Castrum Kremnos.
This once-renowned city-state was now nothing more than a stretch of ruin.
As far as the eye could see, aside from those tall, solemn buildings, there was only gray.
Dust lay everywhere, chaos strewn across the land. Phainon and Mydei had no time to dwell on their emotions.
They still had a mission to complete.
After asking Trianne to hide nearby and they would come back once they defeated the titan. The two traveled together with Stelle, led by Mydei, crossing the tethered roads.
Soon, scattered creations of Nikador, the titan-kin began to appear. These insignificant soldiers were naturally no match for the three of them.
After clearing out the enemies along the way, they finally crossed the outer city and arrived at the boundary connecting to the inner city.
Beneath the sky, a breathtaking sight unfolded.
A colossal great sword, nearly as tall as a mountain, floated above the inner city, occupying almost half of their field of vision.
"It's magnificent..." Phainon said in awe.
"You haven't seen it at its most magnificent." Mydei gazed at the giant sword, took a deep breath, and began recounting the past of The Blade of Fury.
"That's the giant sword Nikador used to destroy Aquila's heavenly kingdom long ago, followed by one city-state after another."
"It's not just a weapon, it's the faith of the Kremnoan people. Souls who died heroically on the battlefield will further temper the blade in Nikador's hand, becoming a part of the god-king's power."
"Such is the Titan's conquest - Nikador, the Titankin, and the people who have faith in Strife sweep away all their enemies. Even in death, they embrace eternal glory."
Listening to Mydei's story, Phainon felt his heart stirred.
Though Nikador had long since fallen into madness, when this Titan was lucid, it was still a god of conflict both respected and feared throughout Amphoreus.
At the same time, Phainon noticed the heaviness weighing on Mydei.
That was only natural. No one could be happy seeing their homeland reduced to this.
An idea struck Phainon.
He coughed lightly, walked over to Mydei with a smile, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I think you're exaggerating a little. I can think of at least three losses suffered by Castrum Kremnos in the Chrysos War, just off the top of my head."
As expected, the moment he heard this, Mydei's emotions were instantly stirred. He shot Phainon a glare and retorted, "There's no shame in losing to those who conspire and plot in secret. Those weak and despicable individuals are the ones who should be ashamed."
Hearing that, Phainon smiled and said, "...But that's all in the past."
"Guess what I'm thinking, Mydei?"
Mydei crossed his arms. "Probably nothing good. Keep it simple."
Phainon continued, "This isn't just an expedition. It's also a battle to determine a victor. Since we're already here, why don't we have a match and fight to our heart's content?"
"Just you and me. Let's recreate the original Kremnos Festival."
"The wager is, whoever wins gets the privilege of delivering the final blow to Nikador."
On screen, Mydei, who had been dejected upon seeing the place, visibly reignited with fire in his eyes after hearing Phainon's words.
It had to be said, this proposal fit Mydei's tastes perfectly.
"Interesting. I accept your challenge."
Mydei said decisively, "The final blow to Nikador should belong to the people of the Castrum Kremnos. I won't let it fall into your hands!"
The two made their pact. And the judge was to be Stelle.
...
: Phainon really is an incredibly warm-hearted guy!
: Using this method on purpose to reignite Mydei's fighting spirit, so he wouldn't sink into gloom?
: Damn, this man really knows what he's doing!
: What do we do, the more I watch, the more I like Phainon!
: Who could not like this kind of handsome, sunny, warm guy?
: Mydei is also really cool, feels like the hot-blooded idiot type.
: Their friendship is so enviable!
...
Phainon's little scheme, and his friendship with Mydei, made the audience smile unconsciously.
On screen, Mydei and Phainon, brimming with fighting spirit, began their competition.
From the outer city to the inner city, all the scattered monsters along the way became their prey.
Throughout the entire process, Stelle was keeping an eye on both of them and taking out the straggler titan-kins.
During this time, through the contest between the two, the magnificent scenery of Castrum Kremnos, so different from Okhema, was carefully revealed to the audience through the lens.
