1063-1072

Chapter 1063: Bloody Death of War

If Ashvril knew what had happened to her most reliable ally, she would have tried to come up with other solutions. But it was a pity that she didn't have the time to care about him anymore. Her priority now was to resolve her own problem that involved life and death.

Swish——!

A shadowy whip lashed out, causing violent ripples in midair. But despite that, it struck the perfect defensive barrier without gaining any results. Mini Bubble Gum spread her arms apart and let out a sneer. The strong barrier enveloping her was more reliable than a tall, thick wall. She clenched her fists and dashed forward like a heavy-duty truck speeding down the highway, unleashing a powerful punch at Ashvril along with mighty winds. Facing this menacing attack, Ashvril knitted her brows and retreated swiftly, tapping lightly on a boulder with her toes and making a 90 degree turn in the air to dodge Mini Bubble Gum's attack. But this didn't mean that she had gotten away from danger as she caught a glimpse of a scarlet radiance from the corner of her eye.

This was the first time Ashvril's expression turned solemn; the prideful smile from earlier had disappeared completely, only to be replaced by fluster and grimness. She laid her arms out before her hurriedly and along with her movements, a pair of shadowy bat wings emerged on her back and wrapped around her entirely like a defensive cocoon.

But at the same time, Canary made her move.

Canary stooped over, her left hand wielding the sheath of the sword coalesced from flames and her right hand held onto its hilt. She took one step forward and raised her right hand to unsheathe the sword. Her movements were so fast that the instant she drew the sword, Ashvril had only turned around and the pair of shadowy, bat wings merely expanded in shape. Before Ashvril knew it, the sword of flames punctured her shadowy, bat wings, while glaring scarlet flames exploded upon impact and blasted Ashvril away like a massive fireball. Despite that, as she was about to crash-land, she quickly turned over and extinguished the flames that were enveloping her instantly. Then, she landed on her feet again lithely.

"Argh, she can't really have 1 million health points, right!?"

"We'll know after fighting on."

Canary responded calmly. Compared to the exasperated Mini Bubble Gum, she was apparently more composed, which she even casually drew a pretty pattern using the tip of her sword. On the other hand, Ashvril was wide-eyed; she was surprised by Mini Bubble Gum's and Canary's performances. Just like Angelina mentioned, the pure royal blood wasn't that easy to manipulate. Back then, Ashvril spent an entire century just controlling this pure royal blood. Angelina was right. Ashvril only had a human body, to begin with, and managed to become a vampire after two different vampire blood from her parents were injected into her. She was innately weak in immunity against the pure royal blood, which was why even if she had taken in the pure royal blood, it didn't mean that she could control it effortlessly like Angelina.

From the start, Ashvril was actually confident of her chances of winning as the pure royal blood could not only allow her to extract the power of other vampires, but it could also let her absorb and transform their magical powers, using them to strengthen herself. Ashvril thought that with her awakening, she could comfortably deal with Mini Bubble Gum and Canary. After all, they were spell casters, a Cleric and Mage respectively. If they cast magic and spiritual spells on her, she could manipulate their attacks and turn the table on them!

But never did Ashvril expect them to be so familiar with the royal vampires' characteristics. Not only were Mini Bubble Gum and Canary cautious in not letting Ashvril contaminate their blood, but they also stopped using their habitual, bombardment spells. After casting the habitual spells in the beginning, they quickly switched their long-range attacks to close-combat. Ashvril was unable to adapt to the situation and she had never seen a Mage and Cleric engaging in close-combat battle before!

But Ashvril had to admit that through this attacking style, the two young ladies became a much larger threat to her. Be it Mini Bubble Gum or Canary, they had high attainments in close-combat tactics. Not only was their coordination in sync, but the elemental flames and iron fists powered by pure, holy energy contained massive strength. It was simply too tough for Ashvril to resist their attacks. What depressed her further was that they also seemed to know that there was a time limit to her awakening! This explained why after Ashvril awakened her powers, not only did they not rush ahead and unleash their attacks quickly, but they also deployed delaying tactics against her, leaving her dejected and popping a vein.

If Ashvril knew that her attacking strategies were already known by everyone on the internet, perhaps she might pop a few more veins.

Perhaps Canary and Mini Bubble Gum could continue dragging the battle, but Ashvril couldn't wait any longer. She attempted to escape, but the barrier that was as thick as a turtle shell cut off her final hopes. There were no other choices left apart from defeating the two young ladies as quickly as possible. As soon as the time limit to her awakening was over, she would be trampled on like a fish on the cutting board. When that happened, she wouldn't have a say on whether she'd be steamed, braised, or stewed.

Ashvril wasn't about to waste anymore time. She grunted, lashing the long whip in her hand that turned into three mysterious, viper-like presences at its end. The three vipers hissed, pouncing on the two young ladies before them as though they were self-conscious. But Mini Bubble Gum neglected their presence entirely as she continued to burst forward like a rampaging tank with its cannon upfront on the battlefield, ignoring all insignificant damage. Facing Ashvril's attack, Mini Bubble Gum snarled and took large steps forward. She clenched her hands into fists, pushing them before her. Along with her actions, another defensive barrier appeared around her hands. Then, she thrust the defensive barrier forward like a forklift that had lost control, flattening every obstacle before it.

Ashvril's attack was no exception. The ice-cold, venomous, dark vipers of death instantly melted to the incomparable holy strength as soon as they collided with the barrier. Before Ashvril retracted her arm, a red flare had enveloped her as Canary's sword had arrived in the blink of an eye. Once again, the unmatched power of flames that could roast the entire world blasted at Ashvril.

"You're asking for death!"

Facing this combined attack, Ashvril snarled in rage. She raised her arms, coalescing all her power, attempting to teach the two scoundrels an unforgettable lesson about who she was and the consequences of treating her this way!

The power inside her gathered, abstracting the most essential and destructive presence within. They turned into several long whips that lashed in all directions, forcing Canary and Mini Bubble Gum into defensive stances. Just a while more and Ashvril could coalesce the purest form of energy and destroy everything...

But this was the end.

All of a sudden, the power inside her ran wild, scattering to all parts of her body uncontrollably. Ashvril shuddered as she sensed her power declining, disappearing, and returning to peace under the influence of a certain external factor.

What?! Who is it!?

Ashvril couldn't consider this question anymore. She retreated quickly to evade the blade strike from Canary, which almost took her life. But before Ashvril readied herself again, a piercing pain had punctured her body from the back. Ashvril lowered her head and witnessed a scarlet, razor-sharp blade of a massive sickle penetrating out of her slender, alluring body, destroying this beautiful presence cruelly.

At this moment, she heard Angelina's voice.

"Awakening the royal blood was your most foolish decision..."

"Angelina!"

Upon hearing Angelina's voice, Ashvril gnashed her teeth and snarled fumingly. She finally understood why she couldn't control her power at that very instant. Even though it was Ashvril's power, from a certain degree, she was also considered part of the royal vampires after her awakening. Moreover, as a royal vampire, Angelina was ranked higher than Ashvril! If it were before Ashvril's awakening, Angelina surely wouldn't have been able to affect her actions. But now, although Angelina couldn't control Ashvril's every movement, she could still influence and manipulate the flow of power inside her!

"The noble and sacred power doesn't belong to you, you mixed-breed wh*re! Today, I will make you pay for all that you have done!"

Chapter 1064: Punishment

"No...!"

Ashvril screamed, struggling to break free from Angelina. However, it was too late as Canary's and Mini Bubble Gum's attacks arrived before her. At the very next moment, the incomparable holy power and flames plunged into Ashvril's body. The Blood Countess who had lost all strength finally gave in to this powerful attack and let out a high-pitched mourn. But this wasn't the end. Angelina turned the sickle around and withdrew it from Ashvril's body. The Blood Countess lost her balance and crashed to the ground. She lifted her head, gnashed her teeth, and glared at Angelina. Angelina stared back at her prey.

"Y-You..."

"Mixed-breeds will always be mixed-breeds. Now, I will make you pay for your blasphemy, you shameless slut! How dare you use your lowly body to stain the noble and sacred blood of the Babylonians! It is time for your punishment!"

Angelina snarled and extended her arm to grab Ashvril's collar and pulled her up from the ground. Ashvril's expression became twisted, her blood-shot eyes filled with murderous intent. She snapped her jaws open, roaring at Angelina like a wild animal. But despite that, Angelina disregarded her completely. She gnashed her teeth and glared at Ashvril.

"First punishment, for your profanity and arrogance!"

Angelina yelled, extending her left arm forward. Shortly after, her fingers were covered by a layer of thick and solid white bones. Then, she placed her hand into Ashvril's mouth, grabbed tightly with her fingers, and tugged!

"Ah———!"

Ashvril let out a mournful, ear-deafening scream and shuddered. Angelina lifted her left arm high and in her fingers were two extremely sharp canines forcefully plucked from Ashvril's gum. The bloody roots of the canines trembled constantly in Angelina's hand. Looking at this scene, Canary knitted her brows silently. On the other hand, Mini Bubble Gum's eyes glinted in excitement as she hopped about on the side. She must have been an enthusiast for B movies.

"I, in the name of the honorable Babylonians, seize your right to suck blood and strip your identity as a vampire!"

"Second punishment, for your greed, rudeness, and foolishness!"

