On the way to Okhema, what Hysilens saw along the journey was truly shocking to behold.
Not only had the land been violently split apart, with enormous cracks stretching across the earth like scars, but the rivers had also long since dried up and withered away, their once-clear waters replaced by foul-smelling black sludge that slowly flowed through the ruined terrain.
Many of the once-prosperous city-states she remembered had likewise fallen into desolate ruins, shrouded in a heavy, deathly silence without even the slightest trace of life remaining. Even Styxia, the city that she and Lucian had personally protected in her second set of memories, had now become a dead city as well.
Clearly, Styxia had not been as fortunate as the Sea Siren Kingdom, which had somehow managed to be revived after its destruction.
*ROOOAAAAAAR—!*
*ROOOAAAAAAR—!*
*ROOOAAAAAAR—!*
A while later, just as Hysilens reached the outskirts of Okhema, a massive horde of black tide creatures, twisted and corroded by the nearby black tide, let out spine-chilling roars the moment they caught the scent of a living being.
In the next moment, their distorted bodies writhed violently within the darkness as countless scarlet eyes locked onto her with savage hunger. Roaring wildly, they surged forward like a collapsing black wave, lunging one after another toward the approaching her.
Seeing this, Hysilens's gaze turned ice-cold.
Not even pausing her steps for a single moment, her slender figure weaved through the black tide creatures like a specter drifting across the battlefield, moving so swiftly that only faint afterimages remained within the darkness.
A cold flash swept through the air, and then, with a single swing of her violin, which had now transformed into dual blades, dozens or even hundreds of black tide creatures were instantly torn apart, black blood erupting everywhere like a violent storm.
*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*
Wherever she passed, wave after wave of black tide creatures collapsed like wheat cut down during harvest, their mutilated corpses scattering across the ruined black land.
Just like that, she forcibly carved out a blood-soaked path across the despair-filled wasteland toward the distant light ahead.
'Lucian's blessings have made me stronger... even stronger than when I possessed the Coreflame of Ocean.'
Indeed.
After obtaining Lucian's dual blessings, Hysilens had become vastly more formidable than before.
Now, if she were thrown into an enemy army once again, slaughtering a hundred thousand soldiers would be both effortless and swift for her.
===
At the same time, in Okhema, countless black tide creatures continuously closed in on the city walls from every direction, dense as a swarm of insects and resembling a world-devouring tsunami that blotted out nearly everything in sight.
If one were to describe the current battle situation in a single word, it would be brutal.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
Deafening artillery fire roared almost without pause across the battlefield, while countless energy beams tore violently through the darkness overhead—the blazing firelight from the explosions briefly illuminated the ruined roads and towering walls again and again, only to be swallowed moments later by an even deeper darkness rolling in from the black tide.
Everywhere, the air was thick with choking gunpowder smoke, the pungent scent of blood, and the uniquely nauseating, decayed stench emitted by the black tide creatures.
Screams, explosions, collapsing structures, and frantic cries for help mixed together into a chaotic symphony of destruction that echoed throughout the entire city.
"Mama, let's go help the citizens together!"
Trianne tightly held Mortis's hand as she pointed toward a certain direction with an anxious expression on her face.
At this moment, Tribios had already split into a thousand Little Tri, using Century Gates to provide support throughout the entire city. Some were evacuating civilians, some were transporting supplies, while others directly assisted the soldiers defending the walls against the endless black tide.
"Alright."
Mortis gently nodded.
Aside from relying on the blessing of Abundance from Lucian, Mortis had also received a Coreflame of Passage from Khaslana, allowing her to become a Demigod of Passage just like her daughter, Tribios.
Just like that, the mother-and-daughter duo began rapidly moving throughout the city through one Century Gate after another, rescuing civilians wherever they went and transporting the wounded away from the most dangerous battle zones.
Along the way, they encountered a young woman with curled pink twin-tails who was currently treating the wounded amid the chaos and destruction surrounding her.
Hyacine was her name, and she was also a Chrysos Heir like Aglaea and the others.
At this moment, several heavily injured civilians and soldiers were lying nearby, while Hyacine continuously moved between them, healing wounds and stabilizing injuries with remarkable efficiency despite the tense battlefield situation.
"Lady Trianne, Lady Mortis, your timing is perfect!"
Hyacine said with a visibly relieved smile after noticing the two of them.
"Many of the injured have already lost mobility and can't be transported for treatment in time. If you can use your Century Gates to help move them, that would be great!"
Hyacine, full name Hyacinthia, was not only Okhema's physician but also the rebuilder of Twilight Courtyard. Gentle and compassionate by nature, she had always been deeply respected by the citizens of Okhema.
And because she had been allocated a Coreflame of Sky from Khaslana, she had now become the Demigod of Sky.
