Phainon embarked alone on the path leading to the core.
He sprinted rapidly.
Finally, he passed through the dead silence and saw Nanook, on the other side of the mountains, looking down at Phainon.
Phainon looked up, meeting Nanook's gaze without a hint of fear.
The next moment.
On the horizon, a black tide surged.
Countless terrifying Antimatter Legion members swarmed over the mountains, letting out soul-rending roars, as dense as a locust plague, intending to completely engulf, tear apart, and annihilate this mortal who dared to face a god.
Phainon stopped, summoning the Dawnbreaker.
He didn't even assume a fighting stance, merely raising his right hand casually and, with a gentle flick, waved it towards the surging torrent of destruction.
Buzz—
A pure, absolute sword edge sliced through, cutting down a large swathe of destructive constructs.
Then, he charged headlong into the wave formed by the Antimatter Legion.
A white light flashed.
The roaring Legion, their faces still contorted with ferocity and malice, saw their bodies quietly disintegrate like sand paintings. Every particle that constituted their existence was utterly erased by the mighty power of the void, their roars and all traces of their existence vanishing into nothingness.
Every one of Phainon's slashes stirred up a thousand waves.
Countless corpses of destructive constructs rained down from the sky, like a blood shower.
Phainon didn't even glance at the cleared battlefield, continuing his advance towards the core of the staff.
Just then.
A figure appeared silently before him, as if born from shadows, carrying a terrifying pressure that made space itself tremble.
A black robe billowed without wind, and his face was obscured by black and white strips symbolizing destruction.
His features were indiscernible, yet one could feel an oppressive force powerful enough to crush stars.
Lord Ravager—zephyro.
He did not speak, merely stood there silently.
He was a walking cataclysm of destruction; annihilating a Stelle system was but a blink of an eye to him.
Phainon stopped and took a device from his embrace.
Click—
Streaks of light flashed, and his white and blue uniform instantly transformed into a deep black robe. A golden mask covered his face.
Current ignited core flames: 805,208,044
Eight hundred million parts of hope and despair flowed within him like a sea of stars, giving him the confidence to face a god.
Phainon snapped his fingers.
The domain of Omniscience and Omnipotence silently unfurled, bringing the space, time, causality, destiny… all rules before him under his absolute control.
He looked at zephyro, his voice calm yet filled with absolute confidence:
"This time, can you defeat me?"
zephyro did not answer.
He merely slowly raised his right hand, and in the void, a paint black longsword, condensed from the pure concept of "destruction," came into being.
The next instant.
Both figures vanished from their original spots simultaneously!
Boom—!
The void shattered, and the sea of stars recoiled!
zephyro's sword gleam was like the Milky Way inverted; each strike was not merely a physical slash but an annihilation of "existence" itself. Where his sword pointed, space-time wailed.
But Phainon was faster.
In his vision, time was infinitely slowed, and each of zephyro's attacks transformed into billions of intertwining causal lines.
And he, like a ghost, danced through the gaps in these lines; each flicker was accompanied by a void sword light, precisely striking the weak points of zephyro's offensive.
zephyro suddenly spun around, sweeping his longsword and unleashing a pitch-black crescent moon capable of tearing apart a galaxy!
That power was enough to return any matter to chaos!
But he only struck an afterimage.
The real Phainon had already appeared behind him, the broken greatsword in his hand silent, pointing directly at zephyro's back.
zephyro didn't look back, instead swinging his sword in a reverse grip, the angle tricky and vicious, sealing off all of Phainon's escape routes!
This sword was the pinnacle of destruction, the inevitability of an end!
Clang—!
The sound of clashing metal did not echo in their ears but exploded directly in the depths of their souls!
The turbulent energy storm tore spiderweb-like black cracks in the surrounding space; several distant, long-dead stars were utterly pulverized into dust by the aftershock!
Both retreated a hundred li simultaneously.
Phainon's lips curved upward, revealing a wild and joyful smile beneath the golden mask.
He slowly raised his right hand and, under zephyro's cold gaze, brazenly plunged it into his own chest!
Eight hundred million core flames ignited simultaneously!
An endless stream of light erupted from Phainon's chest, forming a golden pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth!
Phainon's pupils completely turned the color of molten gold, flowing with divine radiance.
His white hair receded and then turned golden.
The Dawnbreaker in his hand was refined by this divine flame; the cracks on the blade were filled with golden light, and it once again became Invasion Dawn!
zephyro twisted his neck, the aura of destruction around him surging with unprecedented intensity, as if he felt immense satisfaction and excitement at Phainon's current display.
The next moment, his figure vanished from their original spot.
Once again, he charged towards Phainon.
This time, it was no longer a test!
Space was no longer two beams of light but two constantly colliding supernovas!
Each clash unleashed a destructive storm in this void space!
Suddenly.
Both figures stopped moving.
Invasion Dawn had silently pierced zephyro's body.
zephyro glanced at the greatsword embedded in his chest. He showed no reaction, only a hint of regret at not having had his fill.
After all, this was not his true body.
zephyro nodded at Phainon, then his body gradually vanished.
Phainon gently exhaled.
The true enemy was still waiting for him deeper within the staff.
Phainon put away his greatsword and took one last look at Nanook on the throne.
The Stelle God of Destruction still quietly looked down on him, but his pupils twitched slightly.
Phainon said nothing, turned, and walked towards the central core of Amphoreus.
The Iron Tomb was about to awaken.
And he, with his own hands, would bring an end to these thirty million reincarnations.
In this battle, no one else should sacrifice themselves.
The real battle had just begun.