Feidric's magic naturally failed. They were currently within a memory, and in this memory, Okhema did not yet exist. Feidric couldn't possibly locate a place that hadn't been formed.
While this conclusion seems simple, arriving at it was far from easy. After all, the natural assumption would be that they had been teleported to an unknown location or ensnared by an exceptionally potent Illusion Magic. In either scenario, Feidric's Divination Magic should have provided answers.
Who could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, they had been transported to the past, to a time before Okhema even existed?
As Feidric stood frozen in thought, the surrounding environment rapidly darkened. A dense darkness surged toward them like a tidal wave from all directions, threatening to engulf them.
With lightning reflexes, Feidric chanted a spell: "Light!"
"Be careful!" he warned. "This darkness... it must be the Child of Flesh's doing! Has this Outer God breached the World Barrier and entered the Material World?!"
As if to confirm Feidric's words, a massive Black Panther slowly emerged from the darkness, stepping into the glow of the Light spell. Its appearance perfectly matched that of the Child of Flesh.
Of course, this creature wasn't the true Child of Flesh. It wasn't even a memory created by Evernight, but rather a product of Cipher's Authority.
Feidric believed the surrounding darkness was the Child of Flesh's doing, so the Child of Flesh genuinely manifested.
After all, if Evernight had extracted the Child of Flesh's memory and placed it here, the Memory Child of Flesh would simply replicate whatever the original Child of Flesh had done. Evernight couldn't control the Memory Child of Flesh, but Cipher's Authority was different. The false Child of Flesh she had summoned through deception was completely under her control.
Cipher's current goal was to engineer a plausible reason for her "disconnection" from the group.
As the saying goes, "When a crisis erupts, the tallest stand at the front." If Cipher remained with the group, Aria and the others wouldn't feel a strong sense of urgency due to their trust in her. But if Cipher forcibly disconnected from the start, leaving only the three of them, the situation would be drastically different.
Seeing this, Cipher immediately adopted a vigilant stance, her body leaning forward slightly, ears perked, and tail taut. "This creature is what triggered my danger sense just now!" she warned. "It's an enemy you can't handle!"
The instant her words left her lips, the Child of Flesh's True Body transformed into a black shadow and lunged toward Aria with blinding speed. But Cipher was equally swift, golden electric arcs crackling around her.
To the other three, it was merely a blur—a black shadow and a golden shadow flashing past—before Cipher and the Child of Flesh vanished from the illuminated area, their whereabouts unknown.
"Sister Cipher?!" Aria cried out in alarm. Even if she wanted to search for Cipher, she had no idea where to begin. Feidric cautioned, "Don't go into the darkness! Cipher is incredibly strong—don't worry about her! We need to focus on protecting ourselves first!"
Then, one by one, the Child of Flesh Derivatives—ordinary 'Black Panthers' without the tentacle-like appendages on their rumps—leapt from the shadows, launching their assault on the trio.
Aria raised her wooden stick, her expression solemn. "Divine Smite!"
Yes, even with a mere branch in her hand, she could still unleash Divine Smite. Golden sword light erupted from the staff, instantly engulfing several Black Panthers charging toward her.
The cost was immediate: the branch, unable to withstand the massive energy surge, crumbled into dust. To use Divine Smite again, Aria would need to find another 'vessel' to channel the power.
After Aria weathered the initial assault, Douglas rose to his feet. He tossed a golden-glowing longsword to Aria and, brandishing a gleaming golden axe himself, charged into the second wave of Black Panthers.
This was the Third-Level Divine Spell 'Spiritual Weapon', which summoned ethereal weapons composed of divine energy. The caster could manipulate these weapons telekinetically, sending them flying to attack, or wield them directly in combat.
As a War Priest, Douglas often faced battlefield emergencies like weapon breakage. This spell proved invaluable in such situations.
Feidric didn't launch any magical attacks. Instead, he continuously cast support spells to aid Douglas and Aria. The Child of Flesh Derivatives charging toward them were essentially identical in combat prowess to those from the Ding Lang World.
These monsters, which had caused catastrophic devastation in the Ding Lang World and slaughtered countless lives, posed little threat to the trio. With each swing of his heavy weapon, Douglas crushed a Black Panther, his attacks surprisingly swift despite the weapon's bulk, leaving faint afterimages in their wake.
As for Aria, armed with the weapon Douglas provided, she unleashed Divine Smites in rapid succession, each strike clearing vast swathes of enemies.
However, the oppressive darkness and near-zero visibility still restricted their movements, forcing them into a passive defensive stance. After about a minute, Feidric noticed the surrounding darkness visibly fading.
Is that Cipher? he wondered. The darkness was likely cast by the Child of Flesh; its dissipation suggested the battle on Cipher's side had reached a conclusion. Judging by the fading shadows, it seemed to be a favorable outcome.
Moments later, all the darkness receded completely, leaving the three still standing on the same dilapidated street. After waiting a while, however, they still couldn't spot Cipher.
Well, that's natural, Feidric thought. After all, Cipher is standing right beside Evernight, both of them in a state of Memory Invisibility. It's far more discreet than Cipher's own Invisibility.
Evernight wore a thoughtful expression and murmured, "What next..."
As her ability activated, a crisp footstep echoed through the dilapidated street, immediately drawing the attention of the three of them. Aria called out directly, "Sister Cipher?"
But Feidric said sternly, "That's not Cipher. Her footsteps make no sound at all!"
Just then, the source of the noise rounded the corner and appeared before them—a young woman with long white hair, her face etched with confusion. She stammered, "Um... where am I? And who are you?"