Phainon charged towards the Flame Reaver, swinging his longsword down. This strike was filled with his fury.
Previously, he couldn't see the culprit who had destroyed his hometown, killed his relatives, friends, and Cyrene. But now, upon seeing the Flame Reaver, everything became instantly clear.
The culprit is him! Phainon thought to himself. He would avenge his homeland.
"Your strength is still insufficient." The Flame Reaver looked at Phainon, his tone laced with disdain. With the sharp blade held across his chest, he easily parried Phainon's attack.
Then, with an upward flick, he deflected Phainon's longsword. Next, he lifted his foot and kicked towards Phainon's abdomen. Phainon reacted quickly to this attack, dodging to the side and evading the Flame Reaver's blow.
Phainon continued to attack with his sword, while the Flame Reaver easily parried with his own.
Phainon's strength was comparable to Mydei's, but Phainon did not possess immortality. Therefore, when facing the Flame Reaver's attacks, he couldn't employ Mydei's tactic of trading blows regardless of where the enemy struck.
The Flame Reaver quickly gained complete dominance over Phainon.
Meanwhile, on the other side, facing the onslaught of the surging Black Tide creatures, the guards remaining at the Grove of Epiphany were in a precarious situation.
Fortunately, the paths of the Grove of Epiphany were rugged, allowing only a few Black Tide creatures to attack simultaneously. Thus, although the Grove's guards were few, they could still barely hold the line.
However, the guards of the Grove of Epiphany were also constantly dying, and the defensive line was steadily pushed back.
Above the Grove of Epiphany, Cerces witnessed this situation, Her heart filled with pain. She did not want this to continue.
Moreover, She felt that everything happening here was because of Her. She had to take responsibility. Thus, She transmitted Her voice to the guards of the Grove of Epiphany:
"You, fall back. Do not defend any longer."
The guards could not understand these words, but the meaning contained within was clearly conveyed. Cerces still had a considerable amount of power remaining. Hearing this, the guards involuntarily retreated.
Seeing the defense disappear, the Black Tide creatures immediately rushed in.
But just as the first wave of Black Tide creatures charged in, Cerces's voice rang out.
"I am Cerces, the Titan of Reason. You are forbidden to enter the Grove of Epiphany."
The Black Tide creatures seemed to have been frozen in time, all motionless. Then, a ripple spread out, and all the Black Tide creatures that had rushed in turned to ash.
Simultaneously, a barrier appeared at the entrance of the Grove of Epiphany, blocking the entirety of the Black Tide creatures' assault.
"Truly foolish."
Seeing this barrier, the Flame Reaver couldn't help but sneer. If Cerces had chosen to flee directly, She might have had a small chance to preserve Her Core Flame. In this current situation, he was determined to seize Cerces's Core Flame.
The only obstacle remaining before him was Phainon.
Having fought Phainon for so long, the Flame Reaver sensed a decrease in Phainon's strength and speed. He retreated a few steps, hovering in mid-air, and said to Phainon:
"Three strikes. Three strikes are enough to defeat you."
Phainon said nothing, instead focusing all his attention on the sword in his hand. The pressure on him was immense, leaving him no energy for verbal sparring.
The Flame Reaver launched his first strike. A torrent of black energy materialized into a giant sword, cleaving down towards Phainon.
Phainon hurriedly brought his sword horizontal, simultaneously bracing his entire forearm against the blade to reinforce his defense.
Phainon withstood the heavy blow. He was thrown back dozens of meters, carving a massive trench in the ground.
"Second strike!"
The Flame Reaver appeared behind Phainon, thrusting his blade towards Phainon's back. Seeing this, Phainon quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the Flame Reaver's second attack.
However, this evasion completely shattered Phainon's balance, leaving him no possibility to resist a third strike.
The Flame Reaver teleported to Phainon, thrusting his sword downwards.
"..."
The Flame Reaver had only spoken half his words when his sharp blade was firmly grasped by a gauntleted hand.
"Hmph, you'll need to train your combat skills more next time," Mydei said to Phainon, while gripping the edge of the Flame Reaver's blade.
"You arrived just in time, Mydei."
