After all, Olivia's Divine Smite didn't have any special attack attributes. In exchange, it possessed greater destructive power. Aria and her companions had said they were here to help, but after witnessing this scene, it seemed they weren't really needed.
Jay, who was nearby, walked over to Aria's group and said, "I've never seen a monster like this before. Is this the Child of Flesh you mentioned, the Monster in the Darkness?"
Feidric hesitated for a moment before replying, "Well, not exactly, but close enough. Their origin is the same anyway."
At that moment, Tribios stepped forward and said, "Something's wrong with the Grand Duchy of Augustus. We seem to have been pulled into some kind of special temporal space. My Century Gate can't reach the outside world anymore; I can't travel to other countries. I suspect we might be surrounded by monsters like these."
Jay immediately froze in shock. Being attacked by an unfamiliar monster was actually a minor matter.
The monsters had appeared shortly after Aria and her companions arrived in the Grand Duchy of Augustus, making it difficult not to suspect they had brought them. Yet Jay harbored no ill will towards them; it was a minor matter.
However, Tribios's words were terrifying. Even the Century Gate could no longer reach other places?
Jay stammered in disbelief, "How is that possible?"
Tribios explained, "In terms of spatial travel alone, my Century Gate can indeed go anywhere. But when time is factored in, it fails. The Century Gate cannot traverse time, which is why I said earlier that this is a unique spacetime."
The Century Gate's failure would create a myriad of problems. First and foremost, trade with other nations would be impossible. Currently, the Grand Duchy of Augustus's primary exports were timber, paper, and wine—their very survival depended on this trade.
It wasn't as if the Grand Duchy would collapse immediately without trade; they could certainly endure for a while. But this was no long-term solution.
Jay's brow furrowed instantly. Meanwhile, the battle raged on, though Olivia seemed perfectly capable of handling it alone. This left Tribios, Feidric, Douglas, and the newly arrived Jay standing aside, chatting.
Aria, however, couldn't resist running into the fray to help. Gripping the Divine Magic Weapon Douglas had just created, she cocked her ear, listening intently. Amidst the crackling flames, she quickly detected a multitude of "background noise"—the scurrying and shrieks of monsters.
Raising her weapon, Aria aimed at these locations. Golden light shimmered along the blade, and sure enough, moments later, several formidable monsters burst from the flames.
Monster: Heh heh, I finally made it out!
Aria: Divine Smite!
Monster: ?!
A golden sword flash pierced the monster's body in an instant, continuing onward to cleave a three- to four-meter-wide gap through the Fire Wall and Fire Sea ahead. Every monster caught in its path dissolved in the blink of an eye.
Witnessing this, Olivia turned to glance at Aria, exclaiming in astonishment, "Amazing!"
Although Olivia's Divine Smite packed a greater raw punch, Aria's version had a built-in special effect that made it even more devastating against these particular monsters.
Moreover, wielding the Paladin Divine Artifact, Aria's combat prowess was now nearly on par with Olivia's, and her Divine Smite's power was ridiculously strong.
Hearing Olivia's praise, Aria scratched her head and laughed, "No, no, Sister, you're the truly amazing one! Your Divine Smite wreathed in flames is so cool, isn't it?!"
Olivia countered, "No, no, I think your Divine Smite is even more impressive! And it's so beautiful with that dazzling golden light!"
After all, Aria was naturally a generous flatterer, finding something to compliment in every situation and constantly showering others with emotional validation. As her past life, Olivia shared this same trait.
Then, something utterly absurd happened. These two "praise monsters" met, and while casually slicing through enemies like vegetables, they showered each other with endless compliments, leaving Feidric and Jay completely dumbfounded.
Jay stammered, "This... is this normal?"
Feidric muttered, "This can't be normal, right?"
Under the relentless onslaught of Olivia and Aria, these numerical powerhouses, the attacking monsters were annihilated without a trace, leaving behind only scorched, cracked earth that still radiated heat.
Despite the prolonged battle, Olivia and Aria showed no signs of fatigue, acting as if they hadn't even broken a sweat.
But that's not right, Feidric suddenly realized. Paladins need to expend Strength to use their Skills. I don't know about Olivia, but Aria's performance is clearly impossible.
It was as if she possessed a Divine Artifact that granted Strength regeneration buffs—yet that artifact should have been in Okhema, not in Aria's possession.
Wait a minute... Wasn't Okhema originally the Grand Duchy of Augustus? And didn't Tribios give that artifact to Aria? Feidric immediately turned to the Red-Haired Beauty beside him and asked, "Is there a longsword... stuck in a stone anywhere in the city right now?"
Tribios's gaze swept over Olivia and Aria before she smiled. "Yes, there is. It was just brought back recently. Come with me."
Another Century Gate materialized. Everyone except Jay, who stayed behind to clean up the battlefield, followed Olivia through. As soon as Feidric stepped through, he saw a massive stone had suddenly appeared in the clearing, with a longsword embedded in its summit.
Olivia explained, "Since none of us could pull out the sword, we had to bring back the entire stone along with it."
Feidric: "?"
Douglas: "?"
Only Aria tilted her small head slightly, as if sensing a connection between herself and the sword. She gently raised her right hand, and the sword shimmered with golden light before lifting itself from the stone, finally settling securely into her grasp.
This Divine Artifact maintained its buff even when not actively held, which explained Aria's near-limitless Strength during the recent battle.
Despite seeing the Divine Artifact they had struggled so hard to obtain taken so effortlessly by someone else, Olivia showed no hostility or discomfort. Instead, she exclaimed excitedly, "Eh? So, the sword recognizes you? Amazing!"