1092-1099

Chapter 1092: Fated Encounter

The silver-whitish band of light encircled the train calmly, not making a single noise. The pure white train drove on the tracks slowly. The young lady turned to gaze at the scenery outside the window, extending her fingers to constantly twirl her chestnut hair tips. But at this moment, a petite figure pounced on her from the side.

"Big Sister!"

"Woah!"

The startled young lady quickly turned to the girl beside her, who wore a black fitting uniform and had two long, black pigtails tied into a bun. The girl grinned at the young lady, spreading her arms apart to make a frightening and intimidating gesture.

"Did I manage to scare you?"

"Yes... Bubble, you're too mischievous."

"Sigh..."

Bubble pouted in dissatisfaction upon hearing the young lady's remarks, before flopping down on the seat beside her and placing both legs on the seats before her. If they were in other places, perhaps this behavior of hers would draw criticisms. But perhaps due to the off-peak season of tourism, they were the only ones in the entire train. Moreover, the train was on autopilot, so there was no one to criticize her for her rude actions.

"But I'm really bored, Big Sister. Since our guild was lucky enough to draw a pair of complimentary tickets for this 'Moon Tour', it would be a waste if we didn;t have any fun. After all, it isn't easy at all for one to make a trip to and from the moon. Or could it be..." Mini Bubble Gum lowered her voice, widened her eyes, and gazed at the young lady with long, fluttering eyelashes. "You're still thinking about Leader?"

"Well, I do sometimes..."

The young lady said, before letting out a sigh.

"After all, he left so quickly and didn't even call me once, so I don't know what he's up to now... Honestly, I'm not sure if I should continue to stay in the guild." The young lady paused, turning to the girl beside her. "How about you, Bubble? What are your plans?"

"Me?"

The girl named Bubble curled her lips and pouted to the young lady's question.

"I'm Leader's dedicated cleric, so if he calls quits, there is no point in me staying. Anyway, right now the guild is... sigh, I'm not saying that Old Ryu is doing badly, but I really hate the guild now. Do you understand what I mean, Big Sister? I feel like the more the guild expands, the more boring it gets. We used to be able to do whatever we wanted and as long as Leader gave the word, we would follow his command and attack wherever we went. But now? Old Ryu keeps worrying about this and that. He also said that he wants to mend relationships with the other guilds! Tsk. Back then those worthless trash sneaked away like rats covering their heads when we wrecked them and now, we have to be friendly with them? I just can't accept this. Hmph! No matter what, those noobs should be the ones eager to beg us for mercy, isn't it? As for the newbies... they are an arrogant bunch. Back then when I had already started killing bosses, they were still sucking milk! Hmph! Who do they think they are..."

Upon hearing her grumbles, the young lady forced a helpless smile. As a reward to their guild for defeating the final boss of the game and starting a new era, the guild received two complimentary tickets for a trip to the moon. This was the reason why they were here. But in fact, the situation wasn't as simple as it seemed. The young lady was aware that with the arrival of the new era, the guild was slowly being 'renewed'. Even though someone like Bubble was one of the founders of the guild, she wasn't able to get along with many people due to her personality. In the past, there was always that one man who accepted her for who she was, but he was nowhere to be found now and she wasn't that passionate about the guild. Even though there were supporters who wanted her to take over as the new guild leader, to her, the game was no longer fun without that man around. Moreover, there was completely no news from that man ever since that day and this left her somewhat concerned. As a result, she was no longer as interested in the game as before. Due to this reason, both of them decided to put down their duties and participate in this 'Moon Tour' during the reformation and renewal of the guild. They knew that perhaps after they returned, their duties would be replaced by newcomers. But now, it didn't matter to them anymore.

Boom!

At this moment, they heard a deep and loud impact. The train that was moving steadily shook slightly, before coming to a halt entirely. Shortly after, the radiance dimmed abruptly and the inside of the train turned pitch-black.

