At Mydei's resolute words, Phainon left with Stelle, without the slightest hesitation.
Only a few seconds later. From the direction of the inner city, came the sounds of explosions far more violent than any before.
The audiences were completely stunned.
....
: He really left?!
: Holy shit… one dared to say it, the other dared to believe it!
: He actually left Mydei there alone to fight Nikador?!
: I'll be honest, Mydei is seriously a real man. Damn, this is insane!
: A true man! Hell! Holding back the Titan all by himself?!
: I was calling him a reckless brute before, but now I realize that word was way too conservative.
...
The comments flooded the screen.
Phainon walked away from the sounds of the explosions, never once looking back as he left.
They quickly found Trianne outside the city and explained the situation.
Trianne didn't hesitate either. She immediately opened the Century Gate and brought the two back to Okhema.
The moment they landed.
Trianne staggered.
"Ugh..."
"Trianne, are you alright?"
"Hnngh... Tired... and dizzy... Will De be okay?"
At this moment, Trianne looked like she was completely spent, her voice weary.
"He'll be fine... Mydei is the fiercest warrior I know"
"He possesses the indestructible body."
"Something Mydei was born with. A blessing and a curse, the true mark of a Chrysos Heir."
Phainon comforted her. Then, seeing Trianne's condition, he said softly, "Go get some rest, Trianne. We might need your help again before you know it."
Trianne nodded, panting lightly. "Okay... Don't worry about me! Take care of yourselves, too..."
The three parted ways.
Stelle and Phainon quickly found Aglaea.
While the two were on the move. Everything Trianne had witnessed in Castrum Kremnos had already been relayed to Aglaea.
So there was no need for further explanation.
They met in the Marmoreal Palace. Castorice and Dan Heng were there as well.
The moment they met, Phainon urgently asked, "The city's citizens are enjoying themselves like it's any other day... Do you not see this as a crisis?"
Phainon had originally thought that once Aglaea received the information, she would order an immediate evacuation.
But unexpectedly, she chose not to announce anything at all. She didn't let the residents learn about the situation in the slightest.
Aglaea said calmly, "Okhema would be in constant turmoil if we were to raise the alert each time danger befell us. Silently eliminating threats and sparing them from living under the shadow of fear, that is the duty of the Chrysos Heirs."
Perhaps out of concern that fear would lead to greater chaos. Aglaea chose the approach of planning to resolve everything with only the Chrysos Heirs.
When the audiences saw this, they felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
····
: Doesn't this feel similar to when Jing Yuan surrounded and killed Hoolay?
: The advantage of this method is that the people know nothing. As long as the problem is solved, everything returns to normal.
: But the downside is that it requires absurdly high combat power to back it up.
: Still, using this approach to preserve the Holy City's peace makes it easy for the people to misjudge the situation.
: And… isn't this there the prophecy? If the people are protected this well, they'll grow complacent.
: They might even start questioning the necessity of the Chrysos Heirs after the crisis passes.
: Aglaea's approach… is classic "parent-style" governance.
: It's understandable. Panic-induced chaos can be deadlier than the disaster itself.
: But this is way too much of a gamble!
: Look at Phainon hesitating… He doesn't fully agree, but he chooses to obey and carry it out.
: Maybe this is growth. Phainon is starting to understand that a leader's decisions can't always be judged as simply right or wrong.
....
The audiences analyzed Aglaea's decision.
And Phainon, though unconvinced, knew that this wasn't the time for argument.
"The Blade of Fury has its aim trained on Kephale's heart. We need to stop the mad Titan, or the entirety of the holy city could be reduced to ash."
"But Nikador has crafted an indestructible body for himself, one that can't be entirely destroyed. Mydei is buying us time... We need to cherish every second he's fought for."
Phainon's expression was grave. The most terrifying thing about the Strife Titan was their indestructible body.
And now, with that body as its foundation, wielding the Blade of Fury, even the Chrysos Heirs were powerless.
He needed Aglaea to provide a solution.
"Castrum Kremnos has been shrouded in the fog far too long, leaving us unable to discover the mystery behind Nikador's undying body."
"...We can only hope to learn the truth from one Titan."
