Phantylia picked the perfect moment to strike.
And her target wasn't even Sylvia herself, but the greatsword in her hands.
Manipulating both the Abundance and Destruction Lotuses, she surrounded Acheron in a pincer movement.
Focused on trapping rather than killing.
Even Acheron had to draw her blade to break through the dual blockade of the mystic lotuses.
And in that brief instant, it was enough time for an Emanator to seize a greatsword from a non-Emanator.
Acheron's long blade left its sheath in an instant.
Just as the petals of the lotuses were closing, she noticed that Phantylia's target wasn't Sylvia herself.
The dangerously sharp glint in her eyes softened slightly, tinged with bewilderment and confusion.
Since the primary target wasn't Sylvia herself, judging by the situation...
Acheron relied on her wealth of experience to make a call.
Sylvia wasn't in danger.
The greatsword might be knocked from her grasp, but Phantylia's attempt to seize it was meaningless.
Long ago, during Sylvia's specialized training, Acheron had drilled her on losing hold of her weapon.
And the conclusion they'd reached was this:
Once the greatsword left her hand, no outsider could open the slot where items were stored.
Moreover, the sword could transform into flames at any moment and return to Sylvia's side.
And after several rounds of testing, Acheron realized the true source of power lay within an unknown core inside Sylvia's body.
Whether it was loading cards or fullbottles...
It only looked like they were being inserted into the greatsword. In truth, they were being loaded into that power core within her.
Sylvia called the thing a Herrscher Core.
Anyway.
Lack of intel on Sylvia led Phantylia to make the worst possible judgment.
She should have aimed her power at Sylvia herself. If she could suppress—or even capture—Sylvia instantly, only then could she restrain both Acheron and Jing Yuan.
But clearly, she didn't do that.
Phantylia seemed more interested in the enormous Ambrosial Arbor that Sylvia had taken.
As the lotuses closed above and below, the strange look in Acheron's eyes didn't fade, yet a fierce blade light still bloomed in that split second.
Whether it was Destruction or Abundance...
All of it, under the shadow of Nihility, returned to hollow nothingness.
And at the same time—
Phantylia's sudden ambush had indeed exploited the opening, seizing the flaw.
Even if Sylvia's mind reacted in time, her body couldn't keep up with Phantylia's movements.
Though Sylvia's strength had improved, Phantylia, now with a brand-new body after merging Abundance and Destruction, had also gained a significant boost in power.
A massive palm stirred a gust of wind, slamming hard against the greatsword.
At the same time, another tremendous force struck Sylvia's body.
Two forces from different directions erupted simultaneously.
The greatsword was knocked from her grasp, the crimson blade sent flying high into the air.
"Hah—"
Phantylia let out a derisive laugh, shooting skyward, reaching for the greatsword.
Sylvia, knocked back, stared in surprise at Phantylia's attempt to seize the sword.
Meanwhile, a flash of blade light swept past—white-haired Acheron had broken through the two lotuses, her long blade in hand, arriving at Sylvia's side.
Neither of them tried to chase Phantylia, instead exchanging a glance.
Checking if the other showed any signs of injury.
Acheron, of course, was fine; Phantylia hadn't been aiming to kill, only to trap.
Apart from the effort it took to break free, Acheron bore no wounds.
As for Sylvia, though she'd taken a hit, the endless stream of Abundance energy—without her even needing to control it—automatically healed the impact wound.
By the time Phantylia grabbed the greatsword, all discomfort had already faded from Sylvia's body.
At the same time, Jing Yuan and the others noticed the commotion below.
They descended one after another, witnessing the moment Phantylia seized Sylvia's greatsword.
"Ahahaha—!!! Jing Yuan! You're too late!"
Phantylia, now with the sword in hand, threw her head back and laughed, no longer concealing her form, proudly displaying her new body.
"Phantylia..."
Jing Yuan frowned slightly, his long blade sliding into his hand.
Dan Heng descended alongside the water dragon, joining the group.
"Sylvia! Are you okay?!"
March 7th instantly recognized the greatsword in Phantylia's hand as Sylvia's.
Though she didn't know exactly what had happened, the scene clearly showed their side at a disadvantage.
With a great leap, she left Stelle's side, longbow in hand, landing solemnly beside Sylvia.
She drew her bow, arrow aimed at Phantylia's chest.
"No... I'm fine."
Sylvia shook her head, her expression odd.
She saw Phantylia's look of triumph and noticed the tense, somewhat apologetic expressions on Jing Yuan and the others' faces.
"My apologies, young friend. We were a step too late."
Jing Yuan stepped before Sylvia, offering a sincere apology.
Then he positioned himself protectively in front of her, blade at the ready.
His expression serious, he locked onto Phantylia, never expecting that both Sylvia and Acheron would suffer setbacks at Phantylia's hands.
Truly worthy of a Lord Ravager.
Not a single moment of carelessness could be afforded.
The thought that he'd felt confident of victory earlier made Jing Yuan inwardly reflect.
Stelle also came to Sylvia's side, asking worriedly:
"You're really okay?"
"Really, I'm fine..."
Sylvia sighed helplessly, while Acheron beside her allowed a faint smile to show.
Only, with so many others present, Acheron's smile was restrained; only Sylvia noticed her amusement.
Both Welt and Dan Heng were the quiet type, and neither had particularly deep ties with Sylvia.
Dan Heng stepped forward without a word, ready to act at any moment.
But when Welt saw Acheron, his expression stiffened.
Instinctively, he raised a hand to adjust his glasses.
"..."
Even in such a tense atmosphere, seeing Sylvia in her Herrscher of Flamescion form, standing beside this woman who bore a 99% resemblance to a figure from his past…
It was enough to give him serious déjà vu.
He rubbed his forehead with his fingers.
Welt couldn't help feeling he wasn't on some starskiff but back on Earth, fighting that damned Honkai.
How many familiar faces had he seen lately?
Let's just say it was fortunate that blonde fellow didn't seem to know Sylvia.
And hadn't appeared beside these two women.
Otherwise, Welt might've struggled to restrain the urge to unleash a black hole.
"Hmm..."
If it were just one of them alone, it might've been manageable. But the two of them standing together made it hard for old Yang to look away.
So much so that even Stelle picked up on Welt's awkwardness.
"Uncle Welt?"
"...I'm fine."
Old Yang wore a complicated expression, forcing himself to look away from Acheron.
And his expression didn't escape Sylvia's notice.
Seeing Welt here, his gaze directed her way...
It was only then Sylvia remembered—Welt was on the Luofu too.
"Well..."
Sylvia pressed her lips together, feeling a little regretful.
Bad timing, old Yang!
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.