"What happened?"

Facing this sudden change in situation, the two girls exchanged astonished looks with each other. Bubble lunged up, 'floated' to the side and pressed the buttons. But there was no response apart from the emergency light flickering in the carriage.

"The autopilot failed? Wait, there's no signal at all!"

"What should we do?"

The young lady knitted her brows slightly, while Bubble spread her arms apart helplessly.

"It's fine, they should realize the issue soon. We're in the Americas Region, I suppose... Hmph, it must be some annoying system malfunction. That's why I said people can't just believe in foreign goods blindly! Damn it. They counted on those idiot cowboys who moved their manufacturing factories to our country and what can they even create by themselves?! Whenever there are problems, they push all responsibilities to others! Boeing has closed down, so what are those people still acting so arrogantly for? I will definitely lodge complaints after I return! I will sue them until they go bankrupt!"

Rumbles...!

The ground shook once again, leaving the two girls taken aback. They approached the window and scanned around them. At the same time, in the dark starry sky, several radians flashed and a string of exploding flares erupted in the distance.

"... What's going on? They filming Star Wars or something?"

At the next moment, Bubble received her answer.

A bright, dazzling light torrent erupted from below and shortly after, an enormous, dark shadowy figure lifted its head, lasting a glaring light beam that enfolded three to four fighter aircrafts. Then, sparkles from the explosions flashed and at the same time, the shadowy figure expanded its wings and swooped down from above in a swift motion. Its huge, strong tail swung nimbly, striking down the two fighter aircrafts behind it.

Looking at this scene, the two young ladies widened their eyes in astonishment.

Dragon?

A monster that would only appear in games, animations, and fantasy movies was currently soaring in the starry sky, diving down, and breathing dragon breaths to destroy the buildings on the surface completely. Then, it rolled, dodging the several missiles fired at it. The two young ladies witnessed a series of blue light as deep explosions erupted once more in the distance.

"W-What's that!" Bubble gasped. Even though her voice was shaking from anxiousness and terror, she had almost lay entirely on the window ledge and was staring at the unbelievable scene with wide open eyes. "A dragon? Is that a dragon? Big Sister, I'm not dreaming, right?! Is it because I fell asleep from boredom that I'm able to make such a dream?"

"I don't think this is a dream..."

The young lady appeared much calmer, but the trembling hands betrayed her.

"But it isn't the time for this now. We should think of a way to get out of here."

"How can we leave? We don't have extra spacesuits and this is only a train for tours. Besides, it has lost control and we can't even send out an SOS. Also, we're so high up now, don't tell me we have to jump... Woah!"

Almost simultaneously, a blazing burst of dragon breath brushed the train, taking down the fighter aircrafts above and causing the train to creak in its powerful impact. The tightly-fitted metal plates of the train began to tremble. The emergency siren blared from time to time, reminding the passengers that it was no longer safe.

"Woah, this is awful... hmm?"

As Bubble felt a headache, she saw the enormous 'dragon' suddenly lifting its head and glaring at them. For some unknown reason, she felt as though the pair of eyes flickering in golden radiance was looking at her. She stared blankly, but quickly realized that something was amiss...

"Big Sister, don't you think we've seen this 'dragon' before somewhere?"

"Hmm?"

The young lady lifted her head and turned to the 'dragon' curiously. But shortly after, her expression changed slightly because at this moment, a missile had streaked across the sky and was heading toward it vertically. Looking at this scene, the young lady grimaced. She pulled back the girl whose head was outside the window and held her to the ground.

"Lay down!"

The missile landed on the enormous dragon.

———!

In an instant, the brilliance that was enough to burn or even blind their eyes exploded. The strong airwaves resulting from the powerful impact engulfed the fluttering dust on the moon's surface, causing them to disperse and scatter in all directions. Not only that, but the train on the tracks also shook non-stop. Even though they were on the moon and some weapons of mass destruction were weakened due to this fact, judging it in terms of a trump card, it actually wasn't weakened that much.

