Time had returned to before Charlotte rushed to the rescue.

Even when Charlotte learned from Haral that Lilith had been captured by the followers of the God of Hatred and Deformation, she knew it must be a trap.

The reason was simple—Lilith and Haral had always been the pillars of the Free City State, and as the two most powerful Transcendents of the city-state, it was their presence that had sustained it against the onslaught of the gods.

Though Lilith and Haral firmly believed that it was their special transcendent abilities and the Divine Artifacts left by the elves that enabled them to contend with the gods, Charlotte, who had become a Demigod, did not think so.

After staying behind, she had personally "assessed" the strength of the two, and the conclusion of this "assessment" was that although the duo was indeed strong, it would be quite difficult for them to stand against the Mythical if they really wanted to.

The past ability of the Free City State to confront the followers of those gods was because the gods themselves had not taken action, but if they were to directly enter the field, Charlotte, drawing a comparison with her own strength, concluded that Lilith and Haral would definitely not be able to resist.

Clearly, the Free City State's perseverance until now was not entirely due to their strong transcendent powers but seemed more like those "gods" were also wary of something, or waiting for something, which was why they had not personally stepped in.

Therefore, when Charlotte heard the news of Lilith's capture from Haral, although her heart suddenly rose, she didn't feel surprised.

Lilith's power was far too much for the followers of the God of Hatred and Deformation to handle, and if it were just the followers, they would definitely not be able to take her down. If they could capture her, it must have been the gods who intervened.

Those gods definitely had the power to deal with the two of them, and the fact that they had not acted was probably just due to some reason that prevented them from doing so.

Charlotte did not know what that reason was, but she was very clear about why these gods were now taking action—it was because in recent times, the only variable in the Free City State had been herself.

Capturing the most powerful transcendent, there was no reason to let go of the weaker Transcendents.

The fact that a Transcendent Soldier had escaped to bring news clearly indicated a trap.

And the target of the trap was also quite clear.

The opponent was targeting Charlotte.

Not only could Charlotte figure this out but Haral could as well.

Even though Haral's limited strength didn't allow him to realize that the gods of the past had been holding back in their oppression of the Free City State, he was very clear about the disparity in strength between Lilith and the alien god's followers.

The message brought back by the Transcendents was that Lilith was not captured while covering the rear, but was directly captured during battle.

The alien god's followers exhibited a power much stronger than before, and such power could not possibly belong to the followers themselves—it had to have been granted by a god.

They had captured Lilith but allowed the messenger to escape, and anyone could see there was an issue.

That's why when Haral reported it to Charlotte, he also suggested that it was very likely a trap targeted at her.

But Charlotte still came.

Since she knew that the opponent was targeting her, she had no reason to evade, and even just to rescue Lilith, she felt that she should make the trip.

Even if… it truly was a trap aimed at her.

However, Charlotte was not recklessly throwing herself into danger.

During the previous conflict with Adora, the God of Hatred and Deformation, Charlotte had realized that she had been underestimating her own strength.

Although she felt that Adora's Divine Power foundation was deeper during their confrontation, the quality of her own was superior.

And this possibly meant one thing—that although she did not have as much Divine Power reserve as her opponent, in a short-term burst, her combat strength could very likely be more formidable.

This was also something Charlotte realized belatedly after the God of Hatred and Deformation had retreated voluntarily.

Her subsequent exchange with the God of Hatred and Deformation after arriving here confirmed this point. To be honest, Charlotte hadn't expected that upon exerting her Divine Power fully, she would be able to fight so well, actually matching a seasoned Mythical, even beating him back with little ability to retaliate.

And as for these Mythical traps, Charlotte had recognized what they were as soon as she arrived here.

The ancient inscriptions in her view had been flashing non-stop since she came to Silver City. Although the Blood Holy Scripture had been "Sealed," the effects of Divine Technique Counter were still active, and the Divine Skill Ritual the opponent had been secretly preparing had been "detected" by Charlotte from the beginning.

It was precisely because of this knowledge that Charlotte dared to take decisive action, even knowing that her Divine Power reserve was undoubtedly less than the other Demigods of this era; she personally entered the fray and fought against Adora, the God of Hatred and Deformation.

It was not only out of anger for killing Lilith but also a desire to turn the tables and wait for the god behind the scenes to formally initiate the Divine Skill Ritual secretly set around Silver City.

The Mythical level Divine Skill Ritual—The God-binding Lock.

And the Mythical level Divine Skill Ritual—The Secret Contract Prisoner!

Looking at the flashing ancient inscriptions in her view, Charlotte's expression was extremely calm.

The names and information of these two Divine Skill Rituals had already appeared in her mind when she arrived here.

Divine Skill Rituals employ Divine Power in special ceremonies, enhancing the effects of Divine Power and allowing weaker beings to borrow the power of gods.

Just like believers borrowing Divine Power, gods can also use Divine Skill Rituals to exert a more powerful force than in normal combat, similar to how Magicians use Magic Arrays to unleash more potent magic than usual.

Obviously, these two Divine Skill Rituals were the traps set by the god behind the scenes for Charlotte.

The God-binding Lock...

The Secret Contract Prisoner...