Especially those chain bridges spanning between the inner and outer cities.
As Mydei and Phainon sprinted wildly across the chains, paired with the constant falling debris, the sheer exhilaration of the visuals made the audience cry out in excitement.
Once they stepped into the inner city, Mydei encountered a familiar old friend.
Chryseus Leo.
It was a lion statue found throughout the streets and alleys of Castrum Kremnos.
But it possessed wisdom. And it had once served as the top adviser in Castrum Kremnos.
In the current state of the city, its god driven mad, its people scattered, only this Chryseus Leo still remained here in silence.
"M—Mydeimos..."
"Crown... prince?"
Upon sensing Mydei's presence, the Chryseus Leo struggled to speak.
Mydei was overjoyed. After all these years, this being had somehow remained lucid.
"Mydeimos..., I could never... forget your voice. I've been waiting for this moment... all along."
The Chryseus Leo sounded aged and exhausted.
Mydei knew its condition was not good, and this was no time for pleasantries.
"Please, teacher, share your wise counsel with me!" Mydei's voice was grave.
"Crown prince... Castrum Kremnos has lost everything, its people, traditions... and most importantly, its glory."
"To survive, our people have migrated, and our traditions have faded with time. But glory? Even though it has vanished into the mist and its walls have crumbled, Castrum Kremnos has never forsaken the glory of its warriors. Why say otherwise?"
"Our god has completely lost their sanity. No longer a revered symbol of war, they have fallen and are now plotting an evil scheme..."
"I urge you, Mydeimos, to put an end to their endless suffering. Allow them to die as a warrior! They must... go with honor..."
Chryseus Leo now had only one wish, to bring an end to the The Strife Titan, Nikador.
"Go there. There are record tablets there. The information may help you."
Having said that, this old lion, who had endured for who knew how long, finally could endure no more.
It had waited for the crown price, yet its spirit was worn to the extreme, unable to speak another word.
Mydei took a deep breath, stepped forward, and reached out to gently touch the lion's sculpted head.
But he did not sink into sorrowful emotion.
After taking a brief rest, Mydei pulled himself together. Together with Stelle and Phainon, he headed toward the place the old lion had pointed out.
Along the way, the scattered minions blocking their path were dealt with easily.
Before long, they reached their destination.
A study. Stone tablets were scattered all over the room.
Phainon casually picked one up and glanced at it, and his expression changed drastically.
"...The black tide may be an indescribable enemy, but if exploited carefully, it can also become a sharp weapon pointed at our archenemy."
"Infiltrators can be instructed to transport a load of tainted Titankin covered in special earth, so that they may be smuggled among dromas caravan goods into Okhema."
"Upon entry, under the cover of the Curtain-Fall Hour, the personnel will stash the kin in various sections of the city. After a few days, the earth will weather and peel, suffocating the streets of Okhema with Titankin's tainted air."
"When this moment arrives, the Okhemans will be frantically searching for the source of the pollution. We just have to wait for the chaos to unfurl to take the final step to victory:"
"Gather the heroic souls within the city, let the divine blade of wrath point at Okhema, and run Strife's blade through the entire city, after which, our forces will overwhelm them like an ocean wave crashing into them, and the long-awaited victory will finally fall into our grasp."
The contents of this stone tablet were actually a conspiracy targeting Okhema!
What shocked Phainon even more was that the Titan who had fallen into madness was still capable of such meticulous planning.
Yesterday's attack had not been an accident, but something carefully orchestrated.
If this information was true, then everything made sense.
Previously, everyone had believed these enemies to be nothing more than a rabble, strong in force, but incapable of posing a real threat.
Yet they had been hiding such a vicious and poisonous scheme all along.
"Dromas merchant caravans."
"Tainted Titankin."
"Wait… isn't it today?!" Phainon's expression suddenly changed.
Mydei reacted immediately as well. The audience were horrified.
...
: Damn, this is basically a Trojan Horse, isn't it?
: Holy crap, wasn't this supposed to be open conflict? How did it turn into scheming?
