Stelle looked at the white-haired youth in front of her, who was clutching his head with a bewildered expression, and guiltily hid the baseball bat behind her back.
"I don't know him, I don't know him."
"I absolutely, absolutely don't know that your name is Phainon."
She shook her head like a rattle, her eyes darting around, exuding an aura of "I'm lying."
Dan Heng crossed his arms, silently retreated to the side, and deliberately distanced himself from the farce to maintain his cool and aloof persona.
"..."
Phainon, or rather, the 'Phainon' of this reincarnation, still had a ringing in his head.
He felt like he hadn't just been tapped, but rather struck like a temple bell.
What he found even more incomprehensible were these two strangely dressed individuals in front of him.
The way they looked at him was too strange.
It was as if they were looking at a long-lost close friend.
And why?
How did she know his name?
Before he could clear his thoughts, the culprit grinned and leaned in again.
Stelle walked around him once, making sounds of "tsk tsk" in admiration, then suddenly reached out both hands and, with uncanny precision, pinched both of his cheeks, pulling them outwards with effort.
"I never would have thought, never would have thought, that you'd be such a sunny and cheerful big boy."
The texture was really good, soft and springy.
She had wanted to do this for a long time!
However, in Stelle's mind, another image of Phainon involuntarily appeared.
That partner whose smile held an unresolvable bitterness, and whose eyes were as calm as the deep sea.
They were clearly the same person, yet at this moment, they were like two poles of light and shadow.
"It's so good to see you so sunny and cheerful..." "Let... let go..."
The 'Phainon' was completely flustered, his cheeks flushed crimson
he had never encountered such an unreasonable assault.
There was not an ounce of malice in the other party's actions, only a kind of curiosity that left him utterly at a loss for how to respond.
Just as he felt his face was about to be torn off, a clear and anxious female voice rescued him.
"Snowy! How many times have I told you not to run so fast, you're being reckless again, and you've gone off on your own..."
A petite figure trotted out from behind the wreckage, it was Tribbie.
Then, she immediately saw the scene: 'Snowy' being 'abused' by a strange girl?!
Tribbie stopped in her tracks.
Her small head was filled with question marks.
The highly skilled 'Snowy' was just... handled by a strange girl?
"Uh..."
Tribbie looked at Stelle and Dan Heng in front of her, momentarily at a loss for words.
Seeing that Tribbie had arrived, Dan Heng knew the time was right.
He stepped forward, gently patted away Stelle's still mischievous hands, and pulled her behind him.
Then, he faced Tribbie, gave a slight nod, and spoke in a calm yet solemn voice,
"Hello, Ms. Tribios."
"We are trailblazers from beyond the heavens. We have come here to assist all Chrysos Heirss in completing the Trailblaze Journey."
As his words fell.
The surrounding air fell into a dead silence.
Phainon and Tribbie froze in place simultaneously, unable to close their slightly agape mouths for a long time, their expressions equally stunned.
"You... you actually know my true identity?" Tribbie murmured, her eyes filled with shock.
As the Saintesses who conveyed divine oracles, for the first time in their lives, they had heard the content of the oracle from someone else's mouth.
"Not from the heavens... but from beyond the heavens?" Phainon rubbed his flushed cheeks, his attention firmly caught by another phrase.
Dan Heng silently gave the two enough time to process, then began to narrate.
He told a story personally compiled by Phainon, perfectly weaving truth and allegory.
In the story, there was the Trailblaze Journey, the New Genesis, the Black Tide, and it more accurately predicted that two "outsiders from beyond the heavens" would descend at a crucial moment, bringing hope to reverse fate.
These narratives had been rehearsed on the train no less than a hundred times.
Dan Heng knew very well that to advance the progress of Amphoreus in the shortest possible time, they had to abandon all tedious probing and, with the most direct and intense method, strike through the core of their faith in one fell swoop.
The more Tribbie listened, the brighter the light in her eyes became.
Many details in Dan Heng's words perfectly matched the closely guarded secrets passed down through generations of Amphoreus!
This was absolutely not something that could be achieved by temporary fabrication!
"Quick! We must return to Oakhaven immediately!"
Tribbie made a decisive decision, her expression incredibly excited.
"We must immediately inform Aglaea about the arrival of the trailblazers from beyond the heavens! The dawn of Amphoreus... is truly about to arrive!"
Phainon looked at Teacher Tribbie's unwavering belief, still harboring a last trace of doubt in his heart.
Mainly, the way these two looked at him was simply too strange.
But since Teacher Tribbie had already made her judgment, he said no more.
After all, once they were in front of Aglaea, whether it was true or false would be immediately apparent.
And so, Stelle and Dan Heng naturally joined this survivor squad, heading towards Amphoreus's last bastion—Oakhaven.
—
Boom—!
Outside Oakhaven City, war raged.
The creations of the Condemnation Legion were frantically assaulting the city wall's defenses.
