Taking a deep breath of air that seemed not to belong to this world, Gu Mo looked at the black-haired girl who had instinctively stood in front of him, vigilant and guarding him with one hand slightly raised behind her, as soon as they stepped into the Constant Darkness.

There was a strange glint in his eyes, but he reacted just as swiftly, taking a step forward to close the gap and standing directly behind the girl. Then he turned back to see the soldiers who had entered the main gate of the mansion, all with ashen faces, swaying, their expressions becoming listless almost immediately.

They seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

"Don't come in, all of you, get out, and wait outside... Fujikichiro, it's up to you now."

Gu Mo decisively made the decision, issuing orders while signaling to the monkey beside him.

You couldn't blame the soldiers; they were already somewhat exhausted. Even if they did nothing, they needed to rest, eat some provisions, and take a break to recover. After all, they weren't made of iron; they needed to replenish the physical strength and spirit exhausted along the way.

However, they had no time to rest, and now they stepped into the domain of the Demon's Constant Darkness. The laws of the Mortal World's realm were not suited for human existence. So, entering the realm of the Mortal World felt like drowning at sea or a fish out of water.

Energy rapidly drained away in their struggle against it, their bodies grew heavier, breathless and dizzy, nearly unable to think clearly. The suffocating feeling of drowning grew heavier and eventually became overwhelming.

If they did not retreat in time, the enemy wouldn't need to attack; in just a moment, they would all collapse and die.

When physical strength and spirit were depleted, it wouldn't stop there. The Constant Dark Domain would continue to drain their energy, and if both their strength and spirit were already exhausted, the energy drawn would be compensated by draining their life... If it kept on flowing away, even the vastest river would eventually run dry.

Moreover, being mere mortals, their vessels were inherently limited and fragile. Even Gu Mo, with a constitution of 13 points, felt the same. Though he didn't immediately show signs of being overwhelmed, his body still grew heavier, and the effect of the Constant Darkness suppressing his energy was quite evident.

"Quick! Follow me and retreat!"

Fujikichiro reacted quickly. Seeing Gu Mo's actions and signal, he immediately understood and rushed forward to help cover them, shouting loudly to draw the attention of the swaying soldiers to himself.

The monkey knew exactly what to do at this moment, decisively leading the soldiers to retreat from the mansion shrouded in Constant Darkness while they could still move, avoiding being of no help and losing manpower here.

"Alright, they've left, and the monkey will watch over them. Next, let's quickly resolve the Lord of Constant Darkness."

Listening to the clanging of armor and footsteps, the noisy sounds gradually faded away. Gu Mo sighed with relief and then looked towards the black-haired girl ahead.

"?"

Hidechika turned back slightly surprised to look at him. Although she said nothing, her expression was quite understandable.

The phantom of the Other Shore Flower on the floor bloomed and withered rapidly, like a time-lapse video of plants on a science channel sped up manifold. In this nearly black and white world, the beautiful and eerie domain where Demons dwelled, the black-haired girl, with the lower half of her face perpetually covered, had a pair of delicate antlers like a deer's emerging from her forehead.

Like a phantom, the contours were slightly blurred, seeming illusory and unreal, but in this ethereal space, it exuded a faint golden, full-moon-like sacred glow.

—With a sense of mysterious and beautiful danger, and a magical allure that seemed to captivate and hold one's gaze.

Watching this scene, Gu Mo suddenly understood why, in the original path of fate, Hidechika always acted on her own... In this era, Demons and humans inevitably coexisted on this earth—it was an unavoidable issue.

Upon encountering the Demon Ghost or the Constant Darkness, she couldn't conceal her non-human side.

Perhaps she learned to control her Demon bloodline later, but she was already used to acting alone, no longer needing to hide anything.

He had just helped cover for the girl for this reason, and with Fujikichiro's timely response and only a small group of soldiers entering, those behind couldn't see the scene ahead. Those who entered the Constant Darkness immediately felt dizzy and irritable, so no one should have noticed.

Even if one or two people witnessed it, they might doubt their own blurry vision due to their poor state afterward.

—Though exposure wouldn't really be a problem, not with Hidechika's identity and Gu Mo's current status. Even Fujikichiro alone could handle this matter. There's no way some soldiers' gossip could pressure their superiors into a frenzy.

The main concern was not wanting any turmoil within the group. Any internal conflict or soldiers fearing their leader would be a real problem.

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