"No way... Is this real? Why can't we still beat her?"
Although March 7th and Stelle had both activated the Emanator power stored in their rings, they still couldn't inflict significant damage on Phandrea.
At the same time, thanks to the Emanator power's protective aura, Phandrea was equally unable to seriously harm them.
Hmm... so Stelle's comment about dancing in front of an Emanator was actually quite accurate.
"Are you both alright?" Nahida asked, forcing herself to suppress the urge to give March 7th and Stelle a Super Headbutt. She walked over to them, feigning concern.
These two fools... I'm speechless!
The power I stored in those rings... even a pig could have flown to the heavens with it! Yet when they wielded it, this is all they managed?!
While the stored power couldn't defeat a true Emanator, it should at least have posed a challenge...
But no... in their hands, it had become nothing more than a defensive measure.
Ah, it's because I specifically set up the automatic defense mechanism... If I had blindly trusted March 7th and Stelle's judgment and hadn't added that automatic defense, they would have died hundreds of times over in this battle against the Emanator.
Well, what else can I do but dote on my two silly children?
Nahida thought to herself, completely immersing herself in the role of a mother.
It seems the Little Swarm is still the most reliable, even if only by a bit... Watching the Little Swarm struggle alone in the air, relentlessly attacking Phandrea, Nahida felt a surge of relief.
"Nahida, what do we do? We can't beat her!" March 7th exclaimed, slightly puzzled by Nahida's sudden maternal aura.
She didn't dwell on it, though. Sensing the power flowing through her veins rapidly dissipating, March 7th grew increasingly anxious.
"Since you've invoked Lady Lumina's power, she must be aware of it," Nahida reassured her, barely suppressing the urge to die from March 7th's silliness.
"So, we just need to hold on a little longer..."
"To possess such power yet be unable to use it... I truly envy you."
Nahida's comforting words to March 7th were abruptly cut off by Phandrea's taunt.
"I envy you fools. Despite your idiocy, you manage to perfectly disguise yourselves as normal people, relying on your ability to handle everyday tasks."
Phandrea casually swatted away Little Swarm. Seeing that March 7th and the others seemed to have lost their will to attack, she began a verbal assault.
Simultaneously, she mentally categorized Stelle and March 7th—the two beautiful girls—as "idiotic beauties."
Even with that wretched woman's power, they're still being crushed by me? This isn't about lacking familiarity with their power—they're just plain fools.
If not for the automatic protection provided by that power and the "Taboo" decreed by the wretched woman, the Stellaron Spirit and that Pink-Haired Fool would have been annihilated by the Destruction countless times already.
But... this Nahida...
Phandrea's gaze settled on Nahida, her brow furrowing with suspicion.
The more I look at her, the more she resembles that wretched woman...
Phandrea muttered to herself, but it was merely suspicion, not certainty.
After all, their life levels were different. Unless the wretched woman had personally transformed into this Nahida before Phandrea's eyes, Phandrea would never have believed they were the same person.
How could they be the same person when even their life levels were different?
Aura, presence, and strength could all change, but not life level. Whatever a person's original life level was, it would remain unchanged even if they transformed into someone else...
This was why Phandrea remained puzzled but never considered Lumina.
Hmm... This Nahida must be the wretched woman's younger sister.
Ultimately, Phandrea settled on the theory that Nahida was related to Lumina, solidifying her conviction.
"Since you've abandoned your struggle, then revel in the beautiful dream I've woven for you," Phandrea declared from her vantage point in the heavens, her voice icy as she surveyed the crowd and delivered her judgment.
"Almighty Lord of Wisdom, please think of something quickly!"
Feeling the Power of The Emanator flowing back into her Storage Ring and the ring entering its cooldown period, March 7th couldn't help but place her hopes on the seemingly all-powerful Lord of Wisdom, Nahida.
"Do you think I'm a god or something...?" Nahida muttered, speechless.
These two pigs... if they weren't at least somewhat competent, even a divine being couldn't lead them to victory.
In the Penacony storyline, it was truly a miracle they managed to defeat Sunday...
Watching March 7th and Stelle fight, Nahida finally understood why sometimes 1+1 << 1...
Stelle swung her baseball bat wildly like a caveman, while March 7th couldn't hit Phandrea to save her life—but she could hit Stelle's butt every time.
And always at the butt...
Does March 7th have some hidden fetish or something...? Nahida wondered.
"Don't worry, she can't do much. I'll get you out of here safely," Nahida said, shaking her head to clear her mind. She held up her massive book, shielding March 7th and Stelle.
Her small frame radiated a sense of security second only to Lumina's.
"I'm the Galactic Baseballer! How could I possibly fall here?!"
Seeing this, Stelle refused to be outdone. She slung her baseball bat over her shoulder, adopting the posture of a street thug, her entire being radiating savage intensity.
"Alright, enough with the Galactic Baseballer antics. Let's get out of this barrier and find Lady Lumina. I can hold out for a while." Nahida rolled her eyes, feeling a twinge of dread at the thought of teaming up with Stelle and March 7th again.
Those two were pure team-killers. Let them work it out among themselves—negative times negative equals positive, right?
"Logically speaking, Lady Lumina should have sensed us using the ring's power."
"Since she sensed it, but hasn't arrived after all this time, there are only two possibilities."
"First, something must have happened to her, preventing her from coming."
"Second..."
"Acting like I don't exist, huh?!"
Before Nahida could finish, a suffocating aura surged forth once more.
Life Shield
Reacting swiftly, Nahida erected a Jade Green shield just before the aura struck.