"Protect the civilians!"
Phainon shouted, his longsword unsheathed, his figure transforming into a white rainbow that tore through the battlefield, slicing a Condemnation Legion soldier that lunged at the survivors into pieces.
Almost at the same moment, Stelle and Dan Hengmoved.
Without any communication, the two, one left and one right, like two sharp arrows, plunged directly into the most chaotic battle group.
Stelle's baseball bat swung with powerful force, each strike heavy and precise, hitting their mark every time.
Dan Heng's Cloud-Piercer, on the other hand, was like an enraged dragon emerging from the sea, theirspear shadows flashing, killing all enemies attempting to approach the survivors.
On the train, they had undergone genuine, hellish special training from two top instructors, "Phainon" and "Mydei"!
On the other side of the battlefield, Phainon swept away several enemies with a single sword, and the corner of his eye caught this astonishing sight.
His last trace of doubt completely vanished.
The two who claimed to be outsiders from beyond the heavens faced the disaster without the slightest hesitation; every one of their actions was to risk their lives to protect unknown civilians.
Their power and kindness could absolutely not be faked.
In Phainon's heart, a genuine sense of admiration and respect for these two began to grow.
With everyone's combined efforts, the Condemnation Legion outside the city was quickly cleared.
However, a giant stone pillar was struck down during the battle, collapsing with a crash and firmly blocking the path to the city gate.
"I'm good at this!"
Stelle's eyes lit up, and she subconsciously reached into her embrace for a core flame.
Dan Heng's hand flashed like lightning, pressing on her shoulder.
"The core flame Phainon gave you is for the Worldbearing, not The Power of Years," Dan Heng reminded in a low voice, "You can't use it right now."
Stelle paused, "Ah? Is that so? What about yours?"
"Mine is for The Power of Earth; the time is not yet right," Dan Heng shook his head slightly.
The two spoke very softly, yet some words still reached Phainon's ears.
They were talking about core flames?!
Before Phainon could react, Tribbie had already stepped forward, extending her small hand, her palm glowing with a soft radiance.
"Unveil the curtain, stir the ripples of the past!"
Under everyone's astonished gaze, the collapsed stone pillar reversed in time, countless shattered stones and dust flowed upwards, reassembling and healing, and in a blink, it returned to their original state.
Everyone was then able to continue forward.
But they hadn't gone far when an arrogant and powerful aura approached from the shadows ahead.
A figure, dragging the remains of a Condemnation Legion soldier, slowly emerged, blocking everyone's path.
The newcomer was Mydei.
He didn't even look at Stelle and Dan Heng, his gaze locking directly onto Phainon, a provocative sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Carelessness will cost you your life, Deliverer."
The next moment, he violently threw the remains in his hand, accurately smashing a Condemnation Legion soldier that had quietly revived behind Phainon.
Immediately, Mydei joined the fray, and together they completely cleared out the remaining enemies.
Once everything settled, Phainon raised an eyebrow, looking at Mydei,
"Mydei, if I remember correctly, your responsibility at the time should have been to protect the citizens, right?"
Mydei snorted coldly, "What do you mean? Are you trying to say that none of these people here count as citizens?"
Phainon frowned, indeed, trying to reason with Mydei was a complete waste of time!
He was about to retort.
But a voice, smiling, cut in before him.
"Huh?"
Stelle tilted her head, looking at Mydei with an innocent expression,
"Let me ask you, do you particularly like to fill a cup with pomegranate juice and then boast to everyone that you're drinking blood?"
"Pfft—"
A stifled laugh burst from his throat, and Phainon choked on his own saliva, coughing violently.
The arrogant, swaggering smile on Mydei's face shattered.
He was completely stunned.
HKS! Is it like this to expose someone's shortcomings?
No... how could she know?!
This was something he did secretly, a core secret that absolutely no one else could know!
He abruptly turned his head, glaring fiercely at Phainon.
His eyes were filled with the pain and anger of being betrayed by a close friend.
"You tell people about things like this?!"
"And to a stranger you just met today?!" Mydei's voice changed pitch due to his agitation.
Phainon flinched under his glare, quickly spread his hands, desperately trying to suppress the rapidly rising corners of his mouth.
"I didn't!"
He cleared his throat, maintaining a composed demeanor:
"Mydei, calm down first."
"First, I only met them today. Second, they are 'Prophets from Beyond the Heavens,' which Teacher Tribbie personally certified. Are you questioning Teacher Tribbie's judgment?"
"Third, and most importantly,"
Phainon took a step forward, looking directly into Mydei's eyes, a cunning smile playing on his lips,
"Isn't it perfectly normal for a prophet who can foresee the future to know about your harmless little quirks?"
"Instead of yelling at me here, you should reflect on why your secret is known even to people from beyond the heavens. Is it because you didn't hide it well enough?"
"Or perhaps... sometimes your voice is too loud?"