Aglaea clearly had a plan and spoke: "Castorice will join you in the audience with Oronyx. Let's hope they can restore the visions of the past and reveal the truth behind Nikador's defiance of death."
"Then we'll have a way to deal with it."
Oronyx.
Phainon was a little suprised by this answer. He had originally believed the key lay with Castorice.
After all, Strife and Death were inseparable, and before Nikador went mad, they were never one to betray their allies.
"I understand." Phainon nodded and accepted the plan.
Next.
Regarding the records on the stone tablet in Castrum Kremnos about the infiltration of Okhema, Aglaea had already made full preparations.
Only then did Phainon feel reassured.
Time was short.
Not long after returning to Okhema, Stelle and Phainon, Castorice and Dan Heng, had to set out once more.
This time, because Trianne had gone back and forth between Castrum Kremnos twice, she had exhausted all her strength and needed time to recover.
So it was Tribbie who would lead everyone to the temple.
Along the way, they asked Tribbie about matters concerning Oronyx.
After all, the three Titans of Fate were fundamentally intertwined. Even their temples were built together, known as the Temple of the Three Fates.
As a priest of Janus, Tribbie was naturally familiar with Oronyx.
However. In response to their questions, she could only offer limited information.
Oronyx had never been a Titan fond of communicating with others.
"It's one thing to use their powers and another to be aligned with us in war. If that Titan refuses to be on our side... we'll have to resort to a fight."
Phainon said through clenched teeth.
"Oronyx... isn't an evil Titan at heart. Let us hope things won't reach that point." Tribbie replied softly, a trace of sadness in her voice.
Everyone understood.
If Oronyx truly refused to help them resolve Okhema's crisis. Then they would have no choice but to take its Coreflame.
Next, Tribbie opened the Century Gate and brought everyone to their destination.
"Although the Temple of the Three Fates has been abandoned for a long time, the magical barriers woven by the priests still linger around it. Approaching with Janus's power recklessly could be extremely risky."
Tribbie explained and said that she could only teleport everyone to the temple's entrance.
"We understand. Thank you, Tribbie." Phainon, standing at the front, spoke.
"'We have to go back to Okhema to help Aglaea. Snowy and Cas, we trust you know how to summon us when you're done."
After saying their goodbyes, Tribbie took out another stone tablet.
"Here, keep this with you. This token is proof of a Janus priest. Hold it up to the Gate of Infinity, and you'll be able to walk through unimpeded."
"And this as well, the Miracle Orb. Even though I won't be by your side, Little Gray can already control Oronyx's power. With this, she can unleash even greater miracles!"
"Take care, alright? May Kephale light your path forward."
After saying that, Tribbie waved her hand before finally leaving.
Everyone watched as Teacher Tribbie departed.
"We're on our own now." Phainon put away the stone tablet.
"I've been ready for a long time." Stelle said, brimming with fighting spirit.
Dan Heng looked around. He hadn't gone with with Stelle to help fight Nikador, but he could help this time.
"May everything go well for us..." Castorice standing next to Stelle, spoke in a voice only Stelle could hear.
The audience was especially expectant as well.
There were at least three threads left in the audience's minds.
Mydei's battle. Okhema's defense. And the group's investigation of Oronyx.
These three threads complemented one another and were tightly intertwined.
Next, the four of them began exploring this abandoned, colossal divine temple.
However, right from the start, they were rejected by the Titan of Time.
Titan chants lingered around their ears.
Castorice, who was silent along the way, spoke up, translating the Titan's words.
"Devious and repulsive humans... Are you here to disturb my peace again, just as disaster approaches?"
Stelle, looked at Castorice, her facing showing surprise, and asked, "You know what the Titan is saying? How can you understand without subtitles?"
It was Phainon who spoke instead of Castorice, "Miss Castorice can understand the Titans' words. That's exactly why we need her on this trip."
The sound of the Titan's murmurs once again made everyone look at Castorice.
"Cease your efforts... and let yourself be swallowed by the confusion of time and space..."
Hearing the Titan's words, everyone's hearts sank.
Phainon frowned. "Oronyx is turning us away? It seems like we've hit an obstacle on the very first step."