The scarlet sickle in Angelina's hands transformed, turning into a flower with layers upon layers of steel blades. Ashvril looked at the lethal weapon and this was the first time she revealed such a terrified expression. On the other hand, Angelina revealed a twisted smile to her reaction and extended her arm forward. Along with her action, the scarlet, bloody flower in her hand wrapped Ashvril from the back entirely. Ashvril couldn't take it anymore. She screamed in rage.

"How dare you! I'm Ashvril, I'm..."

"You're only a mixed-breed as lowly as a bedbug. Why? Do you think I don't know the royal punishment for traitors? I have been thinking of the day when I can finally give you the most torturous agony! I shall let you suffer the consequences for violating and defying the royal family!"

Angelina yelled, extended two fingers on her right hand, and punctured Ashvril's eyes mercilessly. Along with the blood-curdling screech from Ashvril, Angelina bent her fingers and dug out her eyeballs from the eye sockets. Angelina opened her palms and stared at the eyeballs. The eyeballs soaked in blood were seemingly self-conscious, swirling constantly to break free from Angelina's restraint. However, it was just meaningless.

"I, in the name of the Babylonians, seize your right to see and strip your honor as a vampire!"

As Angelina roared, she clenched her right hand and popped! The pair of eyeballs was squashed completely. Ashvril let out a frantic scream as thick streams of blood gushed out of her eye sockets. Witnessing this scene, Mini Bubble Gum raised her arms and cheered in excitement like someone in the marketplace watching someone who was about to jump off the building. This was just one deep-rooted, bad habit of humans...

"Third punishment, for your rage, plundering, and disrespect, offending your superior!" Angelina said, taking two steps back. She narrowed her eyes and gazed at Ashvril. The corners of her mouth perked up into a sinister and thrilled smile.

"This is your final punishment, Ashvril. You should know what it is."

"No...! You can't! You can't do that!"

Upon hearing Angelina's words, Ashvril seemed to recall something. All of a sudden, she struggled frantically, attempting to break free from the large, blood-colored flower that was restricting her movements. But after the continuous attacks from Angelina, Canary, and Mini Bubble Gum before, the powerless Ashvril could no longer make any threatening moves. It was apparent that Angelina couldn't be bothered with her meaningless actions. She stretched out her arm and snapped her fingers.

Shing!

The razor-sharp blades of the flower wrapping around Ashvril punctured into her. After a few moments, the flower bloomed and opened up, revealing Ashvril's determined fate. Her skin was forcefully stripped off her body like banana peels. The beautiful, alluring body was turned into a nightmarish human specimen in the blink of an eye, exposing the bloody, revolting flesh under the fair, smooth skin. Mini Bubble Gum shrieked in exhilaration as though it were the climax of the movie, while Canary let out a rare sigh and shook her head.

Ashvril's screams were hysterical, but Angelina had no intention of stopping. The latter squinted in satisfaction at the pitiful plight of the former, her eyes glinting in indescribable contentment and excitement. Shortly after, she began the final step.

"This is the final punishment for resisting the royals: you shall be punctured to death by blades and turned to ashes by the rising sun!"

"————!"

Ashvril's screams turned into ear-piercing groans like the howls of despair from a lonely wolf at the edge of a cliff. The surrounding trees also shook in her screams. Angelina was completely unmoved. She raised her arms and lifted her head to gaze at the sky. At this moment, dawn was almost here and the night sky would soon make way for the sun from the other side of the horizon.

At this moment, an extremely sharp column like a 'stake' burst out from the ground, piercing from between Ashvril's legs and into her body, emerging from the top of her skull. Then, the bloodied 'stake' grew taller along with Ashvril's body and stopped after several meters in midair. At this moment, the first ray of golden sunlight from the horizon emerged, illuminating the world around them, as well as the appalling body of Ashvril.

"Ahhh!"

Along with the blood-curdling screams, Ashvril's body started burning from the outside. Shortly after, the flames consumed her entirety. She shuddered meaninglessly as the 'stake' that had punctured her body executed its master's command. No matter how hard Ashvril grappled, the stake wouldn't budge at all. Then, Ashvril's body started changing. Her limbs became pitch-black like scorched firewood, before slowly dissipating and turning into black dust drifting into the air. Her screams turned softer and weaker. Her limbs finally disappeared. Her body and skull became as black as coke. But to Angelina, this wasn't the end. She extended her right arm and pointed straight at Ashvril's remains. Her eyes glinted and the bloodied sickle that vanished earlier once again appeared in her hand.

"Resonance of the soul! The soul that betrayed the royals will forever not rest! She will suffer unimaginable pain in eternal purgatory!"

"———!"

Along with Angelina's actions, a fuzzy, shadow-like soul was extracted from the scorched body by an unknown force, trembling violently as though resisting. However, Angelina flourished the sickle without hesitation and the soul screeched, before being absorbed into the sickle entirely. As the soul vanished, the remains under the daylight shattered and disappeared completely.

Angelina lowered her head and stared at the sickle in her hand where there was an indistinct, mourning face flickering from time to time, eventually vanishing. Angelina let out a snort, before turning her hand around and putting the sickle away.

At this moment, the bright radiance of the sun had infiltrated the night sky completely.

Night was over and it was the start of a new day.

Chapter 1065: Crazy Threat

"I didn't expect you to do it; we always thought you are a reasonable person, Your Majesty Rhode."

Siena spoke, gazing at Rhode grimly. Rhode had no intention of covering up the earlier battle. Moreover, the impact of the battle was extremely huge. Alice and Balende were formidable beings in the realm of Order. The battle between them almost shook the Order in the entire continent. It would be ridiculous if Siena and Nalea didn't realize it happened. It was due to this reason that they actually left the Country of Law and arrived in Grandia to discuss this matter with Rhode.

But even so, Rhode had no intention of holding back.

"So? That bast*rd, Ion, sent two of his men to cause trouble in my turf. Do you think I would let him do whatever he wants?" Rhode said, spreading his arms apart and knitting his brows to scrutinize Siena. Siena's expression changed slightly as she continued to speak: "Indeed, we are not against the battle. But Your Majesty Rhode, it has been years since the Creator Dragons' dependents fought and died in a battle... The consequences of you doing this may be very, very serious. Perhaps you are unaware of the seriousness of this matter?"

"Back then, did you two say the same thing to the Light Dragon when Charlie lost all hope in the parliament and fled to the Country of Darkness?" Rhode glared at Siena. "I thought the Country of Law was always in a neutral standpoint. But it seems like I may be wrong."

"Your doings may lead to a war, and that isn't a smart decision."

Upon hearing Rhode's words, Siena kept her cool and said helplessly. But Rhode gave a snort of contempt to her explanation.

"You should have told Ion this when he invaded the Country of Light and not me right now, Your Majesty Siena. Besides, I think you shouldn't be here now. Perhaps you can go for a walk in the Country of Darkness after this?" Rhode stared into her eyes without any intention of shifting away his gaze. Upon hearing his criticism, Siena's expression finally changed. She understood that Rhode was criticizing them for being bullies who picked soft targets. If they were truly neutral in their standpoint, they should have gone to the Country of Darkness and accused Ion for his provocation instead and not blame Rhode for his over-defense. But Siena let out a sigh, before providing an explanation quickly.

"Big Sister Nalea has been to the Country of Darkness and of course, we've also spoken to His Majesty Ion about his actions."

"You spoke to him about his actions but chose to give me a warning? Your Majesty Siena, do you really think that just because my Void Territory isn't considered a country, we're a pushover?"

"I don't mean it that way, Your Majesty Rhode."

This time, Siena couldn't tolerate it anymore.

"I just hope that you can give it some consideration. Currently, you are unable to defeat the Country of Darkness even if the Void Territory and Country of Light joined forces. If a war were to break out..."

"So what?"

"Huh?"

Perhaps Rhode's tone sounded too relaxed, it surprised Siena instead. She lifted her head dubiously, seemingly unable to understand what he meant. Facing her suspicious gaze, Rhode spread his arms apart and shrugged casually.

"Indeed, almost all of the worthless trash in the Country of Light was killed and the Void Territory hasn't started developing. But so what? Does that mean we should allow the Country of Darkness to send out millions of undead creatures to trample on every corner of the Void Territory and Country of Light and massacre every single human? Even if there is no one left in my territory, I will still be able to take the Dark Dragon's head and hang it up on the wall of my study room for admiration. So what if all my people die, Your Majesty Siena? I protected them, gave them land and food because I needed them to fight for me. The place where the tip of my sword points is where they should lift their weapons and attack, be it demons, devils, undead creatures, or whatnot. Isn't that the reason why I'm raising them? If not, why must I pain myself by staying in Grandia all day, considering health issues, taxes, food, education, and land-distribution for them? Do you think I have nothing better to do? I protect them and they fight and die for me. I don't see any problem with that."

"But war will possibly lead to the infiltration of Chaos..."

"Chaos has already invaded. Besides, if I recall correctly, we're not the ones who started that damn war! Also, I hope you won't forget who chased those bast*rds back home; it isn't the job of the Country of Darkness to do it. Alright then, even though I admit that the moon princess contributed to a certain extent, apart from that I don't see what that bast*rd, Ion, has done for Order! Your Highness Siena, you may have forgotten, but do you remember why he sent out his armies to attack the Country of Light back then?"

Rhode smacked the table and interrupted Siena's words. He stared at her and his expressionless face gradually revealed a youthful and dazzling smile.

