As the ripples of starlight settled into calm, Phaethon's form fully solidified in the vacuum of space, no longer flickering with even a trace of illusion.
He stood tall and firm, no longer a data projection that might dissipate at any moment, but with an immortal body forged from the blessings of an entire world, truly standing beneath this starry sky!
He was the embodiment of Amphoreus's will, the miracle crossing countless cycles—the Savior of Amphoreus!
"An Emanator of Harmony... no, that's not right..." Witnessing Phaethon's ascension, the Emanator of Destruction Celenova's will of Destruction itself stirred with subtle ripples. The being before her could no longer be defined by the simple term "Emanator of Harmony."
As if responding to her shock and doubt, and as if the laws of the universe were composing annotations for this newly born existence, two proverbs, carrying infinite weight and destiny, echoed through the void like ancient prophecies:
"Four hundred million epics, upon this form conferred."
"Fiend descends the abyss, savior draws the sword."
Phaethon slowly opened his eyes. Those azure eyes, bestowed by Sky, no longer merely reflected scenes; they seemed to have merged with the vastness and freedom of the entire sea of stars, beautiful beyond words.
"This is the Chimera of Amphoreus, the convergence point of thirty million lifetimes of Titan authority, the [Dawn] sword crossing endless cycles."
"If you cannot defeat this form, you have no way to crush the hope named 'Coreflame.'"
As he spoke, immense power began to gather and take shape in his hands.
In his left hand, brilliant amber radiance surged and condensed—the ultimate embodiment of the will of Preservation, the symbol of protection and eternity—the greatsword "Eternal Flame of Preservation" suddenly appeared!
In his right hand, platinum radiance blazed like a supernova explosion—the devotion of Strife forged together with countless wills, the blade to sever shackles and carve the future—the greatsword "World-Saving Dawn" took shape with a resounding ring!
With both swords in hand, Phaethon's voice suddenly rose:
"Come! This time, I stake my own life into the chamber!"
"It's not about choice, not about survival!!!"
"When the ideals of the multitudes converge into a single great wish..."
"Step forward!!!"
"This is—the inscription of 'Deliverance'!!!"
Left hand Eternal Flame of Preservation, condensing amber, guarding the past and future!
Right hand World-Saving Dawn, forged from countless thoughts, proclaiming transformation and rebirth!
Witnessing this scene, feeling the unprecedented, world-embodying immense aura and death-defying battle spirit, Zephyro, who had always appeared at ease, felt his form, wrapped in pale flames, slightly tense.
The sword of "nothingness" in his hand began to extremely compress and concentrate its annihilating radiance inward.
Zephyro, too, was finally about to get serious.
Yet Phaethon's power at this moment far exceeded imagination!
The wings forged from the authority of Passage behind him merely fluttered slightly, shifting and transforming.
No longer needing the complex paths of Infinity Gates, almost instinctively, before Celenova's spatial perception could even capture the energy fluctuations, Phaethon's form had already appeared like lightning at Zephyro's flank!
The right-hand sword World-Saving Dawn, symbolizing rebirth and proclamation, carrying the determination to sever destiny, transformed into a golden slash pure to the extreme, its target clearly—the Emanator of Destruction Zephyro!
Zephyro's combat instincts were equally supreme. The moment Phaethon's form solidified, the ultimate, all-ending pure white "nothing" light had already surged from within him, instantly enveloping his surroundings!
This was not defense, but an absolute domain of repulsion and annihilation! Within the white, whether floating space dust, nearby frozen meteorites, or the remaining energy fragments from Amphoreus's shattered firewall, all returned to nothing within this "white," as if they had never existed!
But the golden slash Phaethon swung, gathering Amphoreus's thirty million lifetimes of prayers and the great power of Life, cut through like slicing an illusion, completely unaffected by this "nothing" domain capable of annihilating stars!
"Clang——!!!"
A strange resounding ring echoed, not like metal striking metal, but like an ancient dawn bell suddenly struck!
Clear, distant bell sounds resonated in the deepest consciousness of every being present!
At the critical moment, Zephyro's right hand, wrapped in pale flames, fiercely met the edge of Dawn directly!
Pure force and will clashed, erupting indescribable impact, barely blocking this sword that transcended physical laws.
But what caused Celenova, and even Zephyro himself, to feel a trace of surprise was—
At the fist of Zephyro's hand that forcefully met the blade, several strands of unusually pure white liquid, as if condensed from the most original annihilating energy, slowly seeped out and flowed down...
Was that... blood?
The blood of Destruction belonging to the Emanator of Destruction Zephyro?!
"Hmph!" Zephyro's calm, unruffled state of mind finally stirred with visible ripples, a cold snort escaping, suppressing shock and anger.
His right fist suddenly erupted with even more terrifying annihilating force, forcibly pushing back Phaethon, sword and all.
Phaethon used the force to drift back thousands of meters, yet his face showed not a trace of fluctuation.
His left hand raised Eternal Flame of Preservation slightly, and at the sword's tip, points of brilliant amber began to rapidly condense.
The next moment, the wings behind him stirred again, his form charging forward a second time, straight at Zephyro!
And with his charge, where the blade of Eternal Flame pointed, a brilliant river spanning space, composed of countless condensed amber, instantly materialized from nothing in the vacuum!
The river flowed ceaselessly, every "drop" highly compressed amber force, sweeping toward Zephyro!
Zephyro's eyes turned icy. Facing the assault of this amber river, he raised his left hand, the ethereal longsword again igniting pale flames, intending to annihilate it with absolute "nothing."
But the moment he raised his hand, another change occurred!
Several slender, delicate strands of gold, carrying unimaginable resilient force, like a pre-woven net, silently wrapped around his arm and body!
These gold strands were not strong bindings; they only hindered Zephyro for an "instant"!
But for beings on Phaethon's level, an instant was enough!
Seizing this fleeting opening, Phaethon's left-hand greatsword Eternal Flame of Preservation, carrying the immense force of the entire amber river, struck solidly against Zephyro's chest!
Crack——!!!
A sharp sound like ice breaking, a wail like spatial structure forcibly smashed!
Zephyro's form suddenly flew backward, as if struck by a runaway star, tracing a pale trajectory across the void!
At the spot directly hit on his body, amber crystals frantically tried to spread and seal, yet were fiercely resisted and annihilated by the even more powerful "nothing" force within him, creating a strange spectacle of light debris explosions, constantly condensing and constantly shattering!
The Emanator of Destruction Zephyro, in direct confrontation, was completely pushed back for the first time, and truly... injured!