Because of that, unlike in the original story, she did not need to subjugate the Sky Titan Aquila to obtain the Coreflame of Sky, nor did she have to remain trapped within the Eye of Twilight to support the sky for all eternity.
Instead, she was able to remain in Okhema as a physician, personally protecting and saving the people she cared about during the city's darkest hour.
"Okay, Cinny! Leave it to Trianne and my mom!"
Without wasting even a second, Trianne, together with Mortis, immediately opened several Century Gates across multiple different locations, rapidly transporting the wounded back one group after another.
When she saw the countless injured people being carried through the Century Gates, along with bodies that had already gone cold, Mortis suddenly recalled something Castorice had once mentioned some time ago.
Back then, Castorice had said that she had borrowed Lucian's miraculous ability, a mysterious ability capable of restoring all things and even resurrecting the dead through bandages.
Clearly, an ability like that was perfectly suited for the current disaster, enough to save not only the wounded but perhaps even those who had already lost their lives.
Unfortunately, unlike Phainon and the others who could directly fight on the battlefield, Mortis was, at the end of the day, merely a civil official and not someone proficient in combat.
For that reason, the only role she could truly fulfill right now was handling logistics and helping organize the evacuation efforts.
Still, although the thought of borrowing Lucian's ability did cross her mind, she unfortunately had no idea how Castorice had managed to do it in the first place.
As a result, for the time being, she could only continue helping the wounded with the resources currently available to her while waiting for Castorice to finish handling the defensive front before asking her about the matter in detail.
===
On the outer perimeter, Khaslana, Phainon, Castorice, Anaxa, and a group of little Tri were holding back the endless black tide all by themselves.
Relying on the power of hundreds of millions of Coreflames, they were still fortunately able to seize a temporary advantage against the overwhelming horde.
Towering waves of darkness continuously surged toward Okhema from every direction, yet under the relentless bombardment of blazing attacks, countless black tide creatures were torn apart before they could even get close to the city walls.
Because everyone was guarding the four directions of Okhema at the same time, the black tide was unable to fully breach the city for the time being. Only some scattered creatures managed to slip through the gaps in the battlefield, but even those were swiftly pierced and shredded apart by Aglaea's dancing golden threads before they could spread chaos any further.
"Hahh, had to come back after all..."
In a desolate corner of the battlefield, Cifera, known as Cipher, let out a helpless sigh.
At this moment, the young woman with feline characteristics stood amidst the dim ruins, her medium-length light gray hair swaying gently in the cold wind. Wrapped in a black hooded bodysuit lined with blue patterns, she still carried her usual lazy and elusive air, as though even the disastrous scene before her was not enough to completely shake her composure.
"Lady Boss, there are tons of scents of Trickery over there, the same as our Coreflame."
Floating beside Cipher, Spirithief Bartholos—who was actually Zagreus, the current Titan of Trickery—pointed toward the distant firelight flickering across the battlefield.
Because of an incident in the past, Zagreus could now only continue surviving by relying on the lies woven by the young woman beside them.
"Now that you mention it, yeah, you're right... Why's there so much aura of Trickery? Hey, Zagreus, are there really that many Trickery Titans, or is this some kinda prank you left behind?"
As she spoke jokingly, Cipher casually lifted her leg and kicked away a black tide creature that had lunged toward her from the shadows, sending its twisted body crashing heavily into the ruins nearby.
"I don't know either," Zagreus replied in a clueless tone. "Right now, I can only survive by relying on your authority of Trickery. How would I still be able to pull off something this huge?"
"Fair enough. All you can do is steal stuff anyway," Cipher said flatly with a shrug. "Let's go take a look. I wanna see who's got that much authority over Trickery, actually daring to impersonate the Demigod of Trickery."
A faint trace of interest appeared in her eyes as she spoke those words.
Cipher was, after all, the genuine Demigod of Trickery, so she naturally had a say in this matter.
After casually dealing with the black tide creature, she slowly raised her head and looked toward the distant Dawn Device radiating light across Okhema.
In truth, the main reason she had not dared to return to Okhema for so many years was because she feared that the lie surrounding the Dawn Device would be exposed.
But now that everywhere outside Okhema had already been almost completely swallowed by the black tide, while Okhema itself had become the only remaining land still illuminated by light and untouched by total destruction, she no longer had the luxury of continuing to hide under such circumstances.
No matter what happened afterward, she had to return and protect this place.
As long as she avoided Aglaea as much as possible, things should still be all right.
===
At the eastern city wall guarded by Khaslana, the horde of black tide creatures was not only not diminishing, but instead continuing to increase with every passing moment.
Countless twisted monsters surged forward like an endless ocean of darkness, their shrill roars and maddened screeches constantly crashing against the towering walls of Okhema.
Relying solely on the power of twelve Coreflames and the combat experience he had accumulated through countless battles, Khaslana had forcibly formed a firm defensive line.
