This combination of punches flowed smoothly, and for a moment, it left Mydei completely flustered.
A rare trace of awkwardness appeared on his arrogant face.
"Amazing!" Even Stelle couldn't help but exclaim internally. If the one on the Express could joke like this, it would be great.
Mydei cleared his throat twice, stubbornly saying, "That was… to supplement my vitamins."
"Pfft—"
Stelle could no longer hold it in, her shoulders shaking violently.
She lowered her voice and whispered to Dan Heng, "Look, look, he's blushing!"
Mydei's ears keenly caught those words, and the heat on his face almost ignited the air.
He glanced at Stelle, then his gaze returned to Phainon.
"Nikador is in the Cloudstone Palace. Aglaea won't let me interfere. I alone am enough here."
He paused, seemingly weighing his words, then added in a seemingly fierce tone:
"I must warn our esteemed guests, your host isn't very hospitable."
"Wow, tsundere much," Stelle whispered in Dan Heng's ear.
Dan Heng turned his head, sighing lightly, "It's not your first day knowing that."
Phainon watched this farce, his smile growing wider. However, to save Mydei a little face, he quickly changed the subject:
"My apologies, my two companions, for dragging you into this war. But it seems there are no better options now. Let's continue on our way."
Stelle and Dan Heng nodded readily.
Just as the three turned, Mydei's voice came from behind them.
"Hey, what's your name?"
He was asking Stelle.
Stelle turned around, a smile blooming on her face, "My name is Kevin."
Mydei froze, his brows furrowed into a knot, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping back and forth over her.
"Aren't you a girl? Foreigners certainly have unique taste in names."
"It's fine," Stelle winked at him triumphantly, "You'll know how good my naming skills are in the future."
With that, she ignored Mydei, turned, and followed Phainon and Dan Heng.
The three continued deeper into the city-state.
Not long after, a chilling aura of death permeated from ahead.
The sounds in the air seemed to be sucked away; even footsteps became muffled.
Countless faintly glowing butterflies fluttered out from the shadows ahead, encircling a still figure.
Castorice.
She just stood there, as if she were death itself.
The aura of the shadow of death was so dense it made one's soul tremble.
Stelle shivered subconsciously, hugging her arms and whispering, "How do I feel… like I'm a little dead."
Dan Heng glanced at her, "You'll get used to it. You'll have plenty of time together in the future."
Their conversation drifted into Phainon's ears, word for word.
Plenty of time together?
Hmm… it felt like it had already gone beyond the scope of prophecy.
His gaze towards his two new companions held more curiosity and scrutiny.
"It seems you are also very familiar with Castorice?"
"Just a little," Stelle didn't hide it, even using her fingers to show a tiny gap, "Definitely not as much as we know about Mydei."
Phainon nodded thoughtfully.
Prophets.
Prophets from beyond the heavens.
This identity became heavier and more real in his heart.
Just then, Castorice spoke, "Lord Phainon. And… two guests. In the face of death, even strife hesitates. I… am the shadow of 'Death.' Please follow me…"
As she moved, the aura of death spread out.
The surrounding Condemnation Legion creations, poised to move, instantly stiffened, completely unable to stir.
Death suppressed everything.
A perfectly safe passage to the Cloudstone Palace thus appeared before the three of them.
After doing all this, Castorice's figure returned to the marketplace, dispelling any worries for them.
"Nikador is waiting for us there."
Phainon took a deep breath, his eyes becoming incredibly resolute, pointing at the palace atop the mountain.
The three did not hesitate for a moment, heading towards the magnificent palace suspended in the clouds in the distance.
—
Cloudstone Palace.
Inside the palace, it was empty and silent.
A tall figure stood still in the center of the main hall, radiating an aura of madness.
Nikador's clone.
The moment Phainon and his two companions stepped into the hall, His gaze locked onto them.
"Be careful!"
Phainon shouted a warning, his longsword already drawn.
However, it was too late.
