Space Station, Containment Zone.
March 7th and Dan Heng led the way, their goal being the elevator directly to the Master Control Zone.
The newborn Stellaron, Stelle, carefully supported the injured Arlan.
Suddenly, Arlan's communicator screeched with static.
"Excuse me, just a moment."
Hearing this, the three youngsters immediately stopped, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
Arlan answered the call, and the anxious voice of a Security Team member came through.
"Brother Arlan! Are you alright?!"
"I'm mostly fine; my friends from the Express Crew saved me. How are things on your end?"
"We… we investigated several zones. It's strange; we haven't found any Staff Members injured or dead, nor any sign of the Antimatter Legion. It's just…"
"Just what?" Arlan's heart tightened.
"It's just that all the Staff Members we encountered seemed scared out of their wits, dazed and unconscious. After waking up, they kept muttering about 'black robes,' 'golden masks,' 'madmen'…"
"Ah?"
Arlan was utterly confused, but as long as no personnel were harmed, it was great news. He finally reminded everyone, "Continue searching for survivors, be extremely careful, and request backup immediately if you encounter a strong enemy."
"Understood! Brother Arlan, you also need to be careful of that… black-robed masked man."
The communication abruptly ended.
"What's the situation?" Dan Heng asked, his hand never leaving his Cloud-Piercer.
Arlan pondered for a moment, his expression grave: "I don't know how to put it. Generally, it's alright; no casualties have been found yet."
"That's great!" March 7th patted her chest, pointing to the elevator ahead, "While there are no enemies, let's quickly… Ugh, as soon as I said that, I felt like something bad was about to happen."
Before her words even finished, it was as if she had triggered some kind of verbal spell switch.
Whoosh—!
An arrow, shimmering with destructive light, tore through the air, whistling towards them!
Dan Heng's pupils contracted. His spear, like a dragon, swept out instantly, precisely knocking the arrow away.
Immediately after, heavy thudding sounds echoed.
A hulking centaur-shaped Voidranger leaped out from the shadows of the corridor, then landed lightly like an antelope, completely blocking their path.
"Prepare for battle! Three against one, the advantage is ours!"
March 7th, Dan Heng, and Stelle immediately took up their stances and charged forward.
But just then, as if to respond to March 7th's words, the Voidranger: Trampler let out a sharp shriek, looking up at the sky.
The metal walls of the entire zone hummed.
On the ceiling, countless specks of light appeared out of thin air.
The next second, a plague descended.
Countless Voidrangers poured out from the specks of light, densely packed, instantly filling all available space.
Inside the Master Control Room, Himeko watched this scene through the monitor, a hint of solemnity appearing on her elegant face.
Her original intention was to train the newcomers.
But the number before her had already exceeded the scope of "training"; this was a destructive tide capable of devouring everything.
She slowly opened the briefcase beside her.
However, her movements paused the next second.
Because a familiar figure silently stepped out from the shadows.
Clang.
Clang.
The sound of metal boots on the ground was clear, cold, and had a unique rhythm, actually overpowering the shrieks of the Voidrangers.
Arlan, hiding in the back, saw the newcomer, and his mind exploded!
Black robes! Golden mask!
It was the madman the Security Team members mentioned!
This dead silent oppressive feeling instantly drew the attention of Dan Heng and March 7th.
"Phai, Phainon?!" March 7th exclaimed, "How are you here?!"
Phainon didn't look at her, his tone so cold it seemed to freeze the soul.
"I'm here to clean up some… unsightly bugs."
His gaze passed over everyone, finally settling on the gray-haired girl.
Stelle.
In an instant, the towering rage that had been stirred by thirty million cycles of reincarnation in Phainon's mind strangely subsided for a moment.
The Deliverer.
This name, etched deep into his soul, had finally found their coordinates in reality.
That's right.
She should be here.
She must be here.
Stelle, on the other hand, felt a chill run down her spine from that gaze, finding the eyes behind the mask even more terrifying than all the surrounding monsters combined.
She instinctively took a step back, frantically winking at March 7th: Save me! This person's gaze is so strange!
Suddenly, Phainon moved.
He didn't walk towards Stelle, but like a ghostly phantom, he blocked her path, completely separating her from that sea of Voidrangers.
Phainon didn't turn back, saying gently: "Don't worry, partner. With me here, you won't suffer a single scratch."
This sudden remark left everyone present stunned.
March 7th scratched her head, her face full of question marks.
Love at first sight? No, wait, what kind of time is this, and this guy still has the mind for such things?
Is he really amnesiac or faking it?
Stelle pointed blankly at her nose: "You… are you talking to me?"
"Mhm." Phainon's tone returned to their coldness, "Just leave this to me."
He walked alone, slowly towards the Voidranger Legion, "Now, take her and leave."
"What about you?!" March 7th asked urgently.
Phainon's steps didn't stop, he just turned his head, and the icy blue light emanating from the mask's gap made March 7th's heart skip a beat.
"Perhaps my expression wasn't clear enough. I mean, I'm afraid I might accidentally hurt you all."
As his words fell, he pressed his hands together, then suddenly spread them apart.
Dark particles furiously converged in his palms, solidifying into the Dawnbreaker and a Moon Blade.
He combined the two weapons, and gray light erupted from his body.
The next second, the shadows beside him began to twist violently, splitting into four identical, pitch-black phantoms.
Phainon raised his greatsword high, and the rage accumulated over thirty million cycles of reincarnation finally found an outlet for release.
The surrounding temperature abruptly soared!
[Current Emotion: Frenzy (Boiling)]
[Current Ignitable Core Flames: 45]
"All of you, be destroyed!"
The next instant, he danced with the wind.
The five Phainons simultaneously transformed into five streaks of light, charging fiercely into the Voidranger ranks at a speed beyond visual limits!
There was no clash of blades and swords.
Only pure, silent annihilation.
Wherever the black sword's edge passed, space itself seemed to be erased, and the Voidrangers didn't even have time to react before they were neatly severed, disintegrated from the middle, and dissipated into primordial particles.
It's simply not enough!
Not enough killing at all!
My rage will only grow stronger with each kill!
Watching this massacre, which could only be described as a miracle, Dan Heng's perception of Phainon was completely overturned.
That wasn't a battle.
That was a disaster named "Phainon" descending.
He abruptly turned his head and roared at the already terrified crowd.
"Now, let's go!"