Cipher's body was pressed extremely close to Derick, her chest nearly blocking his line of sight. Derick glanced sideways, only to see Cipher smiling brilliantly, revealing a pair of sharp canine teeth that made her look quite cute.
Seeing Derick's gaze on her, Cipher tightened her grip around his neck once more.
Cipher said with a smile, "Let's go, let's set off now! Or... do you want to hold me for a little longer? I wouldn't be opposed to that, either."
"We're going back right now."
Hearing Cipher say this, Derick didn't linger. He took the coin out of his pocket and tossed it into the air. As the coin fell, Derick pushed off with his feet, charging in the direction of Okhema.
The two of them quickly vanished in a streak of light.
Only the Spirithief Batrus was left behind.
"Hey, you just left me here all alone! I don't have a Core Flame, and my strength has dropped a notch," it shouted loudly.
Just then, several blurry silhouettes appeared in the surroundings. Batrus looked over and saw numerous Black Tide creatures approaching it.
"Help!" Batrus screamed, then turned and began to flee.
As it ran, Batrus discovered something that made it despair even more.
Its collection had been taken by Cipher at some unknown point.
"Why don't you all just kill me instead!"
Batrus despaired, wanting to stop in its tracks. But when the Black Tide creatures closed in, Batrus shivered and scrambled to escape for its life.
***
Okhema, Marmoreal Palace, the Hero's Bath.
"What did Cipher take Derry for?" Tribbie asked, a puzzled look on her face as she listened to Castorice and the others explain that Cipher had taken Derick away.
That shouldn't be right!
"Don't worry too much. She won't do anything to harm the salvation of Amphoreus. Besides, Derick's strength surpasses hers, so there's no need to worry about him getting hurt," Aglaea said.
When it came to Cipher's allegiance, Aglaea was quite confident.
"But what if Cipher takes the opportunity to do… other things to Derick?" Castorice said gloomily.
Aglaea didn't know how to respond.
By her judgment, there was an eighty percent chance she would.
Just as they were discussing this, Derick appeared before them, holding Cipher.
"You two…" Seeing their actions, Tribbie was dumbstruck, pointing a finger at them as she questioned.
"Hee hee, Big Sis Tribbie, I've successfully seduced Derry-boy. We're planning to leave Okhema and become a thief duo," Cipher said, one arm around Derick's shoulders while making a victory sign with her other two fingers.
Seeing her do this, Derick seized the opportunity and let go. Cipher, caught off guard, fell directly onto the ground.
At that moment, you could tell Cipher wasn't a pure cat-girl. A cat always lands on all fours. But Cipher landed flat on her back.
"Ouch!"
As Cipher rubbed her back, Derick walked over to Castorice's side with a triumphant look on his face.
Seeing Cipher like this, Castorice also laughed happily.
That's more like it.
"Derry, did you successfully obtain the power of the Titan of Deceit?" Tribbie flew over to Derick's side at this moment and asked curiously.
"Yes, my body now holds the power of four Titans. My strength has made another leap forward," Derick nodded.
"I feel like I wouldn't be at too much of a disadvantage even if I fought the Flame-Reaver head-on now."
Thinking about the newly acquired energy of Zagreus, besides making him faster and allowing him to conceal the fact that his first clone could devour the Black Tide, Derick thought of another way to increase his strength.
Cipher, who was rubbing her body on the side, heard Derick and quickly reminded him, "Hey, hey, hey, Zagreus's abilities aren't very useful in a direct fight. Don't get cocky just because you've gained another Titan's power. If you get beaten up by the Flame-Reaver, it'll be too late for tears."
Increased speed was a great thing in a direct fight. But if he thought he could defeat the Flame-Reaver just by relying on that little bit of speed, he might as well go back to sleep.
"Don't worry, if I dare to say it, I'm naturally confident," Derick nodded. He then glanced at everyone present.
"Sister Castorice, Brother Mydei, how about you two spar with me? Just me against the two of you."
