Dead silence.
Absolute dead silence.
Only the wind wailed across the cliff.
The next second—
It was like a volcano suppressed for ten thousand years violently erupted!
"Fight for survival!!" A hoarse voice cried out first, filled with desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.
"Follow Lord Phaethon!!" More were ignited, fear replaced by a more primal, more potent instinct to survive.
"Fight for the future!!" Voices converged into a wave, from scattered cries to a surging, roaring tide, finally coalescing into an earth-shaking, sky-rending roar!
"FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL!! FOLLOW LORD PHAETHON!! FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE!!!"
The sonic wave, like a physical shock, echoed across the cliff, even overpowering the howling gale, churning the sea of clouds below!
Countless arms shot into the air, pointing towards the figure on the high platform, towards the rock stained with fresh crimson blood, towards the unveiled, horrifying truth of the fabricated puppet's head!
Fear was ignited, transformed into zealous faith; despair was torn asunder, revealing a faint glimmer named "hope."
Phaethon stood at the eye of the storm, no smile on his face, only a glacial, frozen calm.
He looked down at the seething crowd, at the fire burning in their eyes—a fire forged from fear, rage, the will to survive, and the conviction he had forcibly kindled.
His gaze, passing over the crowd, seemed to pierce the heavy sky itself, looking towards some unseen administrator watching this scene.
The great wheel of salvation, crushing all decay and obstruction, had begun to turn. And what drove it was this most fervent, yet most ruthless, flame called "hope."
...
Despite not deliberately treating it, Phaethon's inhumanly resilient physique still caused the deep, bone-revealing gash on his left hand to form a layer of dark red scab in an extremely short time.
It's just... on the path down from the Dawncloud Cliff, the figure he currently "most wanted to see" was, unsurprisingly, standing right in his way.
Lygus.
He stood at the edge of the dust stirred by the mountain wind, his posture still carrying that nauseating ease and mockery.
"Truly spectacular..." that familiar, irritating voice had just begun...
Now!!!
Phaethon's mind was a placid lake, containing only cold calculation. He had deliberately waited until this very moment to unleash the `Ultimate Protocol`!
An intangible command, originating from the world's foundational rules, erupted instantly, precisely targeting Lygus's core administrator privileges!
Over 60% of his special privileges were instantly, forcibly sealed and stripped away!
*BOOM!!!!!!!!*
The air violently exploded outwards from Phaethon! He chose a zero-frame start, even forgoing the slight wind-up of the Infinity Gate.
A terrifying sonic boom transformed into a tangible shockwave, hurling surrounding rubble and dust outwards in a ring.
The rock layer beneath his feet groaned under the strain.
Without the slightest warning, Phaethon's figure vanished from his original spot, leaving only a diffusing white mist and the residual echo of deafening thunder.
The next instant, he had torn through space to appear directly before Lygus!
His speed defied visual tracking; only the searing trail of superheated air dragged in his wake proved his passage.
*(Phaethon: Do you think I am so busy dealing with the Council that I forgot to deal with you, huh?)*
Killing intent solidified into substance! There was no probing in Phaethon's eyes, only the purest, most direct desire for annihilation.
He was betting on this moment—betting that Lygus's consciousness was currently attached to this meticulously crafted vessel, betting that this vessel's physical resilience was insufficient to withstand his all-out, thunderous strike!
As long as he achieved the status condition of "death," he would have a chance to forcibly seize the core abilities and memories of this avatar!
And if... he could utterly destroy the "true self" of this ancient entity toying with Amphoreus, right here...
What a beautiful victory that would be!
Unfortunately... as an old monster who had survived who knows how many Amber Eras, Lygus's instinct for danger was carved into his very being.
The moment his privileges were frozen, that serpent-like, icy composure was instantly replaced by a look of utter disbelief and a trace of deeply hidden dread.
Stripped of his core privileges, he couldn't even mount an effective defense or counterattack.
In the ten-thousandth of a second before perceiving the arrival of a fatal attack threatening his very existence—
*Escape!*
Without any hesitation, without any reluctance, without even sparing a parting threat.
Lygus's consciousness withdrew from this valuable vessel at a speed surpassing physical rules, fleeing instantly!
In the end, he didn't even dare leave Phaethon a hollow "shell" to vent his fury upon!
*(Lygus: My children, Phaethon has no honor! He ambushed me! Ambushed an old-timer like me who has toiled for who knows how many Amber Eras! (╥﹏╥) Byd, he didn't even let me finish my opening line!)*
"Tch!" Phaethon's ferocious strike landed on empty air, slamming into the ground where Lygus's vessel had vanished.
The hard rock instantly turned to powder, forming a massive crater.
The tremendous recoil, combined with the strain of his extreme exertion on his body, caused his left arm to shudder violently.
The freshly formed scab instantly ruptured. Beneath the dark red crust, fresh, searing crimson blood surged forth once more, drip-drip-dripping, falling heavily into the center of the crater.
The blood swiftly seeped into the scorched black rock, as if proclaiming an unfinished hunt.
Just then, a translucent, utterly energy-devoid projection flickered to life not far away.
It still bore Lygus's face, but the voice had lost its previous "vibrancy," replaced by a cold, pre-recorded statement:
"A truly spectacular speech... Asterion (Phaethon real name)" The projection's voice was utterly flat.
"But... those who deceive the people shall reap their just reward; oath-breakers shall meet their fitting punishment. The wheel of history never halts for an individual's lament. I am truly curious..."
The projection's "gaze" seemed to fall upon Phaethon. "How do you plan to save this world, destined to be utterly consumed by the endless Black Tide? Your struggle is but a slightly discordant note in the symphony of destruction."
Phaethon flicked the blood from his left hand, letting the droplets fall, staining the rock beneath his feet.
He lifted his head, the corner of his mouth curling into a frigid, bone-chilling arc, his gaze sharp as a blade, staring directly at the illusory projection. His voice carried undisguised provocation:
"I'm also curious. After permanently losing 60% of your special privileges, forfeiting the Ultimate Protocol of Amphoreus, and... gaining a deep understanding of my 'uniqueness'..."
"Do you still dare to let your consciousness step foot within Amphoreus again?
Or has an ancient existence like you been reduced to hiding in safe corners, playing back these pre-recorded, cowardly parting words?"
However, the projection remained utterly indifferent to Phaethon's provocation, coldly playing out its pre-recorded final words on its own.