In truth, even without Half's reminder, Feidric had no intention of continuing the fight. His hand had long since secretly clenched a small wooden chip—the very item Tribios had given them before they departed.
Right now, Feidric and Douglas were combat-ineffective, while Aria and Olivia had just endured a major battle. With a new, powerful enemy appearing at this very moment, what else was there to do but run?
No, not run. To be more precise, it was a strategic retreat!
Crack!
The crisp sound of wood snapping suddenly echoed, but nothing happened. The Century Gate, which should have appeared behind them as promised, failed to materialize. Feidric's expression twisted into one of stunned disbelief.
Evernight, witnessing this, smiled faintly, her lips curving into a beautiful arc. "Trying to use the Century Gate to escape?" she chuckled softly. "It's useless. Why not stay and chat with me for a while?"
Of course, even within the Memory Space she had created, Evernight had no power to restrict the Century Gate. She had simply given Tribios a heads-up in advance.
But Aria and the others didn't know that. The infallible Century Gate had inexplicably failed, sending a wave of shock through the group. Feidric's brow furrowed tightly. "How can this be!?"
After all, the Century Gate could effortlessly travel to other worlds—even to Ding Lang's already destroyed realm. Its priority in spatial authority was astonishingly high. What kind of ability did this person possess to neutralize even the Century Gate?
Just then, as if having made a difficult decision, Olivia suddenly spoke. "You all go first! I'll hold her off and buy you time!"
Half's expression turned worried. "Wait, are you serious?"
Aria and the others couldn't understand the exchange between the girl and the wolf, but Evernight did. This was Olivia's "trump card"—one with an extremely high price.
Even though this was just a Memory Space where nothing was real, Evernight didn't want to witness that scene again. Continuing to hold her umbrella with her right hand, she slowly raised her left, pointed it at Olivia, and lightly snapped her fingers.
Snap~
Half, who had been trying to talk Olivia out of her plan, was suddenly engulfed by a massive wave of frigid air. Dense ice crystals seemed to sprout from space itself. He instinctively tried to dodge, but the ice spread too quickly and too wide, completely encasing him in the blink of an eye.
Soon, Half was frozen solid, with only his head sticking out from a smooth, round block of ice that encased the rest of his body.
After a moment of stunned silence, Olivia frantically drew her broken sword. Flames erupted from the blade as she swung it at the ice imprisoning Half. However, aside from Half howling in pain, the ice showed no signs of melting.
"Aaaah! Hot, hot, hot! Stop... Stop roasting me!"
Hearing his cries, Olivia hastily ceased her attack. Half, whose fur was normally white, now had the hair on his head curled and scorched black. He opened his mouth, exhaled a puff of black smoke, then lolled his tongue out, his eyes rolling back. "I thought I was a goner..."
However, the sight of the ice block encasing him filled Half with confusion. Though he still couldn't remember his own identity, he had always felt a natural affinity for ice.
Even in his state of complete amnesia, he could instinctively use some ice-related magic. But now, in his perception, the ice encasing him didn't feel like "ice" at all. It was more like something else that merely resembled it.
In other words, Half's ability to control ice was completely ineffective against the ice Evernight had summoned; he couldn't influence it in the slightest.
Evernight remained in the center of the battlefield, watching Olivia frantically trying to rescue Half, Aria raising her Divine Artifact to attack, and Feidric and Douglas frowning as they pondered their next move. Suddenly, she clapped her hands and said, "Alright, alright~ I'm done teasing you. Don't be so tense. I'm not actually a bad person~"
"I am Evernight, the Demigod of Time, one of Okhema's Twelve Demigods. And this place is a Memory Space I created—a recreation of the past from three hundred years ago."
"As for the monsters you fought, they were just a few extra elements I added—some trials and tests. And from the looks of it, you've performed exceptionally well."
Upon hearing this, Aria froze mid-motion, halting her impending attack. Her mind went blank for several seconds before she managed to part her lips and utter, "Huh?"
Feidric also wore a bewildered expression. Evernight's words sounded logical and self-consistent, but the problem was that they were in the middle of a battle, and this explanation came from their "enemy." Its credibility was highly questionable. Believing everything an enemy said during a fight—wasn't that a bit absurd?
For instance, could this be a lie meant to disrupt their focus?
But then Feidric reconsidered. The enemy's combat power far surpassed theirs; she seemed to have no need for deception.
While the group was brainstorming, Cipher emerged from somewhere behind Evernight. She wore a slightly awkward expression, her tail drooping and her cat ears wilting.
Cipher waved at Aria and said, "Yeah, she's right. Evernight really is one of Okhema's twelve Demigods. Sorry, everyone."
With Cipher vouching for her, Evernight's words suddenly gained credibility. Feidric said, "No wonder... So that's what was going on? If that's the case, all the inconsistencies from before make sense now."
For instance, Cipher's disappearance at the very beginning. Feidric had wondered how someone as fast as her couldn't escape and rejoin the team. It turned out this cat was an accomplice in this "prank."
And the malfunctioning Century Gate. But Feidric was still puzzled. "So Lady Tribios also cooperated with you on this so-called 'prank'?"
Evernight shook her head. "That wasn't the real her. It was the Tribios from five hundred years ago. I just gave her a heads-up beforehand."
Hearing this, Olivia—momentarily forgetting even the still-frozen Half—asked in confusion, "Five hundred years ago...? What do you mean?"