However, judging from the current situation, even that line would not be able to hold for much longer.
"Still endless as always..." Khaslana muttered in dismay as he gazed at the overwhelming black tide below. "It seems this recurrence cannot escape the fate of extinction either."
When humanity was wiped out, and only he remained alive, he would once again enter the next recurrence.
He had already experienced this countless times and had fought city defense battles like this tens of thousands of times before. Yet even when he once possessed the power of millions of Coreflames, he had still failed every single time, unable to truly halt the endless black tide.
In his eyes, everyone's current situation in Okhema was nothing more than a slow and inevitable death, like frogs being slowly boiled alive inside a pot.
===
At the northern city wall, Castorice was the one guarding it.
Because she possessed more Coreflames than Khaslana, dealing with the black tide creatures was somewhat easier for her. Waves of dark monsters continuously collapsed beneath her attacks, while the dense aura of death surrounding her kept countless creatures from getting close.
Furthermore, with the blessing of Abundance continuously restoring her body and strength, she could still hold on for a while longer, even against the never-ending assault.
By now, the nether realm was probably also being invaded by the black tide, but thankfully, Polyxia was there holding the line.
'Polyxia has plenty of Coreflames too, so she should be able to hold...'
Castorice silently prayed for her sister and her friends, hoping that everything would proceed smoothly and that no unexpected disaster would occur.
===
At the southern city wall, Phainon stood guard.
Like Khaslana, he also possessed twelve Coreflames, and aside from having less combat experience than him, there was no real difference in strength between the two of them.
As such, the situation on the wall he guarded was more or less the same.
Seeing the black tide continuing to surge upward endlessly, Phainon stood firmly atop the city wall without retreating a single step, continuously intercepting wave after wave of monstrous creatures trying to break through the defenses with his sword.
===
At the western city wall, Anaxa and a group of little Tri were holding the line against the black tide together.
Unlike the others who fought directly with brute force, Trinnon and the other little Tri had instead directly established several massive moats of Century Gates around the entire wall, layer upon layer of distorted spatial passages continuously revolving through midair.
As a result, the surging black tide and the countless black tide creatures charging forward were relentlessly swallowed into the Century Gates, sent far into the distance, only to circle back once again before being thrown away yet another time in an endlessly repeating cycle.
Needless to say, there was practically no need for direct combat or bloody slaughter, making their side far more effortless compared to the other three city walls guarded by Khaslana and the others, where fierce battles were still erupting nonstop.
Of course, it was only because the little Tri possessed the blessing of Abundance that they could maintain such an outrageous number of Century Gates for so long without becoming exhausted.
'Heh, this is what you call a tactic!'
Anaxa, feeling extremely satisfied with the Century Gate tactic he had personally devised, thought proudly as he stood atop the city wall and gazed at the completely untouchable defensive line before him.
Naturally, it was all thanks to Lucian's blessing that such absurd efficiency was even possible.
'Must admit, Lucian's blessing really is convenient... No wonder he's called the Deliverer...'
Even though Anaxa was thinking this, given that the black tide was endless and showed no signs of weakening, he was fully aware that maintaining the current situation forever was not a true solution.
They could not possibly spend the rest of their lives guarding this place, right?
Besides, even with Lucian's blessing supporting them, how long could they truly continue holding out like this?
In the end, after thinking it over repeatedly, Anaxa still could not come up with any better method to completely resolve the situation.
===
Inside the Marmoreal Palace, Aglaea monitored the entirety of Okhema through countless golden threads spreading throughout the city like an enormous woven network, constantly filling the gaps within the defenses.
Whenever black tide creatures managed to slip past the city walls and infiltrate deeper into Okhema, she would immediately detect their presence and dispatch nearby people to eliminate them.
Tribbie remained by her side the entire time, acting as both a messenger and a teleportation gate to rapidly transport forces across different areas of the city.
"Teacher, the situation is getting worse. Even with the power of four hundred million Coreflames, the black tide still cannot be pushed back. Can you borrow abilities from Mr. Lucian again?"
Aglaea spoke helplessly, visible exhaustion and fatigue covering her beautiful face after maintaining such a massive defensive network for so long.
"Mm, I'll try—"
Tribbie nodded lightly, intending to once again borrow a conceptual ability from Lucian, but before she could even finish speaking, a slightly teasing yet incomparably familiar voice suddenly echoed out from behind both her and Aglaea.
"Dux Goldweaver~"
Clear and soft, almost as though someone were whispering directly beside their ears, the teasing voice carried a faint trace of amused mockery and leisurely playfulness.
"You've really fallen into quite a sorry state without the Imperator and me, huh?"
Even though the voice was neither loud nor imposing, it still struck Aglaea's heart like a thunderbolt exploding beside her ears, causing her entire body to stiffen instantly.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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