Phainon's gaze pierced through the carriage door.
The Stellaron Hunters, she had arrived.
This meant the next stop would be the Xianzhou Loufu.
That place was home to a Lord Ravager who espoused the creed of "interesting destruction"—Phantylia!
"Heh..."
A faint laugh escaped Phainon's throat.
"Heh heh... Heh heh heh heh..."
His laughter grew louder, reverberating from his chest, filled with the fury of vengeance.
"Your laughter sounds rather mad," Anaxa's voice echoed behind him, calm as ice.
The words on the system panel flashed: [Current Emotion: Rational].
The madness that washed over his soul did not recede; it was merely suppressed by a surge of [Rationality].
Phainon turned, his gaze from beneath his mask falling upon his teacher.
Illusions born of my suffering are, in turn, affecting my emotions?
"Interesting." Phainon's laughter abruptly ceased, his tone returning to its usual calm. "The authority of Joy is quite interesting."
Anaxa rested his chin on one hand, his scrutinizing gaze seemingly intent on dissecting Phainon's soul.
"Your mind is on the verge of collapse; maintaining superficial sanity is already a miracle. This proves that your soul... is more special than I imagined."
"You want to experiment on me?"
"I don't have a habit of harming my own students." A slight curve appeared at Anaxa's lips. "I merely observed an interesting phenomenon—your destruction is always accompanied by salvation.
From this perspective, you perfectly align with the characteristics of a certain Aeon."
Phainon retorted, "How did you come by this knowledge?"
Anaxa spread his hands. "I exist based on your cognition; what I know is what you think. Instead of asking me, ask yourself, in that mind of yours, churned into a mess by thirty million cycles of reincarnation, what forgotten things are still hidden?"
Phainon silently pulled open the door. "Do you want to come meet the guest?"
"No need." Anaxa's gaze returned to his book. "Until I thoroughly analyze your soul, I prefer to stay in a safe backstage."
Phainon nodded, his figure merging into the shadows of the corridor.
Anaxa looked at the flowing starlight outside the window and murmured to himself, "The truth of the universe is far more interesting than the Titans of Amphoreus."
He wiggled his fingers at his reflection in the window.
The next moment, Anaxa's brows furrowed, and his hand movements began to change rapidly, as intricate as the most precise ritual.
After several attempts, his face completely darkened.
"The imitation is vivid, but your one-ten-thousandth-of-a-second delay still exposed you, Cat Girl."
In the window, Anaxa's reflection stiffened abruptly, and a pair of cat ears appeared on his head.
"Meow?! How... how did you find out?!"
The real Anaxa smiled faintly. "Hmph, I couldn't see through it just now, but now, I can."
—
Inside the observation car.
The air was taut like a bowstring.
The Astral Express crew stood on either side, vigilantly staring at the holographic projection of the burgundy-haired woman in front of them.
Kafka's voice carried a hint of lazy amusement. "...A Stellaron crisis erupted on the Xianzhou Loufu. What an unexpected disaster, wouldn't you agree?"
Her gaze shifted, finally settling on the people before her.
Clang.
A crisp metallic sound.
Clang.
Another sound.
Unhurried footsteps approached from a distance, and Phainon's figure appeared at the carriage entrance.
The moment he appeared, the atmosphere in the carriage abruptly reversed.
Pom-Pom no longer hid, and March 7th and Stelle unconsciously straightened their backs, as if he were the stabilizing force.
Kafka looked up at the black-robed figure approaching, her smile deepening.
"Phainon, right? Silver Wolf was very impressed by you. She said your method of dealing with the Antimatter Legion was as insane as a slaughtering game."
"It reminds me of my companion, Blade. I think you two would find meeting each other very interesting. Unfortunately, he's currently imprisoned in the Loufu's Shackling Prison by their general."
Phainon didn't respond, walking directly towards her.
He didn't stop, continuing his steps, passing through Kafka's holographic projection.
Sizzle—!
The projection flickered and distorted violently, as if being torn by an invisible force.
Kafka's perpetually perfect smile showed a flicker of almost imperceptible stagnation.
Phainon stopped behind her, turned around, and met the gaze of the now stable projection.
"I hope," Kafka's voice remained calm, "that the Astral Express crew can go to the Loufu, resolve the disaster, and incidentally... clear our names."
"Oh, and," she redirected her gaze to Phainon, "Elio is very interested in you. He hopes... you can talk with us."
Phainon tilted his head slightly, replying coldly, "A slave of destiny interested in a madman?"
"We are the same kind of people," Kafka chuckled, "both deluding ourselves... into declaring war on the gods."
"Hey!" March 7th finally couldn't hold back, rushing forward. "You bad woman, trying to poach someone right off our train?! I'm telling you, Phainon won't go with you!"
Phainon raised his hand, stopping her.
He spoke softly, as if responding to Kafka, and also as if issuing a challenge to a higher existence.
"Tell your Elio... I am very interested in the script of 'Destruction'."
"Eh?!" March 7th was stunned.
"It's just a meeting," Phainon replied indifferently.
"The orbits of the stars will eventually converge."
Kafka got the answer she wanted, revealing a charming yet dangerous smile.
"Farewell."
Sizzle—
The projection vanished without a trace.
Inside the carriage, everyone's gaze shifted from where the projection had disappeared, fixated on Phainon.
Phainon stood there silently, offering no response.
No one present could understand why he would accept the Stellaron Hunters' invitation.
Just then.
Himeko broke the dead silence.
"March, go get Dan Heng. We need to have a meeting."
March 7th cast a worried glance at Phainon, but ultimately nodded and hurried towards Dan Heng's room.
Himeko walked over to Phainon.
"I don't know what you're planning, but the Stellaron Hunters are one of the most dangerous organizations in the universe. Contacting them is like playing with fire."
Phainon's tone was completely unruffled, as if stating an established fact.
"I know."
"But my homeland is burning. To extinguish that fire, I need to borrow all usable power in the universe, even if it's another great fire."
He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the train, looking out at the endless sea of stars.
"My destination is Amphoreus."
"But your journey shouldn't end there."
"Before reaching Amphoreus, I will fulfill my duty of 'guardianship'."