Phaethon's gaze followed the direction where Caenis had disappeared, as if he had reached a resolution.
He spoke abruptly, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Phainon, I'm coming with you outside the city."
Phainon was taken aback, immediately frowning in opposition. "No! Phaethon, this isn't the time for jokes! Outside the city is a battlefield, facing the Titankin directly! You don't need to... Lady Aglaea respects your choice, there's no need for you to..."
"Relax, Phainon, you might not even be a match for me... You know my combat strength." Phaethon gave Phainon a reassuring look.
"In that case... Both of you, please stay safe!" Castorice nodded firmly, her purple hair swaying slightly with the motion. Without further delay, she turned and hurried towards the Garden of Life.
...
"Phainon, ready?" Phaethon's voice sounded somewhat ethereal in the whistling wind.
"I'll use the Infinity Gate to transport us directly to a spot ten meters above the ground outside the city. Just..."
He paused, a trace of playful wariness curling at his lips. "I'm not exactly sure what kind of 'surprise package' will be waiting for us outside."
"Don't worry, brother." Phainon's voice was steady and firm. Simultaneously, he handed Phaethon a viciously designed one-handed heavy sword, its edge gleaming coldly.
"My sword, and my fists, have been thirsting for this." He grinned, showing a row of white teeth, his smile pure battle-lust.
"Well then, Phainon, shall we... go?" Phaethon's five fingers clenched abruptly, and the Infinity Gate snapped open.
"Let's go!" Phainon roared, without a moment's hesitation, meeting Phaethon's gaze briefly before both stepped through the gate simultaneously!
*Whoosh—BOOM!!!*
The feeling of weightlessness was instantly replaced by violent gravitational pull! Ten meters in the air outside Okhema, a distorted portal flashed, and two figures plummeted down like meteors!
*Squelch! CRUNCH—!!!*
Phainon didn't even bother adjusting his posture! The moment he began falling, a fierce light flashed in his eyes. The vicious heavy sword in his hand was wielded in the most primitive, most brutal manner—a straightforward, overhead heavy chop, leveraging the momentum of the fall and every ounce of his explosive strength, crashing down mercilessly!
Target—a Furiae Warrior who happened to be looking up, seemingly trying to catch someone!
The outcome was inevitable.
The heavily armored, hulking Furiae Warrior didn't even have time to grunt before it was obliterated like a watermelon under a steamroller!
Its sturdy armor instantly twisted and burst! Its entire upper body, along with its ugly head, was violently smashed into the ground amidst the sickening sounds of tearing metal and shattering stone!
The blade of Phainon's heavy sword even dug deep into the soil below, creating a small crater!
Phainon landed steadily on one knee beside his "masterpiece," his sword still embedded in the earth.
*BZZT—! ZAP—! BOOM! KABOOM!*
The instant Phainon landed, a screen of destructive light erupted without warning across the ground within a twenty-meter radius centered on him!
A blazing ring of fire roared outwards, igniting monsters into torches; a piercing Frost Nova bloomed abruptly, freezing everything in its path; thick chains of lightning materialized out of thin air, madly jumping and piercing through the monster horde; sharp earthen spikes burst forth from the ground like a forest, impaling the unlucky ones...
Innumerable, powerful skill effects of various natures simultaneously appeared, overlapped, and exploded! It was as if an entire regiment of high-level mages had instantly executed a precise saturation strike on this very spot!
Within twenty meters, all Titankin of various forms—whether Furiae Warrior, Furiae Archer, or Furiae Philosopher —were utterly vaporized, pulverized, reduced to dust in this dazzling yet deadly symphony! Leaving barely any remains behind!
Phainon maintained his sword-drawing posture, but kept his eyes closed.
Phainon: *Ah! The skill effects are too flashy and chaotic, I can't see a thing, brother!*
"Tch." Phaethon, who had also landed, frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping the surroundings—beyond the temporary vacuum cleared by the skills, an endless tide of Titankin roared and surged back in.
"Phainon, it seems the situation for Okhema's defenders isn't good," he said with a note of gravity. "We've landed right in their main force."
"Heh," Phainon finally wrenched his heavy sword free from the ground, sending clumps of dirt and gravel flying.
He moved to stand back-to-back with Phaethon, the motion utterly natural.
"I was worried earlier... that we might land on some poor soldier's head..." his low voice held a trace of belated fear, but more than that, a sense of solid footing and facing a clear enemy.
"Phainon," Phaethon raised a hand, pointing towards Okhema. Flames soared into the sky there, and the deafening sounds of battle cries, clashing metal, and explosions rumbled like unending thunder. "Lets break through first! The main battle is over there!"
"Right!" A blazing fighting spirit instantly ignited in Phainon's eyes, the purest thirst for combat.
"Phaethon!" He suddenly turned his head to look at his brother behind him, his voice full of challenge,
"How about a contest? Whoever kills fewer... does the dishes for a month back home!"
"Heh..." Phaethon let out a low laugh, clear even amidst the chaotic battlefield, filled with absolute confidence and a spark of ignited competitiveness. "Deal!"
"Then—let's plow through them!!!"
The moment the words fell, the two brothers shot forward like twin cannonballs with lit fuses, launching a furious charge directly towards Okhema!
*BOOM! CRACK! SQUELCH!*
The area before Phaethon instantly transformed into a hellscape of spells!
He held nothing back, unleashing one high-tier composite spell after another in rapid succession!
A massive fireball exploded in the center of a monster group, splattering superheated magma that melted Furiae Warrior into molten slag!
A biting cold wind carrying a whirlwind of ice blades froze large swathes of Furiae Archer, slicing them into frozen shards!
An invisible force field warped space, monsters within its range torn by terrifying gravitational forces, their movements slowed.
Combined with the sacred sword beams imbued with the power of the [Oath of Radiance] that he unleashed with sweeps of his longsword, wherever Phaethon passed, monsters were obliterated en masse into scattered residue by the unleashed energy!
However, even as he unleashed his spells, Phaethon's peripheral vision remained locked on Phainon on the other side. What he saw made even his steady heart skip a beat.
Phainon's charge was utterly devoid of "technique"! It was the purest, most savage, most violent form of overwhelming force!
The heavy sword in his hand didn't need intricate forms—just the simplest sweeps, overhead chops, and thrusts! His movements were wide and powerful, full of a primitive beauty of raw strength.
But these seemingly simple actions contained terrifying, jaw-dropping destructive power!