"He taunted and I retaliated; it was that simple. If he dares to send out his armies now, I shall attack straight into the capital of darkness. I do want to see what the Country of Darkness has in store for me after I kill the Dark Dragon and his four legendary generals. Your Majesty Siena, please remember this: I don't want to speak reason with you because you didn't come here to speak reason with me either. You want me to think for the bigger picture? Fine. I need you to please kill off the most unstable factor; after that, there will be many more things for us to discuss," Rhode said and all of a sudden, he narrowed his eyes and his smile grew wider. "Oh, by the way, it would be impolite of me to not return kindness. Perhaps one day, I shall send some of my men for sightseeing in the Country of Darkness. When that day comes, I hope we will receive warm hospitality from His Majesty Ion. Besides, I hope you still remember who the territory the Country of Darkness is occupying initially belonged to."

***

The situation has reached a critical stage.

Erin put the intelligence away palely. Ashvril, one of the four legendary generals, had died, while Balende survived and made his way back after losing an arm. This news had spread throughout the entire Country of Darkness and the death knights were requesting to seek revenge for Balende. On the other hand, the vampires broke out in a chaotic internal strife. After Ashvril's death, her plan to 'suppress the ancient, noble families and boost the new families' was gone entirely. At this moment, the conflicts between the vampires reached a climax. The noble families who had tolerated this for years brought about changes to themselves. The new noble families who had a sweet taste of success gnashed their teeth and fought desperately to retain them. Erin heard news of vampire families vanishing everyday and the frequently ignited sparks also proved the truth.

The Country of Darkness entered an unprecedented chaos.

Erin understood the reasons behind it since the Country of Darkness was established for years and none of the four legendary generals were 'sacrificed' this way. Moreover, this wasn't even considered a war yet. At this thought, Erin became worried, just like when Balende came to speak to her about the Void Territory back then. But now, her worries came true and it calmed her down. At the very least, Balende made it back alive. Even though he had lost an arm, he still survived, after all. This comforted her a little. If Balende died in the battle, she was sure that the undead armies would invade the Void Territory even without Ion's orders. When that happened, it would be an all-out war. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn't happen as Balende returned to the Country of Darkness and overruled his subordinates' proposal to seek revenge on the Void Territory.

If not, the situation would have been harder to handle.

Despite it wasn't anywhere better now, that is.

The result of this ambush stunned the other two legendary generals. They weren't surprised that Ashvril died as she was the weakest among them and it was also calculated since she had lost her main weapon. What they were baffled about was that Balende didn't make it back in one piece. Unlike Ashvril, in terms of battle strength, Balende was the strongest among the four of them. Charlie couldn't defeat Balende, not to mention Garcia. Balende was known as the most powerful being in the Country of Darkness, second to the Dark Dragon, and no one expected him to be bashed up so pathetically. This was truly unexpected.

But Balende considered himself lucky to make it back alive. During his battle against Alice, he spent a Herculean effort to create a spatial passageway to escape. But he didn't expect Alice to react so quickly as to seal off his retreat the instant the spatial passageway was formed. If Balende didn't decisively use his arm to defend against Alice and escape at the same time, perhaps Erin would be mourning for two now.

"Sigh..."

Erin held her forehead, feeling the throbbing headaches. She could imagine what reaction her big brother would have once he heard this news. It was a reaction she dreaded to see.

But now, all she could do was pray and wait.

Chapter 1066: Temporary Silence

Siena gazed at Nalea helplessly. Even though her big sister was smiling, there was a noticeable worry in her eyes. Siena had a bad hunch when she realized the clash between both sides back then. But after speaking to Rhode, she noticed this emotion becoming much stronger. It was apparent that Rhode grasped the traits of the Creator Dragons—they were too powerful as high-end forces. It was especially so after one reached the caliber of the Creator Dragons, where not even millions of troops would be effective against them. In the end, it would still be a clash between the Creator Dragons. But this didn't fit the mutual understanding and agreement between them. Although they once fought in the Creation War, that was more like a 'game' to fight over territories, while the soldiers were more like pieces occupying areas in a game of chess. That was a mutual understanding and also the rules of the game.

But Rhode was entirely different. He wasn't interested in such games. All in all, as long as one attacked him, he would flip over the chessboard and punch one without hesitation. But this way, it would shake Order in the entire continent, which the twin dragons were worried about. Fortunately, the news from Nalea was considered relatively peaceful. The Dark Dragon wasn't that furious to immediately send out armies into the Void Territory. If that happened, Rhode would welcome his troops with his magic warships when they reached his border and directly attack the capital of darkness. If that happened, the twin dragons could only helplessly see who would become the final victor. But losing one of the Creator Dragons wasn't in their interest. But now...

"Big Sister, why didn't you discuss it with me beforehand?"

"Huh? I remember talking to you about it, Siena?"

Nalea stuffed a cookie into her mouth while blinking in surprise at Siena.

"Ensure the stability of the continent at all costs; isn't that what we agreed?"

"... So that is why you told His Majesty Ion that we may stand on the Void Territory's side?"

Siena held her forehead and let out a helpless sigh. She was starting to wonder if it was a smart idea to let Nalea speak to the Dark Dragon. On the contrary, Nalea seemed satisfied with her work as she blinked her large eyes and lifted her head proudly.

"Huh? But isn't that good? You see, Siena, Little Ion has no intention of sending out his armies now, isn't it?"

Of course he isn't...

Siena was speechless upon hearing her big sister's reply. If Nalea told Ion that the Country of Law might support the Void Territory, the Country of Darkness would be facing four Creator Dragons at once, which was something that Ion dreaded. If he chose to risk such circumstances, it would simply be a foolish and crazy decision. But this didn't assure Siena. Instead, it made her even more worried. Ion had an unyielding personality. In this case, perhaps he might stand back for now, but they knew he definitely wouldn't be able to accept this humiliation. If this continued, no one knew what would happen exactly. After all, apart from the Void Dragon, the Light Dragon had also regained her strength. In this situation, even the Dark Dragon might have a hard time facing the combined attacks of the Void Dragon and Light Dragon. Based on Siena's understanding of Rhode, she knew that he wasn't one who swore by a fair fight.

As a matter of act, Siena's worries weren't unreasonable.

"Hmph!"

Ion slammed the table with an ashen complexion. He glared ahead grimly. Even though he didn't express that he would be attacking the Void Territory in front of Nalea, this was the first time he felt so frustrated. He had never met such a situation before; Ashvril died in battle while Balende suffered grave injuries. This punishment and painful mistake was a first for him and even made him forget about cleaning up the mess with the vampires. As of now, he was most focused on the sense of failure growing deep inside him now.

He had a similar experience in the past when he was obstructed during his invasion to the Munn Kingdom. He had a vague feeling of anxiousness back then. But he didn't take it to heart and had even thought that it was just an accident. However, this time, he was unable to restrain his anger to this setback. The continuous failures left a deep impression of the Void Dragon in his head. Not only was the Void Dragon powerful enough to go against him, but he was also courageous enough. But... Ion didn't believe that the Void Dragon was capable of defeating him.

This happened because I underestimated him.

Ion calmed himself down, reflected on his shortcomings, and came to this conclusion. Erin did report to him about the existing forces of the Void Territory earlier on, but he didn't take her words to heart. It seemed like he was indeed negligent.

"Big Brother?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Ion lifted his head, gazed at his younger sister, and gestured. Upon seeing his hand gesture, Erin bowed respectfully before taking a seat opposite him. Facing his younger sister, Ion remained in silence for a few moments, before eventually speaking.

"I'm sure you're aware of the current situation."

"Yes, Big Brother." Erin responded, nodding in affirmation. But she couldn't understand why Ion asked her this question. On the other hand, Ion also didn't seem to have the intention to explain further. He simply looked at her and continued saying: "So then, what are your thoughts?"

"Huh?"

Erin shrieked in surprise. She never thought that Ion would personally ask her this question. Although this question sounded really normal, Erin was aware that Ion would never ask for her opinion! That was because he didn't want her to intervene with national affairs. But now, it seemed like Ion had broken the taboo?

Could it be that the 'agitation therapy' worked?

Erin couldn't help but feel somewhat agitated at this thought. Even though she considered the possibilities of her big brother making more pragmatic decisions after receiving news of failure, she wasn't too hopeful as this matter had huge implications, after all. Besides, Ion was unrepentant for past setbacks, which was why she wasn't too confident of it working. But now, Ion actually asked for her opinion, which surprised her greatly. Fortunately, Erin returned to her senses quickly.

Isn't this a godsend of an opportunity?!

Erin pulled herself together at this thought. She let out a cough, at the same time thinking of a way to answer her big brother's question. This was a great opportunity, but it might turn into a disaster if she messed it up. All she could do now was to grasp this chance and not agitate him while giving him advice. If Ion mistook her advice as her looking down upon him, he might take even more extreme measures against Rhode.

"Big Brother, I think the main priority now is to appease the internal strife in the Country of Darkness, especially the conflict among vampires. I heard the struggles between vampires have grown and have also implicated the liches and undeads. If this continues, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Even though everyone fought for the Dark Dragon, fighting and scheming against each other was always a huge problem between the undead creatures. Now that Ashvril was no longer around, the balance collapsed. The clashes between the vampire forces dragged several undead creatures in as well, where even great liches and death knights were also involved. If this continued, only God knew what would happen.

"As for the Void Territory..."

Erin spoke with extreme caution and consideration.