But at the very least, they needed to meet Oronyx first. But meeting a Titan who was actively resisting was extremely difficult.
Oronyx wielded the authority of time to set layer upon layer of obstacles before them.
Before their eyes, past and present intersected, forming an extremely complex blockade.
On the shattered road of the present, past stone slabs lay overlapping. And the power of the present couldn't move objects from the past.
They were unmistakably blocked.
Fortunately, the Miracle Orb left behind by Tribbie, as well as the power Stelle had just mastered, proved invaluable.
Holding the Miracle Orb, Stelle used Oronyx's own power against the Titan, flattening the trials one by one.
During this time, Oronyx's chants never ceased.
Some of the meanings were things even Castorice was reluctant to translate.
"...Who are you to command me? Does your inhumanity know no end?"
"Curse you mortals... curse your pride and your merciless ways"
"Venture no closer... Keep out."
"You won't find anything you desire here... Save for despair and demise."
"You are not welcome here... You have no right."
Oronyx's rejection grew increasingly obvious.
At the same time, the audience grew more and more suspicious.
Of the two Titans encountered so far, Nikador had gone mad.
And Oronyx appeared utterly terrified. But what exactly was it afraid of? What did it mean by "despair and demise"?
Carrying intense curiosity, the audience followed Stelle as she charged through trial after trial.
After a series of temporal schemes failed, Oronyx actually borrowed a sliver of Talanton's authority.
Using a balance scale, it blocked their path. One side of the scale held a Titan's weight, while the other side was empty.
They had to balance both sides of the scale to move forward.
However, they tried countless methods, yet none achieved equal weight.
...
In the end, Stelle even stood on it.
Still, it wasn't enough.
After looking on the murals on the walls of the rooms nearby, they realized that the other side of the scale required something heavier than the fate of the world itself.
Heavier than the world's fate? Everyone was stumped.
The audience also began "offering strategies" in the comments.
At that moment, Dan Heng had a flash of insight, "I've got it."
The answer to this riddle wasn't weight, but meaning.
"Indeed, for the people of Amphoreus, the fate of the world is a weight that is far too heavy."
"But perhaps even the Titan did not expect that... For outsiders like us, we still have not yet become fully involved with the fate of this world."
"From our perspective, there is something even more important than this world — or perhaps even the entire cosmos."
"But from our standpoint, there is one treasure more important than this world, And that's the companions that we have traveled with. If this indeed is the case, we will have passed the Titan's challenge."
After Dan Heng finished speaking, he asked Stelle to take out March 7th camera and placed it on the scale.
A shocking scene unfolded! The scale began to sway slowly.
Both sides gradually leveled out!
The audience were also stunned. It can work like that?!
...
: The best train crew!
: My god! What Dan Heng said was way too awesome!
: He really… I'm crying.
: But why didn't it work when Stelle stood on it just now? According to Dan Heng's logic, Stelle should count too.
: Maybe there's some kind of detection mechanism? After all, Stelle and Dan Heng are currently inside Amphoreus.
: Doesn't matter!
...
The comments flooded past.
And after crossing this trial, Oronyx could no longer stop them.
At the end of their path, within a sea of mist, a streak of blue light flickered.
That was Oronyx.
Phainon could no longer hold back. He immediately raised his voice, declaring his purpose and begging Oronyx for help.
But the Titan's refusal only grew stronger and more resolute. It would never help these executioners who hunted Titans.
Either kill it and take the Coreflame or accept its silence.
Especially when Phainon heard Oronyx say that even if the world were to perish, it would never aid their group of ruthless butchers.
Phainon took a deep breath and offered Oronyx a polite apology, then prepared to strike.
Just as everyone believed the battle was inevitable, hearing the titan's murmurs again, Castorice's expression suddenly changed.
"Wait... Oronyx's reaction is a little strange."
"Titan, what are you muttering about? I can't make it out clearly..." Castorice tried heard to translate the murmurs which was now almost indistinguishable.
"Mother... Mother?"
Castorice standing in front of the titan, looked at Stelle standing behind her, asking her to step forward, "Miss, could you please step forward? Oronyx seems to be calling out for you."
"Mother? Mother..."