After a few moments, the intense blow ended entirely. In the sound of crackles, the crumbling train couldn't hold on any longer. It rolled and fell over the tracks.

"Ahhh!"

All of a sudden, an enormous, black claw extended and caught the falling train effortlessly. The two young ladies widened their eyes in confusion. They looked out the window and took in a deep breath of cold air immediately. It was the pitch-black, gigantic dragon before them, looking at them with its golden eyes. For some unknown reason, they felt something strange with its gaze...

At the same time, a crisp, melodious voice rang in their heads.

"I didn't expect to see you two here, Miss Canary and Miss Bubble."

Chapter 1093: Fated Decision

"What a surprise to actually meet the moon princess in reality..."

Mini Bubble Gum said in a lowered voice to Canary who sat beside her. They gazed at Erin who sat on the sofa with a gentle smile and sized them up curiously. Canary nodded with an odd expression before letting out a sigh. Erin had rescued both of them who were in the train that was falling off the tracks. Thereafter, she brought them, along with the train, to the border of the Americas Region, before transforming back to her human form in front of their very eyes. This baffled Canary and Mini Bubble Gum. They were veteran players. Back then, even though it wasn't Starlight that had killed the moon princess, they knew what Erin looked like. Even Mini Bubble Gum, whose thoughts other people couldn't keep up with, didn't treat this young lady as a player who 'cosplayed' as the moon princess. After all, the enormous dragon form definitely wasn't an illusion!

But what surprised both of them was that this moon princess seemed to be really familiar with them. Not only did she call out their names, but she also requested help from them to bring her to a safe place to lay low temporarily. Although they didn't know what was going on exactly and why the murdered moon princess in the game would suddenly show up here, they eventually accepted her request. No matter what, it was impossible to refuse this powerful being. Moreover, Mini Bubble Gum and Canary didn't receive answers to the doubts in their heads yet because they just couldn't figure out where this moon princess came from. Even if this were in the game, they didn't have many interactions with the moon princess in the past. But now, the moon princess seemed friendly and kind toward them, which left them scratching their heads.

Fortunately, the clash earlier happened in the core of the region and the outside wasn't impacted. That was why Mini Bubble Gum and Canary managed to find a hotel to settle down temporarily. At this moment, they finally had the mood to discuss matters with the moon princess.

"Yeah..."

Canary nodded upon hearing Mini Bubble Gum's lament. But in terms of appearance, Canary seemed much calmer than Mini Bubble Gum. Shortly after, she turned around to grab a few cans of beverages from the fridge, before bringing them to Erin, who was seated on the living room sofa and sizing up the monitor curiously.

"Your Highness Erin, please have a drink."

"Oh. Thanks, Canary."

The voice transmitting into her head was as clear as crystal and Canary was used to it by now. Even though she was somewhat baffled from the start, Erin and them quickly realized that if Erin spoke using her mouth, they couldn't understand her at all as though she was speaking the language of a heavenly book. Therefore, speaking through spiritual communication would make things faster and more convenient.

Taking the can of cola from Canary, Erin shook it slightly, before placing it by her ear curiously. This object seemed like some sort of a vessel to store water, but how exactly should she open it? At this thought, Erin puckered her brows and scanned every part of it. She reached out for the ring-pull with her fingers and in the sound of a 'click', the sealed can opened and for some unknown reason, the excited Mini Bubble Gum who was observing Erin's actions curled her lips boringly after witnessing her reaction.

"Really... no fun at all..."

"What a peculiar drink."

Taking a sip of the cola, Erin cocked her head and savored the unique taste of the carbonated beverage. She narrowed her eyes comfortably.

"Hmm... this is interesting. I like it a lot."

"I'm glad you do, Your Highness Erin."