"Derick, are you serious?" Mydei asked with a serious tone upon hearing Derick's question.
"Yeah, if you accidentally lose, you'll lose a lot of face," Castorice added from the side.
Derick nodded affirmatively.
Seeing Derick's expression, Mydei clenched his fists tightly.
"It seems we're being underestimated, are we? If you want to fight, then I certainly won't refuse."
Castorice also smiled and drew his sickle. "Derick, let's make a deal. Whoever loses today is responsible for treating everyone to dinner, and you can't use someone else's money."
As Castorice said this, he even glanced at Castorice.
"What if Derry has no money?" Tribbie asked curiously.
Mydei chimed in from the side, "I'm sure the shop owner wouldn't refuse to let a demigod wash dishes for him."
Derick smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I have money."
"Huh!?"
Hearing this, both Mydei and Castorice showed looks of surprise. Even Castorice looked a little taken aback.
Castorice said to Derick, "I'd have an easier time believing you have the power of five Titans than believing you have money."
"I just looted Batrus's treasure, didn't I? Cipher and I split it fifty-fifty. I might not have much else, but I definitely have enough money to treat you all to dinner," Derick replied to Castorice. From the side, Cipher silently took out a large bag.
"After gaining the power of Zagreus, your eyesight has improved quite a bit. You actually noticed me stealing its stuff. Fine, I'm a woman of my word. Half of what's inside is yours."
Derick glanced at the bag; the amount of treasure inside was by no means small.
Mydei crossed his arms. "It seems we can have a big feast this time."
"That's only if you can beat me," Derick said to Mydei and Castorice.
"Then head to the training grounds now," Aglaea said to the three of them. She also wanted to see how Derick's strength had changed after obtaining the energy of Zagreus. How much stronger could he have become?
Tribbie said excitedly, "Yay! We get to see Derry fight Little Dery and Little Dei, and there's a good meal afterward!"
Polyxia also watched with great interest, looking forward to the outcome of the battle.
Castorice was a little worried for Derick, but seeing the look in his eyes, her heart firmed with the belief that he would win.
If he dares to say it, he must be confident.
The group arrived at the training grounds. The others gathered to watch from the sidelines, while Derick, Castorice, and Mydei stood in the center.
"Since there are two of us, you can attack first," Mydei said to Derick.
"Alright, here I come!" Derick didn't stand on ceremony. The Lance of Divine Retribution appeared in his hand, and he pushed off with his feet, charging straight for Mydei. At the same time, he mobilized the power of the Titan of Discord within him, suppressing Mydei with the aura of a grand war.
Faced with the immense pressure, Mydei's feet dug in, cracking the ground beneath him to disperse the aura. Just then, Derick's Lance of Divine Retribution fell upon him. Mydei gripped the blade tightly with both hands but was still pushed back a great distance.
Mydei and Castorice had anticipated this before the fight began, so they weren't surprised to be pushed back. Castorice even took the opportunity to get behind Derick, swinging his greatsword to slash at his back.
Derick withdrew the aura of Discord. With one hand, he raised it behind him, and a giant purple hand appeared. This was the Hand of Death, representing Thanatos. Castorice didn't dare to take it head-on, quickly twisting his body in mid-air and landing on the ground.
"Indeed, your speed at switching between the various Titan energies has gotten much faster. But, it's not enough to beat us with just that."
At that moment, Mydei regrouped and charged at Derick again.
As long as Derick could only use one Titan's energy at a time, no matter how fast he switched, he would never be a match for him and Castorice combined.
"Indeed, what you said is correct, Brother Mydei," Derick said, using the Lance of Divine Retribution to deal with Mydei's attack.
"But…"
Derick's tone shifted. As Castorice's attack arrived, Derick, while releasing the energy of the Titan of Discord with one hand, released the power of the Titan of Death with the other.
"What!?"