: Trojan Dromas.
: That mad Titan always acted like a lunatic before, who would've thought he had something like this up his sleeve!
: Way too good at hiding it!
: Will Okhema be in danger?!
: This plan looks insanely vicious, Black Tide and all!
...
The audience were extremely worried. Even though they didn't know exactly what kind of thing the Black Tide was.
They could still guess it was something akin to a disaster, otherwise the stone tablet wouldn't have used such wording.
And judging from Okhema's previously displayed social structure and productivity, there was no way it could withstand something like an epidemic.
At this very moment, the war on Okhema's side might have already begun!
On screen, Mydei, rarely, revealed a panicked expression and voiced exactly what the audience were thinking.
"Okhema is on the brink of destruction. Someone needs to go back and rescue them."
Hearing this, Phainon made a completely unexpected move. He shook his head, his gaze firm.
"No, we need to press on and finish our mission."
What?! Phainon, who had always appeared sunny, cheerful, and eager to help others, actually refused to return for reinforcements?
The audience were stunned. Mydei was equally shocked and shouted at Phainon: "Are you blinded by glory? As I said before, victory only lies in assembling a full-fledged army."
Phainon ignored Mydei's anger entirely and explained calmly: "We're just one step away from Nikador. Defeat the source of the evil, and the threat will vanish on its own."
"Just like that decisive strike, there is no turning back for us. Nikador could drive Okhema to the brink of ruin, but we can do the same to them."
"Besides, I have faith in Aglaea and Tribbie. With two demigods and our allies watching over Okhema, they should be more than capable of protecting the holy city."
At that moment, the audience understood.
...
: Damn, base trade, huh?!
: Phainon is going for the base swap too!
: As expected, no matter the world, the ultimate essence of battle strategy is always base trading!
: But thinking about it calmly, Phainon's choice really is the most reliable one.
: No matter how you look at it, they should push forward and complete the god-slaying mission.
: If Okhema really is under attack, rushing back won't change anything, might as well directly ambush Nikador! Go in for the kill!
: Anyway, once Nikador is dealt with, the problems at Okhema should be resolved too, right?
: Honestly, I didn't expect Phainon to not only be kind-hearted, but also so decisive when it matters, no hesitation at all.
: Making this decision takes enormous resolve and courage.
...
Just as the barrage had analyzed, Phainon's thinking was simple.
Rather than being led around by the nose, it was better to go all in, gamble everything, and directly eliminate Nikador.
As for the deeper reasons, Phainon was unwilling to think about them, and unwilling to admit them.
In any case, Mydei was persuaded.
But at that moment, a fire ignited within his heart.
Had his god, his source of glory, really fallen so far as to resort to such disgraceful military intelligence?
In Castrum Kremnos, conspiracies and schemes were the most despised methods.
"Nikador... Has your divine body truly been hollowed out by the hands of madness? Have you completely forsaken your dignity as a warrior?"
Mydei clenched his fists tightly.
Time was running out.
The three of them rushed straight toward the very center of the inner city.
Nikador was there. And the closer they drew to the center, the more intense the heat and restless irritation became, uncontrollably welling up in their hearts.
That was Nikador's influence. Beyond the emotional impact, some Titan-kin also stood there.
However, unlike other such creations, they did not attack upon seeing them.
Instead, they were immersed in their own worlds, muttering incomprehensible ramblings.
At the end of the Chrysos War, Nikador had inexplicably fallen into madness, his divine power constantly leaking away.
Now, more than half of that once-mighty strength had already dissipated.
Even these Titan-kin, those closest to their creator, could only barely maintain a shred of clarity.
From this, it was clear just how thoroughly insane this Titan had become.
Passing through these Titan-kin, the group finally arrived at the very heart of Castrum Kremnos.
A massive platform, like a colossal gladiatorial arena.
And before them, the incarnation of the Titan which had once appeared in the Marmoreal Palace now manifested with an even greater, more frenzied presence.
The Lance of Fury, The Strife Titan, Nikador, in all its glory, stood there.