A smile touched Phainon's lips. He then flipped his body, his longsword striking straight for the Flame Reaver's face.
Seeing this, the Flame Reaver could only retreat. He lightly twisted the blade in his hand, shaking Mydei off. Then, his figure rapidly withdrew, dodging Phainon's attack.
Phainon wanted to continue the pursuit but was stopped by Mydei.
"There are still scholars in the Grove of Epiphany who haven't finished evacuating. You go deal with those Black Tide creatures first. After the scholars have all left, then come fight this fellow with me."
"Alright, be careful."
"It's fine, at worst I'll just have to run around a bit longer."
Phainon didn't hesitate further and charged into the swarm of Black Tide creatures. With a swing of his longsword, a wave of sword energy instantly sent a group of Black Tide creatures flying.
Meanwhile, Mydei, seeing the Flame Reaver readjust, also charged directly at him. The Flame Reaver swung his sword, but Mydei didn't even try to dodge, allowing the sharp blade to pierce his body as he smashed his fist towards the Flame Reaver's face.
The Flame Reaver dodged, and Mydei continued his pursuit. Possessing an immortal body, he could be this reckless.
However, the Flame Reaver's strength was ultimately superior to Mydei's. After dodging, he landed a kick on Mydei, sending him crashing to the ground.
Phainon was also doing his utmost to fend off the attacks of the Black Tide creatures. Cerces, within the Grove of Epiphany, felt a slight sense of relief upon seeing this. At least two powerful helpers had appeared. Perhaps these Black Tide creatures and that terrifying enemy could be held off.
The scholars of the Grove of Epiphany continued their evacuation.
They abandoned everything, focusing solely on preserving their lives. Even those scholars who valued knowledge more than life itself could only leave lightly under the firm intervention of their mentors.
Ultimately, including the remaining guards, the vast majority of scholars successfully escaped.
Seeing that the people had left, Phainon also disengaged from the Black Tide creatures and rushed to the battlefield of Mydei and the Flame Reaver. Seeing the Flame Reaver had knocked Mydei to the ground and was preparing to sever his head, Phainon launched a sneak attack from behind the Flame Reaver.
The Flame Reaver knew that even if he beheaded Mydei, he couldn't kill him. And facing Phainon's attack, a moment of carelessness could lead to injury. So, he spun around, his blade clashing with Phainon's longsword.
Mydei seized the opportunity and also attacked the Flame Reaver. The two of them attacked the Flame Reaver from front and back.
Facing their combined assault, the Flame Reaver couldn't defeat them in a short time.
However, he wasn't worried. Cerces releasing such a defense to prevent the Black Tide creatures from harming the scholars also meant She had lost the chance for Her Core Flame to escape.
After I deal with these two, I'll take my time searching for it.
The Grove of Epiphany wasn't only focused on evacuation. As soon as Phainon had informed them of the approaching Black Tide, the sages of the Grove had dispatched a messenger to Okhema.
The messenger reached Okhema city.
At this moment, Aglaea was dealing with the political inheritance left by Caenis's death. Her demise had been so sudden that the other members of the Senate had no time to prepare. Aglaea, seizing the initiative, immediately contacted her supporters within the Senate to claim Caenis's seat.
While she was occupied, she suddenly sensed the hurried arrival of the messenger from the Grove of Epiphany.
"What on earth has happened?" Aglaea wondered.
Glancing to the side, she immediately contacted the Garmentmaker there to ask the messenger what had transpired.
Hearing from the messenger that the Grove of Epiphany was under attack by the Black Tide, she was somewhat taken aback.
Hearing that Phainon had gone there, Aglaea felt slightly relieved.
But fearing the Flame Reaver's appearance, she wasn't entirely at ease with just Phainon.
Subsequently, she used a message to contact Trianne, Derick, Hyacine, and Castorice.
Derick's strength had increased now, capable of engaging in direct combat. Castorice, needless to say, was definitely strong enough. Also, with Phainon's injury status unknown at the Grove, bringing Hyacine along was always a good idea.
[Aglaea: Everyone, an emergency has arisen. The Grove of Epiphany is under attack by the Black Tide. Phainon has already gone, but reinforcements are needed. My Master, please take them to the Grove of Epiphany.]