Or rather, Stelle and Dan Heng had never intended to "be careful."
For them, this wasn't even a battle.
This was merely a display of muscle memory that could be perfectly cleared with their eyes closed.
"Left, triple claw!"
Stelle shouted, but her baseball bat didn't even look to the left. Instead, she swung it with all her might towards the empty space on the right, as if predicting the move!
"Bang!"
A dull thud.
Nikador's figure had just solidified on the right when it was sent stumbling by the powerful blow.
Before He could even counterattack, a streak of azure spear light had already pierced through the air.
Dan Heng's figure appeared like a ghost behind him, his Cloud-Piercer directly striking Nikador's back.
The angle and timing were perfect.
Phainon's gaze was fixed firmly on that spear light.
The cooperation of the two extraterrestrial visitors had surpassed mere tacit understanding.
It was more like a premonition.
They seemed not to be fighting, but rather reading a book that had already been written, precisely turning to the next page.
Nikador was utterly enraged, unleashing all his power and sweeping towards Stelle, who was closest to him.
Stelle, however, did not dodge, her expression calm.
Just as the golden blade was about to touch her.
Dan Heng's spear arrived.
The tip of the Cloud-Piercer traced a perfect arc in the air, precisely striking the center of Nikador's clone's brow.
"Pfft."
A soft sound.
The violent energy instantly stilled.
Nikador's clone's massive body froze in mid-air, then, like a sandcastle, it disintegrated inch by inch, turning into countless specks of light and vanishing without a trace.
The battle was over.
So clean and swift it was almost child's play.
Phainon stood rooted to the spot, silent for a long time.
He realized that if he had rushed forward just now, he would not only have been unhelpful but would have disrupted the miraculous coordination of his two companions.
Just then.
Countless slender golden threads appeared out of thin air in the main hall.
They intertwined and entwined in the air like living beings, carrying a sacred and majestic aura, intentionally or unintentionally brushing lightly past Stelle and Dan Heng.
Seeing this, Phainon smiled with relief.
He knew the main person had arrived.
Aglaea.
The golden threads converged, light flowed, and a figure slowly descended, stepping on the golden threads.
An elegant posture, flawless skin.
Her short hair and veil shimmered with flowing gold in the divine radiance.
She was not mortal, but a walking deity.
Aglaea opened her eyes, her highlight-less greenish-yellow pupils calmly observing the three, finally resting her gaze on Stelle and Dan Heng.
A benevolent smile appeared on her face, and her voice was like a bell, ethereal and distant.
"What you defeated was merely a clone of Nikador."
"Although this welcoming banquet was not elegant, it helped us dispel our doubts. From now on, you are honored guests of the Holy City, the most esteemed guests of the Chrysos Heirs."
Phainon immediately stepped forward to introduce them, "Aglaea, these two are trailblazers from beyond the heavens. They have come for the great undertaking of the Trailblaze journey."
Aglaea nodded slightly, a hint of understanding in her eyes, "My Master has already informed me. I naturally trust My Master's judgment."
Tedious probing, polite conversation.
Dan Heng took a step forward, interrupting her solemn opening, "Actually, we can skip these unnecessary probings."
"We know this attack was within your expectations."
Dan Heng looked directly at the woman before him, speaking clearly, word by word,
"After all, Trianne has already followed the soldiers of the Condemnation Legion to find the location of Nikador's true body."
"I can directly tell you the true coordinates of Nikadori's main body."
"When Trianne returns, you can compare the results and know whether our identity is false."
For a moment, the smile on Aglaea's face froze.
The golden threads entwined around her could sense no trace of deceit in Stelle and Dan Heng.
The other party not only knew her plan but even knew her Master's whereabouts.
This was no longer within the scope that "prophet" could explain.
It was more like… reading a book whose ending had already been written.
Now that it had come to this, all probing had lost their meaning.
Aglaea nodded slightly, her expression solemn.
"Very well."
"Then, I shall trouble you two to inform me of Nikador's true location."