These were two Divine Skill Rituals specifically aimed at gods, cast by gods, targeted to restrict gods, designed for Divine Power imprisonment and spatial confinement.

But unfortunately...

If the trap had been something else, Charlotte might have opted to grab Lilith and run after weighing the pros and cons, but it just had to be Divine Skill Rituals.

This was what Charlotte feared the least.

Rather, upon discovering that the trap was Divine Skill Rituals, Charlotte's thinking changed.

Charlotte gently lifted both hands.

The golden chains were instantly destroyed by Charlotte, and the dodecahedron imprisoning her was effortlessly erased.

The ritual that had just been bursting with Divine Power was suddenly, easily broken by her!

Watching this incredible scene, the Divine Lord, Kulkan, widened his eyes, his expression full of disbelief:

"This is… the power of 'Divine Destruction', you actually still possess the power of 'Divine Destruction'! How is that possible?!"

"You, you, you… you're not His Deputy, but also a Taboo who has tainted themselves with 'Creation Power'?!"

"No… this can't be! Helios has already fallen! Those fools who peered into the 'Origin' have all been punished long ago…"

"You… who are you? Who are you really? Why do you possess the power of the 'Origin'?!"

Divine Destruction?

Origin?

Creation Power?

And… Him?

Watching the Divine Lord with wide eyes and a ghost-stricken face, Charlotte's heart stirred slightly, faintly realizing that she might have inadvertently drawn close to the most core secrets of the Mythical Era.

However, this was not what she needed to be distracted by at the moment.

Her Divine Power surged, and she lifted her hands once more.

Gently closing her eyes, Divine Technique Counter further activated, and the blood-red Divine Power instantly consumed the Divine Skill Ritual set up around Silver City.

The terrifying oppression kept rising, and the crimson radiance gradually enveloped the sky.

When Charlotte opened her eyes again, illusory chains had reappeared around her, only this time, the chains were red.

Golden-red pupils burned with flames, and one after another, illusory inscriptions surfaced around Charlotte.

Those inscriptions, identical to the ones just used by the Divine Lord, Kulkan, had now been altered at the core, their sequence reversed.

"Seal…"

"Imprison…"

Charlotte softly chanted two cumbersome spells.

The next moment, a golden-red pillar of light soared to the sky, and those red chains, changing direction, flew towards the God of Hatred and Deformation, Adora, and the Divine Lord, Kulkan!

"Divine Technique Counter! This... this is Divine Technique Counter!"

The Divine Lord, Kulkan, showed a horrified face.

He let out a strange cry, instantly bursting out with a Divine Power even stronger than the God of Hatred and Deformation, Adora, then… turned and ran.

Watching Kulkan's instant change of face and escape, the God of Hatred and Deformation, Adora, was stunned, but He quickly came to His senses and also hurriedly unleashed Divine Power to flee far away.

But it was too late.

In order to defeat and seal Charlotte, They had specially prepared a Divine Skill Ritual that even True Gods would find troublesome, not to mention, Adora had specifically lured Charlotte into the most effective range of the Divine Skill Ritual.

What was supposed to be a Divine Skill Ritual against Charlotte, at this moment, after Charlotte's counter, became Their own death warrant!

The crimson glow spread, and the dodecahedron reappeared, but this time, it blocked the retreat of two mythological beings.

Seeing the familiar Divine Skill Ritual, Kulkan's expression drastically changed. He gritted His teeth, let out a furious roar, and His Divine Power erupted again.

Silver radiance twinkled on His forehead, and faintly, one could almost see a nearly formed "Silver Crystal."

"Silver Crystal" glittered, and His body burst out with even stronger Divine Power.

In Charlotte's astonished gaze, the Divine Lord, Kulkan, fiercely collided and actually smashed through the Secret Contract Prisoner.

Cracks spread over the "Silver Crystal," but Kulkan did not stop; He continued to unleash Divine Power, forcibly breaking free from the God-binding Locks entangling Him, then quickly fled…

In the blink of an eye, His figure disappeared.

"Was that… a Divine Position in the process of forming?"

Looking in the direction where the Divine Lord, Kulkan, had fled, Charlotte pondered.

She did not pursue, as the opponent's Divine Skill Ritual only worked around the perimeter of Silver City. Once She broke free, She had no way to confine the opponent with the reversed Divine Skill Ritual.

Moreover, the power that the opponent had just unleashed was far beyond that of the God of Hatred and Deformation, Adora. She was not so arrogant as to believe She could keep Him there.

However…

Although the Divine Lord, Kulkan, had escaped, the other entity, was not so lucky.

Charlotte withdrew Her gaze and looked towards the ground.

There, the God of Hatred and Deformation, Adora, had already been bound by the God-binding Lock, rendering all Divine Power sealed, raging and crashing around within the Secret Contract Prisoner like a wild beast.

However, the Divine Skill Ritual prepared by the Divine Lord was clearly of high quality; no matter how much Adora struggled, He could not escape, with all Divine Power thoroughly restrained.

This one… was already locked up.

Charlotte cast a cold glance towards the God of Hatred and Deformation, Adora, again employed the Blood Divine Power, and using the now reverse-controlled Divine Skill Ritual, She completely sealed His power. Afterward, She quickly went to Lily's side to check on the young girl's condition.