Seeing Derick mobilize two types of Titan energy simultaneously, both Castorice and Mydei were shocked.
How did he do that? Normally, wouldn't he self-destruct if he tried to channel two Titan energies at the same time?
Now, Derick was easily manipulating two types of Titan energy without any consequences at all.
How was this possible?
Besides Castorice and Mydei, the faces of everyone else present were also filled with astonishment. This kind of thing was too abnormal. How could it happen?
Just then, a flash of inspiration struck Cipher's mind.
"I know how Derry-boy did it. That guy… he's really good at deceiving himself."
"Huh!? What does that mean?" Tribbie asked Cipher curiously.
"Under normal circumstances, because the output space is limited, using different Titan energies at the same time would naturally cause them to collide, leading to a violent reaction and causing a self-detonation before an attack can even be launched," Cipher explained.
"But Derry-boy, using the authority of the Titan of Deceit on himself, deceived the Titan energies within his body. He told them that the energy output space is very large, so they won't be crowded. If they do get crowded, it's their own fault, so they should hurry up and separate."
"So…" Castorice's eyes widened.
"Yes. Derick believed it, and those energies inside his body believed it too."
Cipher nodded.
Derry-boy may not have done anything to deceive others, but his ability to deceive himself is first-rate.
On the field, Mydei and Castorice also heard Cipher's explanation.
Both of them were filled with surprise.
"So you had this trick up your sleeve, Derick. But even if you do, I won't admit defeat," Castorice said to Derick, the greatsword in his hand glowing even more brilliantly.
"Yes, me neither," Mydei also wouldn't give up easily.
The two had been fighting individually before, but now that they felt the pressure from Derick, they naturally had to coordinate properly.
Castorice and Mydei advanced together, attacking one of Derick's sides.
Derick also charged forward with the Lance of Divine Retribution. This time, the lance was imbued with the powers of both the Titan of Death and the Titan of Discord.
The three of them clashed.
Their energies collided, attacking and canceling each other out.
Mydei and Castorice's combat skills were extremely high, and Derick's were even more so. Having integrated Nikador's martial arts, he wouldn't show any openings even in a one-on-two fight. The three of them continued to attack relentlessly, gradually turning the battle into a war of attrition.
Aglaea and the others watched, only seeing flashes of sword light, the figures of the combatants almost completely gone.
"Who… who's winning?" Tribbie asked in a small voice.
"It's hard to say right now," Castorice, who could still somewhat keep up, shook her head and said.
After a while, the three of them stopped.
The others watched, not knowing who the victor of this contest was.
Castorice said to Derick, "Now, your energies of Discord and Death are depleted, and our energies are almost exhausted as well. Next, it's time to settle this with our fists."
"No need!" Derick said with a smile.
Huh? No need? Could it be…
As Castorice thought this, he saw the energies of the Titan of Reason and the Titan of Deceit surge from Derick's body.
"I have a second phase!"
Castorice slapped his forehead. He had been so caught up in the fight that he had completely forgotten. Derick didn't just have two types of Titan energy; he had four.
"Damn it!" Mydei cursed, then looked at Derick and said, "Let's go. Where to? My treat."
"Brother Mydei, don't you think your own cooking tastes better than eating out?" Derick said to him with a smile.
He had fought this match mainly to test his idea. It now seemed his experiment was a great success. His strength had been significantly enhanced. With four Titan energies at his disposal, he might not be able to crush the Flame-Reaver, but at least he wouldn't be at a disadvantage in a direct fight. He wouldn't have to resort to threatening with self-destruction like before.
"Fine…" Mydei felt like he was about to become a full-time chef. Maybe after the world was saved, he would find a place and open a restaurant.
Castorice said happily, "Alright then, I'll go buy the ingredients now."
Cooking at home was much cheaper than eating out. Although he was a Chrysos Heir, he couldn't compare to a wealthy person like Aglaea. Being able to save a little money now was naturally for the best.
_____
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