"What should we do next?"
Seeing Lumina so easily defeat the arrogant Flame Reaver, who had nearly crushed everyone else, Mydei, Castorice, and Cipher all breathed a sigh of relief.
Although they felt a bit disappointed that they hadn't personally beaten the Flame Reaver to a pulp, at least the biggest crisis had been averted, which was a blessing in disguise.
Next, there were the issues regarding Okhema's sky and the Dawn Device.
Cipher looked up at the crimson sky, which resembled the descent of the apocalypse, a complex expression crossing her eyes. After quickly organizing her thoughts, she asked Lumina.
The current situation was clearly beyond what they, as Demigods, could resolve.
What they could do was do their best to stop the Black Tide Spawn from continuously trying to flood into Okhema.
However, Cipher did have a way to solve it, which was to use the power of [Trickery] again.
But... if this had happened before the Dawn Device failed, it might have been feasible.
But now... the apocalyptic scene had already descended. To make everyone believe it was real under the premise that the apocalyptic scene had already appeared, that would be too difficult.
Cipher alone could not achieve it; she could only borrow the power of others. But borrowing the power of others already violated the rules of [Trickery].
This made it completely impossible to materialize.
"It's simple, but let's find Aglaea first to clarify the situation." A smile appeared on Lumina's face, and she showed no sign of distress over this difficult problem, instantly giving the three of them a sense of security.
Was this the legendary: When the sky falls, a tall person will hold it up?
This feeling was indeed comfortable.
In the past, whether it was Mydei, Castorice, or Cipher, they were the tall ones, the ones who shielded the short ones from wind and rain. Now, enjoying the feeling of someone else holding the umbrella for them, they found it so comfortable that they were reluctant to let go, wishing this state could permanently remain.
But this was obviously impossible to achieve, and this thought quickly faded from the three of them.
Among them, Mydei's thought faded most completely. In just a few short seconds, this emotion completely dissipated, as if it had never existed before.
Cipher followed closely behind, quickly returning to normal herself, but compared to Mydei's complete recovery, she still fell short, leaving a trace of it lingering in her heart.
As for Castorice, she was just a little "slower."
At least, while Mydei and Cipher were returning to normal, she was still thinking about all sorts of random things.
"Hey, hey, hey, Princess Homebody, the current situation is not the time for you to be daydreaming." After Cipher snapped back to her senses, she couldn't help but give Castorice a reminder as she watched her keep her little head lowered, her face completely flushed.
If this were any other time, Castorice could daydream all she wanted, but now, it was definitely not allowed.
An apocalyptic scene had descended upon Okhema, with countless Black Tide Monsters launching an attack. From any angle, this was not a suitable place to be daydreaming.
"Um... L-Lady Cipher, I-I'm not..." Cipher's blunt words reached Castorice's ears, making her already flushed little head turn even redder.
Her crystalline little mouth opened slightly, trying to say something to refute it, but the words she spoke became softer and softer. Not only did they fail to refute Cipher, they even seemed to confirm her words from just a moment ago.
Hearing this, Cipher waved her hand casually. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're not daydreaming, you're not daydreaming."
Castorice spoke very softly, but as a Demigod, Cipher could naturally hear everything clearly.
Her mumbled words, when they reached Cipher's ears, were loud and clear.
Therefore, Cipher couldn't help but roll her eyes, feeling speechless at Castorice's behavior.
"Anyway, let's not waste any more time. I know where the Seamstress is, follow me." Cipher was somewhat worried about Aglaea's current state, so she didn't want to waste any more time here.
Without waiting for their response or even checking their condition, she hurriedly turned around and departed in a certain direction.
Looking at her departing figure, one could tell she was very worried about Aglaea and extremely concerned about her.
Seeing this, Mydei also quickly caught up.
"Let's go. After we meet Aglaea and hear her opinion, we'll figure out what to do next." Lumina patted Castorice's shoulder with a simple gesture.
"Mm-hmm." Upon receiving Sister Lumina's signal, Castorice immediately nodded obediently, like a chick pecking at rice.