[Trianne: I understand. Everyone, gather at the Marmoreal Market. I'm nearby. I will take everyone to the Grove of Epiphany.]
[Hyacine: I'm on my way.]
[Castorice: I'm at the Marmoreal Market now.]
[Derick: Me too.]
Putting down his phone, Derick glanced at Castorice.
He hadn't expected that his casual reminder to Aglaea a few days ago to defend against a possible Black Tide attack on the Grove of Epiphany would come true so soon. It was as if his words were blessed.
However, this could change many things. Firstly, Anaxa was still in Okhema city; his life had been saved by him. And he wasn't the only one. With Phainon there, more scholars from the Grove of Epiphany should be able to evacuate.
Thinking he might soon face the Flame Reaver, Derick reminded Castorice:
"Castorice, if we encounter that cloaked fellow later, you must stay behind me."
The others were fine, but the Flame Reaver posed a huge threat.
"Alright, I'll be careful."
Looking into Derick's eyes, Castorice nodded seriously.
As the two were talking, Trianne and Hyacine also arrived. Trianne was out of breath. She ran up to Castorice and Derick, and before she could catch her breath, she said to them, "Little Castie, Little Derick, let's set off immediately."
"Sister Trianne, don't you need to rest for a bit?" Derick asked with concern.
"No, no need." Trianne waved her hand. "I'm fine. If we're late, more casualties will occur, and that wouldn't be good."
Taking a deep breath, Trianne immediately opened a gate for them.
"Everyone, let's go!"
"Mm."
Derick and the others didn't dare delay further and quickly walked through the gate Trianne had opened.
It was like a journey through time and space. One moment Derick and the others were in Okhema's Marmoreal Market, and the next, their feet landed on the ground inside the Grove of Epiphany.
Upon arriving inside the Grove of Epiphany, Trianne sat down on the ground.
"I need to rest. The rest is up to you."
She panted heavily. Trianne's power had been completely depleted.
Seeing Trianne's condition, Castorice quickly said to Hyacine, "Lady Hyacine, please take care of Lady Trianne first. Derick and I will search the surroundings."
"Don't worry, Castie-boo, I'll take good care of Lady Trianne." Hyacine nodded repeatedly.
Derick and Castorice began to search the vicinity. Hyacine and Trianne's combat abilities were not strong, so their safety had to be ensured first. At the same time, they needed to determine what exactly was happening at the Grove of Epiphany.
Looking around, although the Grove of Epiphany was deserted, the documents and other items were neatly arranged. It was clear that the scholars had evacuated in an orderly manner and the interior of the Grove had not been attacked by Black Tide creatures.
As they entered the Grove of Epiphany, Cerces was silently observing their arrival.
Cerces hadn't expected the youth who could bear Her energy to arrive at the Grove of Epiphany at this most dangerous moment. This made Cerces's eyes light up.
"Even if I fall today, at least the Core Flame of the Titan of Reason must be taken out."
Cerces thought to Herself.
As She was pondering, Derick and Castorice had almost finished exploring the surroundings.
"Sister Trianne, it's confirmed that the scholars have left safely. You rest here first. There's still fighting outside, it should be Phainon. Castorice and I will go support him."
"Alright, Little Derick, Little Castie, you two be very careful." Trianne reminded Derick and Castorice.
Derick and Castorice nodded. They then went outside the Grove of Epiphany.
Upon arriving outside, they saw a large number of Black Tide creatures charging towards the Grove. In the distance, they could also see Mydei and Phainon fighting the Flame Reaver.
Seeing this, Derick immediately said to Castorice, "Sister Castorice, you handle these Black Tide creatures. I'll go help Phainon and the others."
"Mm." Castorice nodded. She knew her abilities were very effective at clearing out these minions, so she agreed with this division of labor.
"You be very careful."
"Mm."
Castorice, scythe in hand, walked into the swarm of Black Tide creatures. As Castorice moved lightly, a large number of these Black Tide creatures perished.
Taking this opportunity, Derick, wielding the Blade of Scourge, leaped over the Black Tide creatures and rushed towards Phainon and Mydei.
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