"Big Brother, if you agree, I can explain to His Majesty Rhode that this is only a small 'accident'. As long as we reach a mutual agreement, there shouldn't be any more problems arising from His Majesty Rhode's side because the Void Territory is currently still in the developmental stages. If it is possible, I'm sure His Majesty Rhode also doesn't wish to go up against the Country of Darkness."

That was how diplomatic affairs worked. No matter the truth, the skill to flout reality must be maxed out. Although both sides clearly knew that this wasn't an accident, it would be sufficient if they could reach an agreement that the incident was only a random 'accident'. As for the truth in private, it was an entirely different matter.

"Of course, it may require some giving-in to reach the agreement. But I think that if we seem sincere enough, His Majesty Rhode will also respond back to us with sincerity."

Erin processed every word in her head cautiously before speaking to her Big Brother, in order to avoid agitating him. She understood Rhode well enough to know that he wouldn't make things difficult for the Country of Darkness based on this incident. Moreover, he was considered to be the benefiting side now. Even though the Country of Darkness had indeed offended the Void Territory, the Country of Darkness had also lost Ashvril while Rhode didn't lose a single strand of hair. This proved that there was space for negotiation. If there were fatal injuries or deaths to the Country of Darkness and Void Territory, there would be no room for negotiations. And now... there was more or less some room for it.

"Got it."

After hearing Erin's words, Ion pondered in silence for a few moments and said. Then, he stood up and gazed at Erin.

"Alright then, I'll leave this matter to you. Don't disappoint me."

"Yes, Big Brother."

Erin stood up and accepted the order quickly. At the same time, she let out a long sigh of relief in her mind...

It seems like things have finally turned around.

I will need to rely on myself next.

Chapter 1067: Corresponding Illusion

After Rhode said his piece to Siena, he was no longer concerned about the Country of Darkness. If the Country of Darkness chose to disobediently send armies to cause him trouble, he could simply lead the magic warships from the rear to wipe out Ion and the capital of darkness. Anyway, this wasn't his first time killing the Dark Dragon.

But this didn't mean that Rhode had nothing to do now because at this moment, he finally received news regarding the Deity Warden, Cassidy.

"Are you sure, Gillian?"

"Yes, Master."

Upon hearing Rhode's question, Gillian swayed her fluffy tail proudly, turned around with a smile, and gestured to Sara. Upon witnessing her hand gesture, Sara stretched her arm out and touched the Projection Crystal gently. Shortly after, the crystal projected a screen in front of Rhode, displaying what seemed to be a vast desert with spiraling sand and dust. Rhode gazed with twitched brows and Gillian seized the opportune moment and spoke.

"Just two days ago, we received a report from the merchants by the port. They said the weather above the northeast trade route has been acting strangely. It is late autumn now and yet, there is snow everywhere. That is why I got Sara to investigate," Gillian said, and as though coordinating with her words, Sara moved her hands and the blazing desert turned into a white, ice-cold snow plain. Judging from the frost covering the branches and snow fluttering in the air, it looked like a northern scenery with thousands of miles of snow. Looking at the projection, Rhode puckered his brows. As though guessing his thoughts, Gillian chuckled and continued. "This is what happened before and this is what we detected..."

Along with Gillian's words, the snowy scenery vanished completely, only to be replaced by the scorching desert and sand storm that Rhode saw earlier. After ensuring that Rhode figured out the situation, Gillian shrugged and spread her arms apart.

"In a short span of time, the same region experienced extreme changes to the environment. If this isn't one of your works, there is only another explanation. I've also asked Miss Marlene and Miss Alice; they confirmed that they sense Cassidy's presence in that region, just that they can't pinpoint her specific location. In other words..."

"I need to head there personally?"

Rhode crossed his arms and continued Gillian's words. On the other hand, Gillian narrowed her eyes and nodded slightly.

"Master, take this as my personal warning: I suggest that you don't summon the card spirits into battle this time. I guess you wouldn't want your loyal spirits to turn into members of the opposition party, right? If that happens, they will be harder to deal with."

"Got it."

Rhode nodded to Gillian's words. Cassidy's contrasting ability was too dangerous. Everything would be contrasted, including loyalty and betrayal. Perhaps this was the reason why Gillian suggested that he shouldn't bring others along because it would be a huge loss if he were to lose his subordinates during the battle against Cassidy. Moreover... even Rhode would have a hard time dealing with this ability. This would be the first time Rhode battled against someone as powerful as a Deity Warden. In the game, the six Deity Wardens were always missing. Of course, Rhode was sure that even if he were to create the six Deity Wardens, perhaps players would still treat them as fraud. A Deity Warden like Alice and Marlene could easily destroy top teams of elites, not to mention Christie. According to Alice, Cassidy's battle strength was second to Christie. In this case, Rhode found the success rate in dealing with Cassidy rashly unimaginable.

If it were under normal circumstances, Rhode would prefer to gather more information and only launch his attack after confirming her nature and attacking style. But now, he didn't have the time to slowly consider. The reason was simple. Currently, Cassidy was roaming about freely and if she were to show up at a certain gathering place or leave the Void Territory for the Country of Light, Munn Kingdom, or Country of Darkness, she would cause much more problems for him. Also, the Projection Crystal was only effective within the Void Territory. If not, Rhode would have used it to peep at Lydia's bath times.

"Is there a way to monitor her movements?"

"No, Master. The projections of that area are all distorted. It could also be said that we didn't receive any useful intelligence..." Gillian said, spreading her arms apart and curling her lips. "So that is why we can only rely on you to search for her, Master."

"Alright then, it seems like I will need to look for it myself."

Upon hearing Gillian's answer, Rhode sighed helplessly. Even though he wasn't willing to, he had to do it personally in order to resolve this issue. Fortunately, according to Marlene and Alice, Cassidy was only a soul fragment now. Although she was the core of that soul fragment, she wasn't in perfect condition, after all. Apart from instinctively using her power of contrast to protect herself, she didn't possess other skills and this reassured Rhode. Even though she was still able to use the power of contrast, it was still much better than him facing some mysterious and unknown techniques.

But when Rhode arrived at the destination and witnessed this freakish scene, he felt his heart pounding. Unsure if it was due to Cassidy sensing Rhode's arrival, the scorching desert in the Projection Crystal that he saw earlier vanished entirely, only to be replaced by the scenery of spring. The fresh blades of grass and tender seedlings were full of life and vitality. The enchanted air was so strong that it could leave one indulged. It was as though the breath of life took shape into a physical presence, singing, dancing, and flying around him to express the blissfulness and vigor of life.

Is this the place?

Rhode turned northward, but there seemed to be nothing. But despite that, he felt a familiar and faint aura emerging silently as though someone was hidden somewhere and peeping on him. At this moment, his younger sister's gentle voice sounded in his ears.

"Oh-no-no, Cassidy went into hiding again. It seems like her personality didn't change at all, be it her soul fragment or original self."

"Her personality?"

"Yes, Big Brother. You've heard from Alice, right? In terms of strength, Cassidy is the second strongest among the six Deity Wardens. But in terms of personality, she is like a shy little sister who clings to people. She used to linger around my original self and basically never left home. But she will still bite when she's feeling anxious."

"... Was she born in the year of the rabbit? Come to think of it, her personality doesn't really suit being a Deity Warden, does it?"

Upon hearing his younger sister's answer, Rhode felt somewhat outrageous. According to his initial impression of the six Deity Wardens, they were the last guardians of Order. Be it the other 'Christie', Marlene, or Alice, all of them suited the image of Deity Warden in his mind. But according to his younger sister, he could only imagine Cassidy to be a shy, obsequious, and reserved little girl.

Would someone like her be alright as a Deity Warden?

"Yes... you're right. But from what I remember, the intention of my original self in creating Cassidy was to relax the overly-strict Deity Wardens and put smiles to their always-grim faces."

"... In other words?"

"According to a description from your world, back then, my original self created Cassidy to 'act cute'."

... Will everything be alright with this Creator Dragon?

"But Big Brother, you still have to be careful. I need to warn you that Cassidy's power of contrast is not only useful on others, but also effective on herself too. This is also why my original self wasn't worried about creating her as an 'act cute' specialist."

I see.

Rhode nodded slightly. Of course, he understood what his younger sister meant. Cassidy was a reserved, timid, and shy Deity Warden. It was imaginable what she would become after using her ability on herself. It seemed like this Creator Dragon was indeed the Creator Dragon and Rhode's impression of her that was slightly twisted finally returned to normal. But to him, this wasn't good news.

This is the place.

As Rhode considered and headed toward the scent, all of a sudden, he felt an ice-cold gust of wind. The lively atmosphere instantly vanished. In the blink of an eye, trees withered and a long stretch of fresh, green grass disappeared. The land also dried up and fissured, while the air switched from between chilliness and an aura of death. The bone-piercing cold and lifeless aura was so strong that one couldn't resist as though it came from the world of death. In an instant, heaven and hell swapped places without giving one time to adapt. It felt as though a warm, comfortable room was instantly thrown into a stone-cold icehouse. At this moment, the person Rhode was looking for finally showed up before him.

Chapter 1068: Cassidy

Contrast Deity Warden, Cassidy.