Rumble~
As Phandrea's attack collided with Nahida's shield, a violent shockwave erupted, nearly leveling the entire area.
"Ptoo! Ptoo ptoo ptoo..."
Although Nahida's lightning-fast reaction had deflected Phandrea's sneak attack, Stelle and March 7th, stripped of the Emanator's protection, were immediately blasted away by the shockwave from the energy collision.
They crashed onto the Sumeru earth, swallowing mouthfuls of dirt.
To be fair, Sumeru's soil wasn't dry or choking. It even carried a faint floral fragrance...
"Ahem, Nahida, do you really not need any help?"
"What could you possibly do to help me?"
"Uh... you're right, I guess?"
"No, wait. You actually might be able to help me." Suddenly, Nahida seemed to realize something. With a casual wave of her hand, she sent a green orb of light into Stelle and March 7th's minds.
"Remember what I said before?"
"'There's no barrier in this world that can't be broken. If there is, it means the breaker lacks the intelligence to solve it.'"
"So, prove to me whether your intelligence is up to the task."
After finishing her words, Nahida waved her hand again, sending Stelle, March 7th, and the lone fighting Little Swarm to another location.
"Is this really necessary? Wouldn't it be better to peacefully enter a place of eternal tranquility, where nothing matters?"
"No worries, no displeasure, no sorrow—only joy, bliss, and serenity. Why resist such a paradise?"
Phandrea recited Lumina's lines from the script word for word, her delivery remarkably convincing, as if she were a natural-born actress.
As a Lord Ravager who personally orchestrates Destruction by dismantling worlds from within, Phandrea's acting skills were unparalleled, rivaling even those of the Masked Fools from the Tavern!
Though Phandrea neither understood nor attempted to grasp the meaning of these words, it didn't matter. Since it was just acting, understanding wasn't required.
If she had to interpret them, Phandrea would have scoffed:
What bullshit is this "eternal tranquility"? Only a brainless idiot would dream up such a place... If I ever stumbled upon it, I'd transform that so-called "eternal tranquility" into an eternal hellscape...
"You know what?" Nahida's expression remained unchanged as she countered with a question: "Usually, villains die from talking too much."
"With all that talking, you might meet a gruesome end, you know~"
"But from my perspective, you're the villain," Phandrea chuckled dismissively at Nahida's "well-intentioned warning," completely dismissing her as insignificant.
Imprisoning me, whipping me at the slightest provocation, treating me like a pet dog... who's the real villain here?
Without a doubt, that wretched woman Lumina was the true villain!
And this Nahida? The villain's sister.
As for those two fools... probably just the villain's pets, right?
"This one... I should just cut her down after all," Nahida muttered darkly.
If I were truly a villain, I would have erased her consciousness and turned her into a puppet the moment I captured her. Why would I be wasting time joking around with her?
Hmm... well, fine, it's just that she's a soul entity, so I can't erase her. If I did, she'd be gone for good. Losing an Emanator-level combatant would be quite a blow.
Huff...
Nahida exhaled, barely suppressing the urge to slaughter Phandrea. Her form floated upward until she was level with Phandrea, the great book in her hands flipping through pages continuously, the aura emanating from her hair tips intensifying.
"Hmm?" Sensing Nahida's rising power, Phandrea's expression gradually shifted to one of solemn seriousness. "I didn't realize you were an Emanator..."
"Which Aeon do you serve?"
Ever since the Xianzhou General ambushed and pierced her, only to be brutally beaten by Lumina, Phandrea's usual casual demeanor vanished instantly when facing Emanator-level combatants, replaced by a focused, wary expression.
It seemed Jing Yuan's Lightning-Lord strike and Lumina's cunning schemes had left lingering shadows in Phandrea's mind.
"I told you, villains die from talking too much."
Now that Stelle and March 7th had left, Nahida saw no point in further banter. She unleashed an attack capable of easily destroying planets.
"You're right." Phandrea effortlessly blocked Nahida's basic attack, nodding in agreement with her statement.
"So, villain, are you ready to die?"
The wretched woman's words couldn't harm the Stellaron Spirit or the Pink-Haired Fool, but they never said they couldn't harm Nahida...
If that's the case, wouldn't this be something the wretched woman permitted?
I can't defeat that damned woman, but surely I can defeat you, right?
With that thought, a cold glint flashed in Phandrea's eyes as she prepared to teach Nahida, who dared to wear the wretched woman's face, a lesson she would never forget!
Indeed, killing her would be the best option, Nahida thought inwardly.
"Hmm... This must be the spot Nahida mentioned."
"I don't see any difference. It's just another part of the forest..."
Meanwhile, on the other side, the duo arrived at the spot Nahida had indicated. Seeing nothing to distinguish it from the surrounding forest, March 7th scratched her head, unsure of what to do next.
[Walk fifty steps forward, then thirty steps to the right. There's a downward slope; go down.]
[At the bottom of the slope, there's a cave. Enter it and follow the path until you reach an Abyss Heart. Have Little Swarm destroy it.]
Just as March 7th was puzzling over the situation, two sentences from Nahida suddenly popped into their minds. Perhaps because she lacked confidence in their abilities, Nahida had even specified the exact number of steps.
"What kind of impression do we give Nahida, anyway?" March 7th couldn't help but mutter.
Rumble... Rumble... Rumble...
"Ugh, no time to waste! We can't keep Nahida waiting!"
The earth-shattering roars jolted March 7th back to reality, reminding her of their mission. She quickly grabbed Stelle and began following Nahida's instructions, silently counting each step.
"One step... Ten steps... Thirty steps... Fifty steps..."
"Turn right!"