The two of them also hurried along, following Cipher's figure.
-
A radiant, golden figure stood atop the gates of Okhema City, like the center of a spiderweb. Crystalline threads radiated from her, blocking the endless Black Tide monsters invading Okhema.
Even though the golden threads had temporarily halted the Black Tide monsters' invasion, Aglaea's exquisite face showed no joy as she gazed at the crimson sky and the boundless Black Tide. It was filled only with worry.
Worry for Okhema, worry for the people of Okhema, and also worry for Castorice, Cipher, and the others.
The Flame Reaver was incredibly strong. After the initial battle, Aglaea had realized this.
Based on the strength he had displayed, Mydei, Castorice, and Cipher should have been able to handle him.
But... But Aglaea still had an ominous feeling in her heart.
What if the Flame Reaver hadn't used his full power at the beginning?
What if the Flame Reaver had merely been stalling for time?
Then Castorice and the others would be in danger...
Yet Aglaea couldn't do anything to help them. She had to remain here, continuously expending her power to fend off the Black Tide monsters' invasion.
If the Flame Reaver were truly as Aglaea suspected, then it wasn't just Castorice and the others who were in danger.
It would also be her, and the people of Okhema...
And...
As Aglaea continuously channeled her power to fend off the Black Tide's invasion, she looked up at the crimson sky, her eyes filled with a complex mixture of emotions.
"Cifera..."
Now, after the Flame Reaver spoke that one [Lie], causing the Dawn Device to extinguish and plunging the world into darkness, Aglaea finally understood everything.
She understood everything about Cipher, why she had left her side, and why she had grown so distant.
All of this was done for the sake of becoming a "hero."
Even if this "hero" was one whose name would never be known by anyone in the world.
"Agy!"
A familiar, crisp voice rang in Aglaea's ear, making her momentarily mistake it for a hallucination born of her strained nerves.
But Aglaea quickly recovered. While her hands, actions, and power release remained unchanged, she turned her head toward the source of the voice.
"Cifera?" The familiar face and figure appearing before her caused Aglaea to fall into a brief stupor.
Fortunately, even while she was lost in her stupor, her hands never ceased their movements, and her actions to stop the Black Tide Monsters from attacking Okhema never faltered. Otherwise, in that single fleeting moment, the swarming mass of Black Tide Spawn would have devoured Okhema in an instant.
Coming back to her senses, Aglaea looked at Cipher, then saw Mydei, Castorice, and Lumina rushing up behind her. The emotions she had been suppressing in her heart were suddenly released.
With the Flame Reaver's strength, Castorice and the others alone would never have been able to subdue him in such a short time. That left only one possible outcome: Lumina had intervened and helped them defeat the Flame Reaver.
The moment she realized this, Aglaea felt a wave of relief wash over her.
The Flame Reaver had been the greatest threat to Okhema. With him defeated, dealing with these Black Tide Monsters would be much easier.
If things were going smoothly for Hyacine, there would be at least six Demigods holding back the Black Tide Monsters' assault. This was surely enough.
Moreover, they wouldn't even need to fight the Black Tide Spawn to the death. As long as Hyacine's side was successful and without the Flame Reaver's interference, Okhema could complete the Era Nova at any time. When that happened, all the dangers would surely be easily resolved.
However, there was a prerequisite.
The prerequisite was that the so-called Era Nova was truly, as the divine decree proclaimed, a journey to save the World.
If it wasn't...
Then they could only resign themselves to their fate.
The goal the Flame-Chasers had pursued for a thousand years was actually a hoax... If that were truly the case, even Aglaea would start thinking of giving up.
This truth was simply too cruel, and Aglaea could not accept it.
So, she could only hope, hope that the so-called Era Nova truly existed, hope that the so-called Era Nova was truly, as the divine decree had proclaimed, a brand-new Future.
Aglaea stopped dwelling on these questions that went beyond her present scope, composed her emotions, and showed Lumina an apologetic expression: "Sorry, Sister Lumina, I have troubled you again."
