Just as the annihilating light cannon was about to erupt in the last 0.01 seconds—
Phaethon felt the scene before him suddenly blur and distort! An irresistible, transcendent force enveloped him!
It wasn't teleportation! It was more like he himself had been violently dragged a great distance in an instant.
The next moment, a deafening roar exploded in front of him! The searing stream of light, like an angry divine spear of punishment, slammed violently into an unknown wilderness outside the city!
"BOOOOM—!!!"
The earth wailed! The blinding glare briefly dispersed the "night"! A terrifying shockwave lifted vast swathes of soil like a carpet, churning up dust clouds tens of meters high!
In the distance, sturdy mountain rocks groaned under the impact, countless fragments raining down like hail!
Phaethon landed steadily, his sword-hand slightly numb. He scanned his surroundings, his expression grave and astonished.
One second he was in Okhema, the next he was in the desolate outskirts! He could even see the distant, now minuscule, halo of Okhema's Dawn Device.
"Was I... caught during my skill's wind-up? What incredible 'god-speed'!" he murmured to himself, his wariness of this "thief" instantly skyrocketing to its peak.
A few meters away, Cipher's figure materialized out of thin air. She patted her ample chest, feigning a frightened look, but her pupils sparkled with mischief:
"Goodness gracious! Kid, were you really about to use that move inside Okhema? Trying to send the Holy City sky-high?" She tilted her head, the tip of her tail swaying playfully, "But then again... since you had the sense to aim upwards at the last moment, I'll grudgingly admit you're a responsible fellow."
Phaethon's face remained expressionless. The tip of his sword pointed at Cipher once more, the radiance on the blade coalescing again, denser than before. "Thieving little cat, save your breath. Hand over the money, then come back with me and explain yourself."
"Aiyaya, by Zagreus (Titan of Trickery) above, how can a kitty's actions be called stealing?" Cipher blinked playfully, an innocent smile spreading across her face. "This is called... hmm, 'a modest tribute to the hardworking and prosperous'? Alright, alright, I've had my fun for today."
She conjured a special kitty coin out of thin air. "Bye-bye, Chef-boy! Head east for about fifteen kilometers, and you'll reach Okhema. With your skills, strolling back shouldn't be a problem! Next time, remember to hide your gold coins better!"
Cipher assumed a pose to flick the coin.
Just as her body was about to dissolve into streaming light again—
*Humm!*
An Infinity Gate opened with pinpoint accuracy right next to the coin! A slender, powerful hand shot out from within, snatching directly for that special kitty coin!
"Mew?!" Cipher's pupils constricted violently. She contorted her body with immense effort, barely avoiding the grab!
The coin, grazing the edge of the spatial gate, fell. Cipher, her composure shaken, snatched it back into her palm.
Her form solidified not far away, the casual playfulness on her face completely gone for the first time, replaced by deep suspicion and a touch of genuine seriousness.
She stared fixedly at the fading spatial gate trace in Phaethon's hand: "This is... Big Sis Tribbie's Infinity Gate?! Kid, who exactly are you?!"
Her voice held a barely perceptible tension. "What have you done to Big Sis Tribbie and the others? Or..." Her gaze turned dangerously sharp. "Has the Flame core of the Path of the Gate been lost by that 'Seamstress' who only knows how to mend things and read minds?!"
Phaethon remained outwardly calm, the sword tip still steadily aimed at Cipher. "Teacher Tribbie and the others are perfectly fine. As for Lady Aglaea..." A meaningful smile tugged at his lips, "She is most competent. It's you, Lady Cipher, a Guardian who engages in theft, who seems somewhat unworthy of the title?"
"Hmph! Glib tongue!" Cipher snorted coldly, clearly not fully convinced, but the natural tone Phaethon used when mentioning Tribbie and Aglaea slightly eased her tension.
She tossed the kitty coin high into the air once more! "Want to catch me? Try again in your next life!"
The coin ascended!
Cipher's figure instantly blurred, transforming into a stream of light almost impossible for the naked eye to follow, shooting away at an incredible speed in the direction opposite to Okhema! Her speed far surpassed anything Phaethon had ever witnessed!
"Infinity Gate, pursue!" Without hesitation, Phaethon opened gate after gate before him. He leaped through the folds of space like a phantom, closely chasing the impossibly fast stream of light!
In just a few breaths, they crossed an unknowable distance. When Phaethon stepped out of another spatial gate, he froze.
Before him... stood the familiar, towering silhouette of Okhema's walls? It was a remote corner on a different side, but it was undoubtedly near Okhema!
"Why did she circle back?" Alarm bells rang loudly in Phaethon's mind!
In that momentary confusion—
"Phaethon. What are you doing here?" A cool, calm, utterly familiar female voice came from behind him.
Phaethon's guard dropped slightly, instinctively starting to turn: "Lady Aglaea? You..."
Before he could finish—
"Damn it!" Even though Phaethon realized the trick almost instantly, it was too late.
A sudden transformation!
Several threads, finer than yarn but shimmering with brilliant golden light, shot out without warning from the shadows at his feet and the surrounding air!
They were so fast Phaethon had no time to react! In an instant, they coiled around his wrists, ankles, and waist!
"Ugh!" Phaethon felt an irresistible binding force. The seemingly delicate but incredibly tough golden threads trussed him up tightly, and he fell to the ground with a "thud!" like a stuffed dumpling!
"BWAHAHAHA—!!!" Behind him came Cipher's triumphant, utterly scornful laughter, devoid of any trace of Aglaea's coolness.
"Kid! Gotcha, didn't you? Still, I'm the better trickster! All's fair in love and war, get it?"
Struggling fiercely, Phaethon managed to twist his head with difficulty. Sure enough, he saw the "Aglaea" visage rapidly shed its disguise, reverting to Cipher's true form, complete with cat ears and tail, laughing so hard she shook.
"The authority of Trickery? Able to perfectly mimic Aglaea's appearance, voice, and even abilities?" Phaethon's voice was icy, though inwardly he had to admire the sheer strangeness of Cipher's methods.
"Ding-dong! Correct!" Cipher hopped over to the bound Phaethon, crouched down, and poked his cheek playfully with her index finger, her eyes full of mockery. "But no prize! You just lie here nicely at the Holy City's gates until dawn! Perhaps..." She deliberately drew out the word, revealing a wicked grin, "the patrolling guards will find you, this big 'dumpling,' a later tonight maybe?"
…
(The game of cat and human continues... but for now, the cat seems to have the upper hand, memi~ This isn't over!)