After Seliose's will was completely eroded by the Black Tide, the entire sky was swallowed by a suffocating dark red.
The light turned turbid and oppressive, as if the whole world had sunk into an endless nightmare. The violent turbulence and omnipresent darkness threatened to devour everyone's courage.
"Stand firm! We cannot fall here!" In this boundless darkness and chaos, only the greatsword "Judgment of Shamash" in Phaethon's hand still burned stubbornly with an unyielding dark red flame.
It was precisely by that faint yet steadfast light that everyone managed to regain their balance and steady their minds amidst the violent shaking.
"You are right, Phaethon." Phainon's voice was resolute. The "Dawnmaker" in his hand also began to emit a cold silver radiance, resonating distantly with the scorching heat of the Judgment.
"We shall bring light... upon these dark time!"
"Phainon, Phaethon!" Hyacine clutched the warm Coreflame of the 'Sky' close to her chest. She looked at the two brothers, her eyes gleaming with determination. "We just need a little light... even a single thread! With it as a guide, I can wield the 'Sky's' authority to pierce through this despairing gloom!"
"Then borrow our light... Hyacine." Phainon spoke gravely. He took a step forward, and the Dawnmaker greatsword in his hand seemed to respond to his will, its hum growing clearer and more piercing.
His voice, like a vow, echoed through the dark sky:
"I am... the one who carries the world upon his shoulders."
"I am... the sun that shall inevitably rise!!!"
Before his words even faded, the muscles in Phainon's arms bulged as he swung his first sword strike towards the sky, obscured by thick, dark red clouds!
The icy silver sword light, like the first ray of dawn, was not scorching but carried an indomitable sharpness. It instantly tore a vast swath through the dark clouds, allowing a faint yet genuine daylight to spill through!
"The future of Amphoreus shall never be destruction!"
"The dawn of a new world... will also rise before me!"
Phaethon's voice rang out immediately after, firm and filled with undeniable power.
The Judgment of Shamash in his hand seemed infused with a soul. Its dark red flames surged madly, their brightness increasing a hundredfold in an instant! It transformed into a giant torch blazing fiercely in the boundless darkness!
The radiance of those flames intertwined with the true, solar brilliance that Phainon had invoked from the sky above, suddenly illuminating all the twisted grotesquery before them! Revealing Seliose's terrifying form in its entirety!
"Coreflame... please answer my heartfelt wish!" Standing beneath the light created by Phaethon and Phainon together, Hyacine raised the Coreflame of the 'Sky' high above her head!
She poured into it all her steadfast conviction, her longing for the future, her trust in her companions!
"Grant us—the rainbow that heals wounds and connects hearts!"
In that instant, a spectacular burst of seven-colored radiance exploded from the Coreflame!
Like a bridge, or a bond, it spanned the space, gently connecting everyone on the platform!
And it was at this very moment—
"Heroes... please allow us... to aid you one final time!"
From the shattered sky torn open by the sword light, two dazzling soul auras—one Gryphon, one Pegasus—reappeared! It was Solabis and Lunabis! They ignited their soul power, transforming into two streams of light that streaked downwards!
Solabis steadily approached Phainon. Without the slightest hesitation, Phainon leaped, directly mounting it!
Lunabis let out a long neigh, sweeping past Phaethon. With a light push off the platform's edge, Phaethon's form moved like lightning, landing precisely upon Lunabis's spiritual form back!
"Charge!"
Man and beast, two pairs, like two meteors shooting back against the dark firmament, actively charged towards Seliose, who hovered in the air, continuously emitting terrifying waves of energy!
Seliose let out a furious shriek. Countless dark red energy orbs, formed from Black Tide energy and dense as a barrage, filled the sky, blasting towards them!
Yet, under Phaethon's precise control, miniature Infinity Gates continuously opened and vanished along their charging path.
Phaethon and Phainon, riding the heroic souls of the sky, engaged in an elegant yet deadly aerial dance. They weaved and blinked through the dense barrage, each teleportation bringing them closer to Seliose's main body!
"Hero of the sky... please, with your final clarity... witness... the will of humanity!"
Hyacine stood on the platform, her hands clasped over her heart, then swung them forward with determination!
A pure, cyan column of light—representing her own will—shot into the sky, closely following the figures of Phaethon and Phainon, reaching straight to Seliose's presence!
"Amphoreus will surely greet its own dawn!!!"
The voices of Phainon and Phaethon merged into one, like a final judgment!
The ultimate silver brilliance of the Dawnmaker and the world-incinerating flames of the Judgment of Shamash perfectly fused in this moment!
The two brothers concentrated into this final strike all of their combined power, the rainbow bestowed by Hyacine, the resolve of the sky's heroic souls beneath them, and even the hopes of the entire world!
This strike cleaved fiercely towards the twisted core of Seliose!
*HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM——!!!!!*
An indescribable, purest extreme burst of intense light erupted instantly, devouring all sight, all sound! It was as if the entire world had plunged into pure white in that moment!
In this absolute silence and radiance, everyone seemed to hear only an extremely faint, relieved sigh:
"Children of humanity..."
"You have... after all... overturned that cruel judgment I made in despair and disillusionment."
"Beginning with a lie, embellished into a heroic legend and passed down for millennia... you have actually written with your own hands such a... magnificent epic of creation."
The voice gradually drifted away, carrying a final acknowledgment and release:
"You... are worthy of... a brand new dawn."
...
"Hyacine, we should go." Phainon walked to Hyacine's side. Looking at the young girl who had just personally ended a millennia-old fate and now seemed slightly dazed, he softly comforted her:
"Your ancestors, regardless of their initial reasons, would surely feel profound pride for the choices and courage you showed today."
Hyacine took a deep breath of the cool, thin air at the cloud's peak, gripping the warm, smooth Coreflame of the 'Sky' in her hand a little tighter.
She turned her head and gave Phainon a strong, gentle smile: "Mm... I understand, Phainon. No matter where my bloodline originates, the path I have walked leaves my heart without regret."
On the other side, Cyrene nimbly walked over to Phaethon, who was standing alone at the edge of the shattered platform. He was silently gazing into the distance, his vision lacking a fixed focal point.
"Little Phaethon, what are you looking at?" Cyrene tilted her head, trying to use a light tone to dispel the overly heavy aura surrounding him. "Looking towards Okhema? Too bad, from up here, besides clouds, you can't see anything at all♪"