Even though Rhode tried to imagine how Cassidy looked several times now, he was speechless after seeing her with his own eyes. She seemed like a decent-looking young lady with a beautiful, delicate face and a healthy and slightly-tanned skin tone. Her silver-whitish hair extended to her waist, while the pure, white leather armor accentuated her slim, curvy figure. What was most attractive about her was the large sword on her back. Instead of treating it as a sword, one might as well say that it was a rectangular iron plate. Not only did it not have a typical sharp blade, but it also lacked the arc of a sword. No matter how one looked at it, it was like an iron plate cast on the hilt of a longsword.

But Rhode didn't dare to belittle this sword that didn't look like one. After witnessing Christie's 'feather pen' and Alice's 'book', he had a deep understanding of the dangers of the mysterious weapons the Deity Wardens possessed.

Although Cassidy seemed similar to the other Deity Wardens... her qualities were totally different from theirs. Be it the other 'Christie', Marlene, or Alice, no matter how different their personalities were, they fit being superiors. Christie's steadiness, Marlene's indifference in the past and current arrogance, and Alice's imposing manner overlooking all things fit the traits of the Creator Dragons' dependents. But now, Rhode didn't feel as though he had met a Deity Warden when he saw Cassidy. How should he put it... Gazing at her, he felt complicated. Although she seemed like a valiant and formidable-looking young lady in appearance, he felt like she was a lion trying to be a hamster accompanied by her timid manner. It was full of contradictions!

"W-Who are you? What are you trying to do?! I-I don't know you! Stay away!"

Crossing her arms and staring in uncertainty at Rhode, Cassidy yelled timidly. Looking at this scene, Rhode didn't know what to say. He did foresee how he should interact with her, but was completely speechless after looking at this young lady with the words 'I'm afraid; don't bully me' written on her face.

Back then when you created her for her adorableness, were you sure everything would be fine?

"... Are you Cassidy?"

Rhode pondered in silence, before letting out a cough and asked. Upon hearing his words, Cassidy trembled, taking two steps back quickly like a little girl who wandered into an alley at midnight and a gangster with a villainous smile blocked her exit... Rhode didn't like this metaphor a single bit.

"W-Who are you? How do you know me? I don't know you... stay away!"

"I'm Rhode, the current Void Dragon."

Even though Rhode felt downhearted, he was fortunate that his emotionless face became his best disguise for this moment as Cassidy didn't see his emotions through his face. But to Rhode, this wasn't the important thing. He adjusted his mood before responding to her.

"... And you should know why I came here, right, Miss Cassidy?"

"Big Sister?"

Cassidy heard his words and peered out curiously, gazing cautiously at him. Then, she jumped back abruptly like a frightened rabbit, pulling a distance away from the young man. Upon seeing her reaction, Rhode let out a helpless sigh. But before he continued to speak, Cassidy interrupted.

"You're not Big Sister! Yes... even though I feel Big Sister's presence... and you indeed look like her... you're still not her! Don't try to fool my eyes! You're trying to trick me! I won't be that stupid to be tricked by you! You baddie! What are you trying to do? Let me tell you, I'm very powerful! Anger me and I will kill you!"

Cassidy yelled and as though proving her words, she clenched and flourished her tiny fists to threaten Rhode. However, in Rhode's eyes, this seemed just like a hopeless retaliation from a hamster against its sworn enemy. Judging from her reaction, Rhode let out a helpless sigh and shook his head. At this moment in his mind, the image of at least one of the six, mighty Deity Wardens was tarnished.

The battle strength of this mascot is actually ranked second? It seems like the future of the six Deity Wardens is bleak. Come to think of it, don't Alice and the rest feel stressed having her as one of their companions?

"I'm indeed the current Void Dragon, Cassidy. If you don't believe me, you can confirm it yourself. Besides, currently Christie, Marlene, and Alice are also around. If you're willing..."

"Christie?"

Cassidy muttered under her breath and pondered for a few moments. Then, she lifted her head and gazed attentively at him. "No, I don't believe you! Where's Big Sister? Where did Her Majesty go? Why is it you? I can sense the power of the Void Dragon, but it doesn't belong to you. That is Big Sister's power! You're a baddie. You stole Big Sister's power and are trying to capture me now?... I will not let you have your way! Yes, you're not Big Sister. You're not Big Sister. You're an enemy. You must be an enemy. You must be... Enemies must be removed. Enemies must be defeated. Protect Big Sister. Protect the Void Dragon..." Cassidy said.

Her expression gradually changed. On the other hand, Rhode narrowed his eyes and observed her because at this moment, he felt a sudden burst of imposing presence exuding from her that was entirely different from before. If Cassidy was a hamster before, she was now a cheetah baring fangs and brandishing claws. Her fearful expression vanished in the blink of an eye, turning into a solemn, furious, and indifferent look. She extended her arm and the iron sword on her back flew into her hand by itself. Then, she raised the iron sword and stared at Rhode.

Her eyes were stern and ice-cold, exuding a pressurizing aggression. At the same time, her gaze became chaotic, indistinct, and shattered, filled with indescribable tyranny. The sudden changes in her left Rhode in incomparable astonishment because this Cassidy who stood before him was totally different from the harmless rabbit a few moments ago. Right now, she had taken off the rabbit's coat and put on the ferocious qualities of a wild beast. The fearsome aggression was so cold and powerful that Rhode felt it blowing against him in the wind. But this wasn't all; along with her movements and words, the space around her transformed once again. But this time, the transformations were more frequent with various contrasting sceneries appearing and disappearing at the same time. Rhode felt a massive energy erupting from her.

Looking at this scene, Rhode felt like the situation was getting more troublesome. He took two steps back slightly and pressed his hand against the hilt on his waist. Then, he tilted his head slightly to communicate with the person in his head.

"I can't get through to her. How about you come up with a way to make her calm down? From our conversation, she seems to like you a lot, so is it possible for you to do the talking and convince her? If this goes on, the situation will be terrible."

Rhode asked. But his younger sister let out a helpless sigh and denied.

"I'm sorry, Big Brother. Right now, Cassidy is behaving solely out of instinct and words can't get through to her. Even if I were to do it, I can't possibly convince her. There is only one solution; you must defeat her and seal her up as your card spirit. Only through this way can her consciousness be restored. Convincing her now is completely impossible and it will even confuse her more. Although she follows the nature of Order as a Deity Warden, if we don't end this quickly, it will possibly end up as you imagined—Chaos and Order contrasted. When that happens, the situation would be much more dangerous."

"You're an enemy... You're an enemy... You're an enemy..."

If it was said that Cassidy was just an ordinary human earlier on, she now became a certain, terrifying presence. Her eyes flickered in golden brilliance and a powerful airflow dispersed from her body in all directions. Rhode unsheathed his sword with a stern expression, gazing attentively at her. It was apparent that in Cassidy's eyes, he had become an enemy that she needed to eradicate.

It seems like she is still confused (even though based on the results of their conversation, Rhode didn't think that he would be able to convince her, that was).

In this case, Rhode didn't need to hold back anymore. He could only execute his original plan A now!

Swish——!

At this moment, Cassidy also flourished her weapon, launching an attack at Rhode!

Chapter 1069: Dogfight

Before the battle began, Rhode thought that he wouldn't have any difficulty dealing with Cassidy. The reason was simple. Even though she was one of the six Deity Wardens, she was only a soul fragment and not her original self. On the other hand, Rhode had awakened as the Void Dragon and after fusing his power with the other four Creator Dragons, he was over level 120, while Cassidy was just over level 90. If they were to have a serious battle, just the difference in level was enough to squash her. Therefore, although Rhode was rather worried back then, he didn't take it to heart. But he couldn't be blamed. Looking at his level with three-digit numbers, it would be illogical if any player were to act cautiously against BOSSes with tens of levels lower than him.

But in reality, he realized that he had underestimated the situation after engaging in battle with Cassidy.

In the Dragon Soul Continent, there were different types of BOSSes. Players could defeat most of them as long as their strength was enough and patterns were mastered. For instance, the Dark Dragon might seem powerful, but as long as there were enough players with sufficient level and strength, there wouldn't be any problem defeating it. But apart from that, there was another type of 'special' BOSS. This type of BOSSes might not be powerful in strength, but if players failed to find the corresponding way to defeat it, it would still be useless even if they possessed the strength to destroy the world over a hundred times. The twin dragons were the model representative. And now, Rhode was unfortunate to find out that Cassidy was also one of them.

Shing————!

The iron plate that was massive enough to be used for teppanyaki brushed against Rhode and brought along strong, violent airwaves. But to him, this wasn't the most lethal. With his current level and defenses, Cassidy couldn't even hack through his skin even if he stood there and exposed his neck to her. The most dangerous problem wasn't her damage output. Instead, it was her 'power of contrast' that gave him the most headache.

During their first clash, Rhode was caught off guard and almost suffered gravely. He initially tried to resist her attack, but discovered that his strength was perfectly reflected by her. It felt as though he didn't stop the attack, but turned the blade around and tried to commit suicide instead! Not only that, but he also couldn't determine the focus of Cassidy's attack with her power of contrast. Every time he brandished his sword to retaliate, he felt as though his strength was instantly restored to its original state like two magnets repelling each other. No matter how Rhode switched up his attacking style, he just couldn't deal effective damage to Cassidy.

Fortunately, he was one of the Creator Dragons and Cassidy's power of contrast wasn't too effective on him. But what he needed to do now wasn't to avoid Cassidy's attack. Instead, he had to find a way to defeat her! In the current situation, he wasn't able to find any of her weaknesses. This was why he could only choose to tussle with her while observing for any weaknesses.

