Destruction was merely inches away!
But—
At this critical moment, a minute fluctuation appeared on Phaethon's eternally unchanging expression.
An extreme instinct for danger forced him to halt his swinging motion!
SSSHHHIIICK—
Accompanied by the subtle sound of space being torn apart, a purple-black Pseudo-Black Hole the size of a basketball, yet radiating an aura that devoured everything, had silently appeared less than half a meter beside him!
The terrifying gravitational force was tearing at the corners of his clothing and strands of his hair!
This was not a hasty reaction, but a trap set long in advance!
While sliding backward and repairing his mecha, Welt had already concealed a Pseudo-Black Hole somewhere within this data space!
Phaethon's body displayed coordination and resilience surpassing human limits, forcibly executing an extreme twist in mid-air that defied inertia, narrowly avoiding that deadly black hole by a hair's breadth!
The edge of that all-devouring gravitational pull made him feel a long-absent stinging sensation, as if his skin were about to be torn apart.
He landed not far away, re-evaluating Welt, who had retreated to a greater distance and stood poised for battle.
*Somewhat troublesome.* Phaethon quickly assessed in his mind. That Pseudo-Black Hole... was indeed capable of causing him effective harm.
Phaethon realized that this traveler from beyond the stars did not rely merely on external tools; his combat experience, precision of prediction, and timing were all top-tier.
The battle had truly begun now.
---
Earlier, at the Eye of Twilight.
Gale-force winds howled at Amphoreus's highest point, with broken amber fragments continuously falling from the sky.
At the center of the battlefield, Aquila, transformed into an amber behemoth, repeatedly attempted to soar into the clouds, only to be brutally dragged back to the ground by an even greater force.
"BOOM!"
Mydei had lost count of how many times he had yanked Aquila down from the sky. His movements were simple, brutal—as if he weren't pulling down a terrifying giant beast, but an unruly kite.
He shook his wrist, his face showing no trace of fatigue, only a hint of impatience.
"Why has this guy's shell suddenly become so hard?" Cipher complained through gritted teeth, rubbing her long but slightly stiff calf.
"I feel like I've become a blacksmith. If I kick anymore, my ankles are going on strike!" A series of her kicks that would have shattered ordinary steel had only left a few cracks on Aquila's amber shell.
"Patience, Cifera." Aglaea's voice remained cool and steady.
Countless brilliant golden threads extended from her hands, like living serpents, silently coiling around Aquila's massive body.
"My 'golden threads' are seeking out its core... Found it!"
A sharp light flashed in her eyes. The golden threads wrapped around Aquila's entire body suddenly tightened. One particularly luminous thread, like a pointer, precisely indicated a specific location within the giant beast's abdominal cavity. "Right there, the core of all its energy, and also its most protected area."
"So that's where it's hidden." Phainon's gaze sharpened upon hearing this.
The long sword "Dawnmaker" in his hand traced an icy arc, precisely shattering several amber blocks shot by Aquila—blocks large enough to pierce through walls—in mid-air.
"ROAR——!!!"
Simultaneously, Terravox, revealing his massive true form, and Polyxia, transformed into a giant dead dragon, both erupted with earth-shaking roars, charging fearlessly from both left and right!
They used their powerful physical bodies as weapons, fiercely colliding with the struggling Aquila!
BOOM!!!
A deafening boom resounded through the sky, like three mountains violently crashing together. Scales and amber armor shattered and flew. Terravox and Pollux gained several wounds, dragon blood and golden blood raining down like a storm.
And Aquila, due to this self-sacrificing collision, coupled with the absolute suppression of its flight ability by the "Law," finally lost all balance. Its massive body stumbled, and the abdomen marked by Aglaea, covered in the thickest amber crystals, was exposed in the chaos!
"Perfect opportunity!" Phainon exclaimed softly, without hesitation. His figure shot forward like an arrow from a string, the "Dawnmaker" in his hand pointing directly at the exposed core region, the sword tip gathering a cold light capable of piercing everything.
"Heh, Deliverer, don't always try to steal the spotlight." Mydei's teasing and unrestrained voice sounded almost simultaneously in Phainon's ear.
His figure arrived after but overtook, running shoulder to shoulder with Phainon, wild air currents gathering on his fist. "How about a competition right now? Let's see who can completely slay this senseless fool first!"
"Hmph, at a time like this, you still have the mind for such a pointless competition..." Phainon snorted coldly, his tone filled with disdain for Mydei's inappropriate competitiveness.
However, though he said this, his speed toward Aquila unconsciously increased by another fraction, clearly provoked by the other's words into a hidden desire to compete.
WHOOSH—!
Realizing the deadly threat, Aquila let out a sharp shriek. Its pair of amber giant wings, carrying the force to crush everything, swung fiercely toward Phainon and Mydei respectively!
Facing this terrifying attack capable of flattening any human, both unexpectedly chose not to dodge!
Phainon flicked his wrist. The "Dawnmaker" blade hummed, and an extremely concentrated sword light met the giant wing, forcibly slicing a huge gap through the amber wing!
And Mydei was even more direct. He laughed wildly, his unruly blond hair dancing in the fierce wind, his fist wrapped in destructive energy striking out like a siege hammer, without any flourish!
"Shatter!" The moment fist met wing, the massive amber wing erupted with cobweb-like cracks centered on the impact point, then exploded with a thunderous blast!
In the end, Mydei, with his superior strength having reached the demi-god realm, was the first to break through all obstacles, charging right to the front of Aquila's completely unprotected abdomen!
"Looks like... this competition, I win!" A victorious smile curved at the corner of Mydei's mouth. His fist, containing the power to shatter mountains and split seas, was already raised, seemingly about to completely crush Aquila's core!
However—
Just as Mydei's fist was about to reach its target, at this critical moment of winning the "competition"!
An extremely abrupt black-red sword light, embodying the will of absolute "destruction," materialized as if from nothing, silently appearing upon Aquila's body!
Where this sword light passed, Aquila's indestructible amber shell melted effortlessly, like snow encountering the scorching sun.
It arrived after but overtook, beating Mydei's fist before it landed, precisely sweeping across the center of Aquila's massive body!
SHHIIICK—
A faint, almost unsettling slicing sound.
All of Aquila's movements, its shrieks, along with the surging energy within its body, ceased abruptly in that instant.
The next moment, its body slowly divided in two along a cut surface smooth as a mirror, collapsing and sliding to both sides!
It was the Flame Reaver!
Khaslana had somehow already appeared at the edge of the battlefield, as if he had been standing there all along, observing everything coldly from the sidelines.
In his hand was gripped a broken sword burning with black-red flames. Beneath the cold metal mask, his gaze casually swept over Phainon and Mydei, who had just been competing.
Then, without further hesitation, his figure flickered like a phantom, instantly appearing before Aquila's disintegrating remains. He seized from within a purple crystal emanating vast energy—the very Coreflame of "Sky" within Aquila!