Even though Canary and Mini Bubble Gum didn't know how to face this princess who came out of nowhere, they decided to treat her like a character of the game. Besides, based on the current situation, this princess didn't seem to be any different from her character in the game. Be it personality or whatnot, she was exactly the same as the popular moon princess.

"By the way... where exactly is this place?"

After Erin finished tasting this peculiar beverage, she casually asked the question that was hidden deep inside her mind.

"I thought this is the Chaos Beings' nest, but it just doesn't seem like it. It is also apparent that strict rules and regulations exist here. However, I can still sense the presence of Chaos..."

"Erm..."

Canary and Mini Bubble Gum exchanged complicated looks with each other. Of course, they understood what Erin meant, but... Chaos Beings? Didn't they only show up after the collapse of the Country of Darkness?

"About that... How did you get here, Your Highness Erin?"

"I was on my way to the Void Territory and was ambushed by Chaos Beings. I thought I had defeated them, but never did I expect the last remaining Chaos Being to cast a mysterious spatial spell that sucked me in. When I returned to my senses, I found myself here."

Erin said, spread her arms apart helplessly.

"Besides, I was attacked again after arriving here, so I thought this must definitely be the Chaos Beings' nest. Also, I detected the presences of several Chaos Beings here, which was why I decided to eliminate them all. But in the end, I was faced with unimaginable resistance."

"Resistance, huh... By the way, are you feeling alright, Your Highness?"

At this moment, Mini Bubble Gum seemed to recall something. She sized up the young lady curiously and asked. Erin's human form was as beautiful as she was in the game. Not only that, but the elegant and gorgeous long dress was also spotless and didn't seem like it was just involved in several battles.

Facing her doubt, Erin shook her head.

"I'm fine, but the final retaliation from them startled me. I didn't expect them to be so powerful. But it isn't too difficult for me to resist that sort of attack. For some reason, I found myself in good shape here. There doesn't seem to be any issues..."

"..."

Mini Bubble Gum's and Canary's expressions instantly became amused. Of course, they knew the reason behind it. Erin was known as the moon princess who absorbed power from the moon. Her strength would increase according to the shape of the moon and now, they were currently standing on the moon... which could be considered her home turf.

But the fact that nuclear warheads failed to hurt her one bit let both of them have a deeper understanding that this moon princess was no pushover.

"So then, what plans do you have, Your Highness?"

Canary and Mini Bubble Gum exchanged looks and asked. Even though they had learned most of the causes and effects... it still shouldn't be something for them to get involved in.

"Hmm..."

Upon hearing their question, Erin closed her eyes, pondered for a few moments, and said, "Those escaped Chaos Beings should still be around here somewhere. I will try to find and destroy them all and see if I can head back. No matter what, I can't stand idly by and watch them bring disaster to the world. Besides, since those people have joined forces with Chaos and became their lackeys, destroying them is the only way. Of course, if it doesn't work, I can only wait for rescue here. Perhaps His Majesty Rhode and the rest will come up with some ideas..."

"I see... hmm? W-Wait! Rhode?!"

The two young ladies were surprised. They lifted their heads quickly, gazing at Erin in bafflement. They had a headache earlier from listening to her words and thought of stopping her since they were aware of the laws in this world. Although Chaos and Order couldn't coexist together in the Dragon Soul Continent, this was a different world, after all... If they allowed the moon princess to destroy the entire Americas Region, who knew what conflicts would happen on Earth. But it was somewhat too late at this point.

But shortly after, they heard a name that immediately made them throw this thought to the back of their heads.

"Are you talking about Leader?"

"Leader? Come to think of it, it does seem like that's how you have refer to His Majesty Rhode..."

"W-Wait!"

The always calm and steady Canary uncharacteristically whipped out her phone, tapped the screen, and an illusory image appeared in midair. The person who they couldn't be more familiar with appeared before them.

"Is this the person you're referring to?"

"Hmm... yes, that's His Majesty Rhode alright."