Swish——!

Cassidy missed her attack and her body trembled to the mighty force. However, the sword in her hand suddenly slashed skyward as though it had hit something elastic in the ground, flourishing toward Rhode from the opposite direction. Rhode evaded her attack swiftly, but he knew that this wasn't the end. Cassidy brandished the sword at him again and along with her movements, the blade air from when she rotated the sword coalesced into a long whip that lashed forward and caused several trenches on the ground. Looking at this scene, Rhode grimaced slightly. He raised his sword and dazzling blade lights appeared in midair, merging into a large, omnipresent net that pounced on her fanatical attack. But as soon as the net of light collided with Cassidy's attack, it disappeared to nowhere in the blink of an eye. Rhode turned around and dodged Cassidy's follow-up attack quickly in a trail of afterimages.

How troublesome.

Rhode knitted his brows at the flashing blade air before him. As he evaded the surging energy, he felt a bone-chilling wind brushing past him. Then, the wind turned blazing hot at the very next moment, before transforming into a heavy, mud-like matter and a roaring whirlwind. Rhode had to face continuous attacks from four elements and it was absolutely deadly.

But... this still wasn't Cassidy's true power.

Rhode sharply realized that Cassidy was just as his younger sister had described: a soul fragment—her usage of the 'power of contrast' was only on the most basic level. She didn't need to consider too much and was only using the ability instinctively. If she were another Deity Warden, perhaps she would have already controlled the battle. Rhode had witnessed the battle between Alice and Balende. When a true Deity Warden engaged in battle, she would choose to use her ability to control the battle. Balende was unknowingly manipulated by Alice's 'power of history' and this formidable legendary general simply became a monkey in her hands who couldn't escape no matter how hard he tried. In the words of the players, battling against Deity Wardens was as though having the Deity Warden cast an irremovable and extremely terrifying 'debuff' on them at the start. Not only that, but there was also a countdown timer and players were at an overwhelming disadvantage. However, Cassidy's power wasn't like that at all. Although she possessed a certain degree of control over the battle, the ability wasn't within her control and was only through her instincts. The same went for her attacks. Therefore, to Rhode, although it was tough for him to face her attacks, it wasn't the most important point. In fact, Rhode could activate [Self-Affirmation] and kill her instantly if he wanted to. But it was a pity that this young lady wasn't supposed to be killed.

But since Cassidy relied solely on her instincts and wasn't using her power consciously, Rhode had some ways to deal with her.

I'll give that a shot.

After dodging Cassidy's attack again, Rhode scanned her from head to toe. At this moment, she no longer looked like a timid, little rabbit like she had before the battle began. Instead, she was a hungry, ferocious wolf pouncing on its prey. Although her attacking routine was simple, Rhode knew clearly that if it weren't for the protection from 'Order' as a Creator Dragon, he could simply be killed by just one slash of her blade. His attributes restored the presence that was contrasted by her. Based on this, it made sense that Marlene and Alice refused to do this job.

Alright then, I will need to rely on myself next.

Rhode clutched the sword at this thought, gazing at the young lady. Then, his body suddenly trembled in twisted ripples of air and three illusory shadow clones emerged from him, dispersing to both sides.

Fantasy Daybreak!

Fantasy Daybreak was no longer the half-assed swordsmanship that he casually created in the past. Every Creator Dragon had their unique battle skills and the same went for Rhode. After becoming the Void Dragon, he realized he had more accurate control of space and Fantasy Daybreak was also taken up a notch. If it was said in the past that the shadow clones he created were just 'defective products' made from spiritual powers through the system, right now they were true, identical clones of himself. The only difference between them was that the three clones were projections of him in the spatial plane of existence. It was similar to when Rhode saw his other self in the Wheel of Fate back then. However, it was only the projections casting the sword skill and wasn't his true self back then. Besides, it also wasn't similar to in the game. Right now, the individual shadow clones represented the different thoughts Rhode had when unleashing this swordsmanship. For instance, attacking with a straight thrust of the sword was a great move. But it would also be a good idea if he could ambush by slashing the sword horizontally to restrain the enemy's movements. Of course, normal swordsmanship could never reach this perfection. But Rhode's Fantasy Daybreak broke the obstruction of space and reached a perfect and harmonious unity!

Shing! Shing! Shing!

In the blink of an eye, the three shadow clones surrounded Cassidy entirely, slashing three dazzling blade rays from their swords. They staggered and coordinated to seal off her retreat at the same time. Facing this sudden change in situation, Cassidy's expression remained unchanged. She snorted and flourished her sword abruptly in retaliation. Along with her movements, the three shadow clones suddenly became distorted and began to fuse by a mysterious force.

At this moment, Rhode finally struck!

"Summon!"

Facing her retaliation, Rhode trembled slightly. But he raised his sword, pointed at Cassidy, and snarled. Then, the entire world before him changed instantly!

The sky, earth, and everything from before disappeared. All of it was enveloped in pitch-black darkness and only dots of starlight flickered around them. It seemed as though Rhode had thrown Cassidy into outer space at this very instant. Upon realizing it, Cassidy revealed a flustered and stunned expression. She realized that the power she counted on the most was slowly vanishing!

Chapter 1070: Accidental Changes

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

This sudden change in situation baffled Cassidy. If she were a person with perfect senses now, perhaps she would come up with countermeasures quickly. However, she was only a muddle-headed and one-track minded soul fragment at the moment. In this case, she was relatively surprised by the abrupt changes. She instinctively tried to escape, but no matter how hard she struggled, she just couldn't get out of this mysterious world around her. She waved her arms and thrust her legs on the spot, which seemed somewhat comical. This left her increasingly dubious. She instantly retreated to stay as far away from Rhode as possible. But she quickly learned that no matter where she ran to, she was as though making no headway. No matter the direction or how much effort she put in, Rhode would stand before her whenever she lifted her head like he was waiting for her arrival.

"Phew..."

At this moment, Rhode heaved a sigh of relief.

It seems like this works pretty well.

Even though Cassidy's ability was hard to deal with, Rhode was still the Void Dragon, after all. The battle between them was taking place in the Void Territory and under the Void Dragon's soul protection, so it was predetermined that Rhode had the home field advantage. Besides, as the Void Dragon, he was the true dominator and conqueror of rules. Although Cassidy was powerful in the rules of 'contrast' as a 'manager', Rhode could fire her as the 'boss' no matter how capable she was. Currently, this was what Rhode was doing. He seized the opportune timing while Cassidy was dealing with his three shadow clones and caught her off guard, dragging her into his very own 'void world'. In this place, he was the creator of all things including rules. As of now, he had weakened Cassidy's mastery of the 'contrast' rule and here, she was basically no threat to him at all.

"You stole my power! How did you do it?"

Cassidy glared at Rhode. Facing her fierce stare, he shrugged nonchalantly, lifted his head, and gazed at her. Right now, Cassidy was unlike before. If she was like a hungry wolf before, she had become a terrifying monster in a horror movie now. Although her power was diminished to the lowest by Rhode, she continued to exude a dangerous presence. This left Rhode knitting his brows. For some unknown reason, he felt like the situation was far from ordinary. But even so, he held down the uncertainties hidden deep in his heart and sauntered toward her. Upon witnessing him closing in, Cassidy's fuming and sinister expression turned terrified instantly as crystal-clear tears trickled down from the corner of her eyes as though she were wronged. She wailed and shivered, taking steps back in fear.

"N-No, stay away. You baddie. Don't come near me! What are you trying to do? What are you trying to do to me?"

Cassidy screamed in lingering fear and Rhode sensed a strong, mysterious aura which left him puckering his brows. He clutched the sword hilt and stared at the young lady when suddenly, her expression changed once again. The terrified look disappeared in the blink of an eye, only to be replaced by a warm, passionate smile as though she had just witnessed something amusing.

"No... hahaha, stay away. Hahaha, I will kill you if you come any closer okay! I'm serious, hahaha. Look at you, hahaha... Don't come here. If you dare come any closer..." Cassidy said when suddenly, her expression turned sinister, grim, and scary. She widened her mouth without any warning and growled like an agitated lioness. ".... I will kill a damn bast*rd like you hundreds of thousands of times! You scoundrel! Let me go! Do you hear me!"

"Frankly speaking... this is considered some sort of talent, I suppose."

Rhode lamented softly at this scene. He couldn't be blamed for thinking this way because the changes in Cassidy's mood were as quick and abrupt as the 'face-changing' performances he watched in the real world: as soon as the performer turned away and looked back, he would have a whole new face. What surprised Rhode more was that Cassidy's aura changed along with her mood. She no longer pretended to be strong even though she was afraid. Right now, whatever expression she put up was the aura she exuded. When she was afraid, she was totally like a harmless and timid little rabbit. But when she raged, she was like an erupting volcano. This transcended the realm of 'emotional' and 'mental illness' and reached a realm unknown to ordinary humans... Back then, surely his younger sister didn't create her for this unique 'artistic talent', right? Or perhaps 'facial talent'?

"Argh... Ahhh!"

At this moment, a mournful scream interrupted Rhode's thoughts. He realized that Cassidy seemed to be in incredible pain. She stretched out her arms, clutching her head. Her eyes were shut as her body shivered. Along with these reactions, Rhode discovered that something was disrupting his space!

"What happened?!"

"Oh no. Do it quickly, Big Brother!"

At this moment, his younger sister's voice sounded anxiously in his ears.