"You have called me Sister, so why act like a stranger?" Faced with Aglaea's posture filled with apology, Lumina's face was immediately covered in "dislike."
I'm helping you and you still want to thank me. Could it be you're treating me as an outsider?
As family, as your sister, isn't helping a younger sister a completely normal thing to do?
What is there to apologize for?
On the contrary, the one who truly needs to apologize is herself.
If she had appeared just a little earlier, would so many subsequent events have occurred?
If she had appeared just a little earlier, would the Flame Reavers not have exposed the lie that Cipher had woven for centuries?
So, the one who truly needs to apologize is definitely not Aglaea, Castorice, Cipher, or anyone else.
The one who truly needs to apologize should be Lumina herself!
"I understand, Sister Lumina, I was the one who spoke out of turn." Although Lumina did not say it directly, Aglaea could still infer some of the reasons from her displeased expression, so she hurriedly added a sentence.
Regardless, it was a fact that Sister Lumina was helping Okhema solve major difficulties, and it was also a fact that she was constantly troubling her to take action. Even if she did not need to be thanked, Aglaea could not just ignore it.
Since Sister Lumina did not need a verbal apology, Aglaea would thank her with a substantial gift after the matter was resolved.
"Mm." After a simple nod of acknowledgment, Lumina gazed at the dense swarm of Black Tide Monsters outside Okhema City's gates, then looked up at the crimson sky and asked Aglaea, "Little Sister Agy, what is the current situation?"
"Is there any solution?"
"..." Upon hearing this, Aglaea did not speak immediately, but remained silent for a moment.
Her hands continued their work without pause. As she stared at the apocalyptic scene before her, a flicker of exhaustion crossed her eyes.
But it was quickly replaced by a wave of resolve and determination.
She shook her head and said, "I don't know. Other than holding back the Black Tide Monsters' invasion, I can't think of any other solution."
"Let's make repelling the Black Tide Monsters our primary focus, and calming the people of Okhema our secondary one."
Aglaea had no other choice but to formulate a plan based on the current circumstances.
Yet, anyone with eyes could see that this plan could not be sustained for long.
The crimson apocalyptic scene weighed heavily on the hearts of every resident of Okhema, and for a short time, there might not be any problems.
But as time passed, their psychological resilience would gradually diminish, and all kinds of suppressed emotions would eventually erupt... By then, even if the Demigods could hold back the Black Tide Monsters and prevent them from stepping a single inch of land within Okhema, it would be completely useless.
The Eternal Holy City, Okhema, would eventually fall into chaos and be destroyed from within.
"In any case, let's proceed like this for now. We'll wait for Phainon, Hyacine, and the others to return before deciding on the next steps." Aglaea could only place all her hope in Era Nova.
If... If in the end it still didn't work, if the so-called Era Nova was just a lie, then Aglaea would... she would ask Lumina for help, ask her to help Amphoreus.
For this, Aglaea would do anything.
Even if... even if it was something embarrassing, something that would make her blush just thinking about it.
Though, though it seemed that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
As Aglaea thought about this, she silently glanced at Lumina's face and perfect figure, a strange gleam passing through her eyes. Consequently, a few... rather improper thoughts about her guest, Lumina, began to form in her mind.
"Hah... Sister Lumina, is everything alright with Phainon and Hyacine?" Taking a deep breath, Aglaea suppressed all the thoughts in her mind and changed the subject, turning to ask Lumina.
"Hyacine and the others? What could possibly happen to... Huh?"
Hearing Aglaea's question, Lumina smiled softly.
With Herta over there, it was obviously impossible for something to happen to Hyacine and the others.
Herta was invincible within Amphoreus!
If something did happen, it could only be an enemy from beyond the sky, but was that even possible?
Clearly impossible!
However...
Just as this thought sprouted in Lumina's heart, a perception from across the sky nudged her spirit.
It caused her relaxed, pleasant smile to instantly freeze.
"Something happened to Hyacine?!"
Sensing this emotion, Lumina's exquisite and beautiful face was covered in shock.