Upon hearing Canary's question, Erin nodded with absolute certainty. But she was apparently more interested in the strange object called a 'phone' in her hand. Shortly after, she shifted her gaze toward the two young ladies.

"By the way, this is indeed sort of weird. Both of you should know who His Majesty Rhode is, but... hmmm. I'm not too sure what's going on. In the Dragon Soul Continent, you two are always following him around, aren't you? That was why I was surprised when I saw both of you here. But now... it seems so strange. Your appearances and scents are exactly the same and yet, you no longer possess that powerful strength. What's going on?"

"Ahhhh, so Leader went to the Dragon Soul Continent and brought us there with him? Hold on, what is going on? Big Sister!"

Upon hearing Erin's answer, Mini Bubble Gum went out of control. She hugged her head and pondered hard, but couldn't figure out exactly what happened. On the other hand, Canary knitted her brows and thought about it for a while. Then, she asked, "Your Highness Erin, has Rhode... always been a person of your world?"

"Come to think of it... it is still a mystery regarding His Majesty Rhode's background that even our Country of Darkness is only aware that he showed up all of a sudden in the Munn Kingdom a year ago..."

"I see!"

Suddenly, Mini Bubble Gum clenched her fists in excitement and jumped to her feet.

"Big Sister, Leader has transmigrated! Yes, he must have transmigrated! Huh? But we didn't transmigrate... no-no-no, there must be a problem somewhere! Yes... I've decided!"

Mini Bubble Gum yelled and as though making a firm resolution, she clapped her palms together, lifted her head, and gazed at Erin.

"Your Highness Erin, let us stay by your side. I want to see what exactly is going on!"

"Huh?"

Canary was speechless.

Chapter 1094: Fated Turnover

"Say... are we really going there?"

Gazing at the research facilities in the distance, Canary swallowed her saliva. She couldn't be blamed because right now, she was only an ordinary university freshman and wasn't that powerful character in the game who could exercise magical powers. Even though Erin was beside them, Canary felt like everything was too ridiculous.

"But that's the core of the Americas Region which prohibits outsiders. If we are discovered, it might lead to issues between countries. Say... we'd better discuss this issue with someone else... such as reporting it to the higher-ups or something..."

"Why did you become so timid all of a sudden, Big Sister?" On the contrary, Mini Bubble Gum, who wore a pitch-black helmet and tight-fitting spacesuit, curled her lips in disdain. It was apparent that she was disapproving of Canary's words. "We already made it here; are you still thinking of heading back now? Besides, how should we explain to the rest after we return? Hmph. Since Big Sister Erin is willing to seek help from us, we can only give it a shot. Also, aren't you curious about what those scoundrels are up to? According to Big Sister Erin, she only detected the presence of Chaos in the Americas Region. Those scoundrels must be researching some annoying, illegal technologies! For the peace of mankind and the world, we have the incumbent duty to destroy the threats to our world! We can't always leave it to the group of whites to rescue the world on the screens!"

"I don't think that's the issue here..."

Canary let out a helpless sigh at Mini Bubble Gum's bizarre thoughts.

"It's fine. Didn't Her Highness Erin say that it was destroyed in the ambush earlier? We're only going to look for some clues. Hurry up, Big Sister, or it will be too late."

"... Okay then."

Canary nodded reluctantly. Fortunately for them, they were following Erin's lead and heading to a base that was destroyed by her to gather information. If it required them to sneak through a heavily-guarded, metal fortress, Canary would never agree to Mini Bubble Gum's fanatical suggestion. After all, they were only two weak and fragile young ladies!

But come to think of it, Canary had to admit that she was really curious since they knew who the Chaos Beings were in the game. But that was in the game, after all. It was as though the players were familiar with Zerg units in StarCraft, but it didn't mean that they would be thrilled to ask for a group photo or autograph if a dune-runner or Sarah Kerrigan were to show up before them one day.

But now...