"What's wrong?"

"Her Order is crumbling. Big Brother, you still remember Cassidy's power of contrast, right? She's only a soul fragment now and doesn't have the mastery to control it. The consequences will be dire if she undergoes such intense transformation and power!"

"Order, Chaos!"

Upon hearing his younger sister's answer, Rhode's expression changed slightly. But he hesitated no more. He flourished the sword and leaped up quickly. This time, he wasn't holding back anymore. He remembered Alice mentioning Cassidy's power of contrast, which meant that Cassidy was able to switch Order and Chaos. In this case, perhaps after suffering from too much agitation, Cassidy slowly turned toward Chaos. Even though Rhode didn't know if the mighty Deity Wardens could turn into Chaos worshipers, he wasn't willing to take this risk!

"Get lost!"

Upon sensing Rhode's attack, Cassidy snarled and swung the sword at him. But this time, Rhode charged forward with his sword instead of evading, hacking on the 'iron plate' in Cassidy's hands. Previously, the reason why he didn't choose to clash head-on with her was that they were in the actual world and if Order were to shatter during their battle, he would need to clean up the mess afterward. But it was different here. Now that Cassidy was pulled into his own space and her power of contrast was weakened drastically, there wouldn't be as much trouble dealing with her.

Clang!

The swords clashed and this time, Rhode's sword wasn't negated. Instead, he held on firmly and swept away Cassidy's sword, leaving the young lady grimacing from the immense force. She took half a step back and flourished the sword from above with force. But this time, she didn't notice the other two figures surrounding her. Rhode's shadow clone technique hadn't been deactivated all this while!

Shing! Shing!

The criss-crossed blade rays erupted instantly from the left and right, sealing off her retreat entirely. Even though Cassidy realized that something was amiss, it was all too late. During the split second of distraction, Rhode struck forward with his sword and conquered the 'iron plate' in her hand forcefully. Then, he disappeared in a flash and arrived before her, flicking his wrist around and striking her in the chest heavily with the hilt. The gravely-hurt Cassidy couldn't tolerate it anymore. She suffered from agony due to her power of contrast going berserk and the pincer attack from Rhode's shadow clones earlier on. And now, this strike to her chest from Rhode was too much to take as she fainted on the spot. As she became unconscious and collapsed to the ground, the irrepressible power inside her exploded instantly. The invisible power blasted and swept across the entire space like massive waves and this seemingly endless cosmos rippled in the impact.

"Big Brother, hurry up!"

"Got it!"

Before Cassidy crumbled to the ground, Rhode grabbed her and a bright, dazzling summoning ritual emanated from his body, enveloping the entire cosmos in an instant.

"Wake up, Cassidy!"

At the same time, a line of extremely familiar system prompts appeared before his eyes.

[Spirit Language. Activate]

Shortly after, dazzling rays emanated from Cassidy, merging and interweaving into pure, white lines of light that took shape above Rhode's palm gradually. After a few seconds, a strange card of black and white was formed. Rhode looked at it and heaved a sigh of relief. But at this moment, he heard his younger sister's voice.

"Be careful, Big Brother!"

"Huh?"

Rhode lifted his head quickly and only just realized that layers upon layers of dazzling halos had erupted from Cassidy like protective barriers enfolding her completely. Then, the halos shrunk abruptly, before expanding all of a sudden!

The world before him was enveloped in a pure, white brilliance.

Chapter 1071: What Exactly was Going on?

"It is already the third day."

Marlene gazed worriedly at the palace before her. It was pitch-black as usual. Ever since Rhode left three days ago, he hadn't been back once. However, this wasn't uncommon for Marlene as she knew that he loved roaming about in places and was used to it already. But this time, the situation was a little different as there was no response from him at all. Even though Rhode was seeming undisciplined, Marlene knew that he was clearly a responsible person who would ask about the recent ongoings in the territory through spiritual communications. But now, three days had gone by and there was no news from him at all. Marlene tried to speak to him through spiritual communications but received no answer. Not only that, but Canary and Mini Bubble Gum also had no news of him, which was really rare. In the past, Rhode would still get Canary to pass a message to Marlene if it was inconvenient for him to do so and Marlene didn't feel like it was unacceptable for Canary to be above her in position. Although she awakened the power of a Deity Warden and was basically the final form of a BOSS in the face of all spell casters, she had no intention of fighting with Canary over the number one position in the harem. Therefore, all in all, Rhode's harem was rather stable and peaceful currently.

Of course, most of it benefited from the tacit understanding between Marlene and Canary. In the game, Canary wasn't considered the strongest in the number one echelon. But despite that, she conducted herself well and was popular among the players. That wasn't the real world, but the virtual-reality world where most players were neither bothered by conflict of interest nor issues with reputation.

Even if problems existed, players would privately curse this beautiful young lady as a shameless wh*re, at the very most. In that case, Canary definitely didn't rely on 'acting cute' to gain the likes and support of players in Starlight. On the other hand, Mini Bubble Gum disliked these troublesome matters, so she didn't cause any ruckus.

As for Marlene, she was the heir of a huge, noble family, so if she couldn't even learn worldly wisdoms, she would be better off marrying to another family, assuming the traditional role of a good wife, and bringing some political capital for her families related by marriage. As for Lize, she had a gentle temperament and disliked fighting for power. On the other hand, Lapis was a geek who was easily satisfied after Rhode accepted her for who she was. Perhaps she didn't even think about her future. Meanwhile, Anne didn't mind anything else as long as she could sleep in the same bed as Rhode. Sonia's identity was relatively lower in comparison. She knew that she was unlike the other young ladies. After all, her relationship with Rhode wasn't built on 'emotional basis', which was why she kept an extremely low profile. Even after Rhode turned her into a card spirit, she remained low-profile and didn't intervene with anything that didn't involve her. Moreover, she spent most of her time with Lilian, which actually saved her a lot of the awkwardness from meeting others.

As for Nell and Angelina, they weren't even considered members of the harem. Between them and Rhode, they were considered his 'secretaries', at the very most. There weren't much emotions involved and most of their interactions came from their duties and some random talks. As for the others... it wasn't up to them to manage.

But this time, not only did Canary not receive any news, but Sonia and Nell also didn't have any responses from Rhode. It was the same for Alice and Marlene. They knew that Rhode went searching for Cassidy, but with Alice's ability, she couldn't retrieve any 'historical record' under the double, imposing presences of Cassidy and Rhode, so she couldn't find out exactly what happened. The only thing she was sure was that Rhode had definitely found Cassidy, but as for what happened after... no one knew.

Currently, the entire Void Territory was rather peaceful, thanks to Rhode not 'managing' too much everyday. In fact, most operations in the Void Territory didn't require his approval to complete, unless there were situations like the Country of Darkness or Chaos invading. If not, Marlene would handle almost everything and it was due to this reason that Rhode's disappearance didn't affect the Void Territory too much. However, Marlene felt worried. This wasn't due to the internal problems of the Void Territory, but more of her concern as a woman.

What exactly happened to Rhode?

"...!"

All of a sudden, Marlene heard a loud noise from the near distance. She lifted her head in astonishment, gazed ahead, and saw a massive dragon with its wings expanded, flying toward Grandia. Upon witnessing the dragon, Marlene heaved a sigh of relief. The illusory appearance that resembled the starry sky, as well as the massive body proved one thing. It was the Void Dragon right before her—Rhode.

But... what's going on?

Marlene was puzzled because she knew that Rhode disliked showing up in his dragon form. But this time... Marlene shook her head at this thought and threw the doubt to the back of her head. She quickly made her way to the plaza behind the palace.

When she arrived at the plaza, the Void Dragon was gradually flapping his wings and descending. At this moment, Canary, Mini Bubble Gum, and Alice also arrived. After all, they were worried. Rhode hadn't responded for days and was finally back. What exactly happened? Did he manage to recover Cassidy? Where had he been? These questions were all floating around in their heads.

"Hmm?"

As soon as Canary saw the Void Dragon, she knitted her brows dubiously. She realized that something was amiss as the actions of this Void Dragon was rather different from what she recalled. In the past, Rhode always seemed imperious whenever he landed on the surface in his dragon form. It could also be said that he was like the final, world-destroying BOSS who appeared at the end of the game like the Neltharion... Meanwhile, Rhode also indulged in it as Starlight was considered by many opposing players as the 'evil force' that must be taken down as they were too powerful beyond words. As the guild leader, Rhode was undoubtedly the 'final BOSS' and in this world, he actually got the chance to become one. This was why he had more or less imitated the actions of the final BOSS and as one of his most intimate people, Canary knew he had this interest.

But this time, she discovered that the behavior of this Void Dragon seemed rather different. Its descent wasn't as imperious as before and on the contrary, its movements were so gentle and nonchalant. It had an indescribable, imposing presence as though it were looking over the world. Even though it landed gradually on the surface, it gave Canary a misconception that it was looking at this world with the most peaceful and gentle gaze!

What's going on? Is Rhode...

But before Canary figured out what happened, the Void Dragon had landed on the platform and folded its wings. Along with its movements, the massive body gradually shrunk and shortly after, it disappeared in an illusory mist and someone walked out of it.

"..."

Everyone was taken aback when they witnessed the person.

It was a young lady.

