viltus and the others. Hurry back."
At that moment, Tribbie led the two toward a nearby spot.
"Two friends, I bet you have tons of questions, right? Why talk separately? Because the quieter the place, the better for conversation~"
Suddenly, the three stopped. Dan Heng glanced at the bottomless chasm ahead. "But the path ahead… is broken."
Caelus's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait—does this mean Dan Heng can finally jump?"
Dan Heng facepalmed for the second time. "What are you even saying…"
Seeing their reactions, Tribbie burst into giggles. "Hehe—your reactions prove you're not lying. You really are newcomers. Okay, don't blink next—also, Snowy wouldn't dare order us around. It's the other way around."
With that, Tribbie began chanting incomprehensible terms.
Titans this, Janus that, Talanton, Oronyx…
Anyway, constantly reinforcing the audience's impression of the Titans.
"…once more stirring the ripples of the past!"
At that instant.
Golden light flashed. A magnificent palace appeared before the Express duo.
"This is… unbelievable." Even Dan Heng was rarely stunned by a sight like this.
Then Tribbie led them through the broken palace to a secluded corner.
"Pretty amazing, right! Once you're here, we can talk quietly…"
But the next moment, Tribbie sensed something wrong. "Huh? Why does it feel too quiet?"
Sure enough, after passing through the gate, the elder from earlier was already surrounded by twisted creations of the Lance of Fury legion.
Without another word, Dan Heng and Caelus jumped straight into combat.
Caelus drew his bat, while water pooled at Dan Heng's feet.
Fortunately, the enemies weren't numerous. After a few exchanges, the Lance of Fury legion turned to dust and sank back into the earth.
"You two are really skilled!" Tribbie clapped from behind!
Dan Heng replied coldly, "It would be even better if the weapon was still intact."
Tribbie realized she'd misspoken and immediately apologized. "Ah—sorry!"
— —
After rescuing everyone, the elder expressed his thanks—but he still refused to go to Okhema.
[Why?]
[Probably different faiths. Each city-state worships different Titans—going to another's territory means serving another Titan.]
[So faith is more important than life?]
[That's religion for you.]
— —
Though the elder's refusal was firm, Tribbie reasoned with him patiently and emotionally.
Until finally, Tribbie swore in the name of Janus.
At those words, the elder was utterly shocked. "You swear in the name of Janus? Who exactly are you…"