Even though her face looked exactly the same as Rhode's, her curvaceous figure told them that it clearly wasn't a man standing before them. This young lady seemed slightly younger than Rhode and Canary, but much older than Christie. Her growing body exuded a youthful vitality. She wore a pitch-black, elegant long dress and her silky, long hair extended to the side of her feet. The young lady presented a gentle smile. Her pale complexion was as though she was suffering from a serious illness. Despite that, the massive aura hidden inside her slender body was so powerful and distinct that even Rhode couldn't match up with her.

"Who is... this?"

Mini Bubble Gum gazed blankly at the young lady, scratching her head in puzzlement and turning to Canary. On the other hand, Canary's gaze became rather complicated. She bit her lip and her expression was caught between hesitation and agitation. But despite that, she said nothing and only stood by the side, observing the young lady in silence. Compared to the confused Canary and Mini Bubble Gum, Marlene and Alice seemed more impacted by the presence of this young lady. They stared blankly at her with unconcealable surprise and doubt in their expressions. Even Alice, who didn't care about anything else other than books and rarely showed her feelings, seemed agitated at this point. She embraced the tome in her arms tightly and went ahead with quick steps. Meanwhile, Marlene also stepped onto the plaza with complicated emotions. However, they weren't the only ones.

A bright, gentle radiance emanated from the ground and burst into the sky. Then, a petite figure with a face identical to Christie's appeared within. She seemed incomparably perturbed and nostalgic.

Witnessing everyone's arrival, the young lady smiled. She turned to Alice, Marlene, and Christie in order and nodded slightly to them. Then, she broke the silence.

"Long time no see, my adorable children."

Chapter 1072: Return of the Dragon

A pure, dazzling white radiance erupted, enfolding the world completely. Rhode instinctively extended his arm to cover his eyes from the brilliance. However, he realized he wasn't in control of his body. At the next moment, he felt as though he was being dragged by an unknown force and flew out in a 'swish', sinking into darkness and losing his consciousness.

"Ugh..."

After an unknown while, he opened his eyes slowly. What came into view was the usual sky and land in the Void Territory.

It seems like I made it back safely. But...

Rhode shrugged and shook his head at this thought. He wasn't aware of what exactly happened in the end. After he became the Void Dragon, he never lost his consciousness. What he did back then was only summoning a card spirit and this shouldn't have happened.

Forget it, since it is already done and dusted... Hmm?

At this moment, he discovered that something was amiss; his body was as though no longer a material existence and had become illusory instead. He extended his arms and could vaguely see through them as though he were a ghost. This scene felt somewhat familiar and unfamiliar at the same time because in the game, he had experienced it several times. The feeling of unfamiliarity struck him as this was his first time encountering this after transmigrating to this world. The reason was simple. This was the spiritual state after a player was killed.

"What in the world... what's going on?"

Rhode was baffled at this scene. He didn't expect to be defeated, or get insta-killed, in this case. Rhode summoned the system interface quickly at this thought and as expected, most of his skills and talents were grayed out, unusable, and only a few functions were available. However, this didn't affect him too much because what he was most concerned about was why he became a spirit for no apparent reason. But... he decided to see if he could still return to his actual body in this spiritual form.

He looked to the left and right at this thought. This should be the place where he fought Cassidy earlier on. Logically, even if he died, his corpse should be nearby. But at this moment, he heard a familiar voice.

"Big Brother, you're finally awake."

"Phew... I'm so glad you're still here. That's a relief. What exactly..."

Upon hearing his younger sister's voice, Rhode let out a sigh of relief. He shook his head and turned toward her. Then, he was stupefied as standing before him was the beautiful woman whom he missed dearly. The identical face that had turned pale due to the pester of sickness, as well as the long, silky black hair... Everything seemed just so familiar. But what surprised him was that his younger sister actually possessed her own body! What's going on?

"This is..."

"Seems like we were fooled by Cassidy, Big Brother."

Facing Rhode's astonished expression, the young lady said, forcing a smile and shaking her head helplessly. After hearing her explanations, Rhode finally figured out what happened exactly. The moment he used [Spirit Language] to awaken Cassidy, she restored to perfect conditions. But this was where the problem started. Just like how one couldn't possibly create something from nothing, even though Cassidy possessed the perfect core, she was a soul fragment, after all. Just like other summoning spirits, other parts of her had to be replenished by Rhode's spiritual powers. And this was where the problem arose.

If Rhode was a complete Creator Dragon, all of his rules would belong to him and naturally there wouldn't be any issues. But the problem was that he wasn't a complete Creator Dragon. The main reason why he was able to become a Creator Dragon was that when the former Void Dragon incarnated into the real world, she accidentally transferred too much power into Rhode's body. Although Rhode used his younger sister's soul fragment to replenish his strength, the Void Dragon's power still belonged to his younger sister and was not 'created originally' by him. It was due to this that this power of the void came from the same source as the power of void used to create Cassidy, which caused a resonance and led to Rhode being affected by Cassidy's power of contrast. Coincidentally, his younger sister's soul fragment was inside his body as his second soul. As a result, both of them swapped places to the influence of the power of contrast. Rhode was forcefully turned into a spirit, while his younger sister appeared as a human. It could also be said that their roles had completely switched around.

"Tsk, how unfortunate."

Rhode tutted. He always acted with caution and didn't expect to meet with this unexpected failure. This left him incomparably depressed. But when he lifted his head, he realized his younger sister was smiling and gazing at him.

"The fact that I'm here means you're really fortunate in this misfortune, Big Brother."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you forgotten that Cassidy's power of contrast is really powerful, Big Brother? If I'm not around, it won't be as simple as switching our roles already. When that happens, things would have changed."

"Ugh..."

Rhode was speechless upon hearing his younger sister's answer. He puckered his brows and imagined the scene of him becoming a woman. Since it was 'contrast', not only would his gender change, but his personality and likings would also change. If that happened...

Oh, my goodness!

The thought of him possibly turning into a gentle, delicate woman who liked men sent chills down his spine. At the same time, it gave him a new understanding of the 'dangers' in this operation. But now, it seemed to him that this result was somewhat decent? If Marlene, Alice, and others were also fooled and turned into men... Rhode didn't dare to continue imagining. Fortunately, that would only show up in his imagination and wouldn't overwrite the truth. Despite that...

"Is there any way to restore everything?"

Even though it was great that his younger sister owned a physical body now, it was an entirely different matter now that he didn't own one. If they both possessed bodies, Rhode could do as many things with her as he wished. But now... he scanned his 'body' and realized that he couldn't even 'pleasure' himself even if he wanted to. But after some serious thoughts, it seemed to him that pleasuring himself was also quite a pitiful and tragic act.

"The authority is still in my hands for now. But as I'm a soul fragment, I don't possess too much power. So after a while, when I can't maintain this form anymore, you can summon Cassidy and use her power of contrast to switch us back."

"It seems like this is the only way."

Upon hearing his younger sister's answer, Rhode pondered for a few moments helplessly. Then, he nodded in melancholy before quickly recalling something really troublesome. And that was...

"Are we going to head back like this?"

"... And this was what happened."

Sitting on the chair, the younger lady explained everything with a gentle smile. Of course, that included her identity and relationship with Rhode. After hearing her explanation, everyone was oddly surprised. Not only Canary and Mini Bubble Gum, who were extremely familiar with Rhode in the game or reality, astonished, but Alice, who was familiar with the former Void Dragon, also revealed a baffled expression after hearing their experiences. On the other hand, Christie maintained a calm expression as she sat by the side. Since Christie accepted the seed of life from her and Rhode, she naturally understood the former Void Dragon more.

"I didn't expect Leader to have such a past... with his younger sister and his younger sister is the BOSS of another world... Oh-oh-oh, this is amazing!"

"I see..."

Unlike Mini Bubble Gum who had delusions of grandeur at her peak, Canary's reaction was much calmer. Canary gazed at the young lady with complicated emotions and after a few moments, nodded slightly. Facing Canary's gaze, the young lady smiled casually.

"I'm aware of your existence, Big Sister Canary. Thanks for accompanying Big Brother back then. Even though your relationship with him was... well, I know that Big Brother was glad to have you by his side."

"Erm... Your Majesty?"

At this moment, Marlene put a weird look as she gazed at the young lady. Right now, her identity was somewhat in an awkward spot. As Margaret's reincarnation, Marlene inherited her wisdom and memories after awakening, which included memories of the former Void Dragon. But strictly speaking, Marlene was closer to Rhode and didn't transform back to Margaret entirely after her awakening. If not, Marlene would be putting up an emotionless face and saying 'plan, pass' at the drop of a hat. Unlike Canary, who hadn't interacted with the Void Dragon in the past, and Alice, who had an intimate relationship with the Void Dragon, Marlene was in an intricate place. Although she was respectful of the Void Dragon before her, she was more worried about Rhode.

"May I know if Rhode is..."

"Just a few days and Rhode will be restored to his original state. Is anything the matter?"

Even though Rhode could immediately summon Cassidy and place her into one of the Ten Strongest Spirit Decks, he didn't choose to do that due to some kind of dark psychology. Instead, he sealed up Cassidy's card and decided to summon her after he was able to restore his original state. It seemed like deep inside him, he was still dissatisfied with Cassidy for 'fooling' him, even though she might not have done it on purpose.

"This..."

Upon sensing the young lady's gaze, Marlene hesitated, before eventually speaking.

"Earlier on, I received news from the moon princess regarding the 'accidental clash' that happened in the Void Territory. She hopes to have a detailed talk with Rhode..."