Kacha———

In a soft mechanical click, the tattered, steel door opened gradually. Erin drifted in leisurely without wearing an oxygen mask, helmet, or spacesuit as though the extreme cold and vacuum that were extremely harmful to humans had no effects on her at all. Not only that, but her black, long hair also fluttered elegantly as she moved and some bright lights could even be seen flickering off her dreamily.

"..."

After gazing at Erin from the back, Canary and Mini Bubble Gum exchanged looks with each other. They had to admit that this ruined research facility gave them a bad feeling. The pale emergency lights extended down the corridor and due to the unstable voltage, they flickered from time to time. The maroon emergency exit sign looked unusually conspicuous in the darkness. The fragments of man-made gravity devices that were no longer effective were scattered and floating in midair like a scene from a sci-fi horror movie.

"I wonder if some aliens would jump out of nowhere..."

"Bubble! I'm heading back if you keep mentioning such things!"

Canary couldn't help but feel a shiver down her spine. She knitted her brows and gazed at the ruins before them. On the other hand, Mini Bubble Gum burst into laughter, followed Erin closely and jumped into the ruins. Looking at this scene, Canary shook her head helplessly. Perhaps even Mini Bubble Gum didn't realize that no matter what they chose, they were forced to follow this path. After all, Erin was so powerful and Canary refused to believe that Erin would let them off easily if they defied her. Even though Canary had thought of calling the cops while Erin wasn't aware, she eventually gave up on that thought. On one hand, the difference in strength between them was too huge and right now, they were like conscious hostages. On the other, Canary had to admit that she was interested in this to a certain degree.

It wasn't empty talk that Erin needed their help. Although Erin was able to speak to them using spiritual communications, she couldn't understand their language at all. It was due to this that Erin needed their help. This moon princess wasn't joking around.

The journey was much more peaceful than they had imagined.

There were no strange creatures that jumped out of the pitch-black rooms nor eerie ghosts that disturbed them. Under Erin's lead, the trio arrived at the central area of the facility.

"This is the place."

Erin puckered her brows. She placed her hand on her chin, narrowed her eyes and scanned the heavy, steel door on the ground that seemed to lead them into a long, vertical, and pitch-black tunnel.

"I can feel the heavy presence of Chaos down there."

"Hmm... what's this... is it possible that they placed the apostles in there?"

"Anyway, it shouldn't be a nuclear reactor down there."

Canary interrupted Mini Bubble Gum's frantic words and scanned the signs printed with 'Top Secret' and 'No Access'. After ensuring there wasn't any sign for radiation warning, she heaved a sigh of relief. In fact, Canary was also worried about the so-called presence of Chaos that Erin was searching for. If that was actually the nuclear reactor... could it be that Erin decided to destroy all of them? But it seemed like she didn't need to worry about this possibility, at the very least.

"But we can't open this thing..."

Since it was a top-secret, it was only right for it to be sealed by the heavy, steel door. But it was a pity that be it Canary or Mini Bubble Gum, they were only ordinary young ladies in reality. They were neither members of special forces with professional hacking skills like in the movies nor secret agents with special missions. It was only normal that they had no ways around this heavy, steel door.

But there was someone extraordinary here.

"Leave it to me."

Upon hearing Canary's response, Erin smiled and drifted forward. She gazed at the steel door, widened her mouth, and along with her action, a small ball of bright light like a certain coalesced power emerged.

The moon princess sucked in a deep breath of air...

At the next moment, a dazzling radiance flashed and eradicated all darkness. In an instant, the dark, gloomy ruins lit up. Even though there were no sounds, the glaring, white brilliance was enough to prove how powerful it was. The brightness dissipated after a few seconds and the heavy, steel door before them had vanished completely, leaving behind several pieces of fragments to prove its existence.

"..."

Looking at this scene, Canary and Mini Bubble Gum took in a breath of cold air. Even though they witnessed how powerful the moon princess was in the game, there would be no shock without contrast. Especially after personally witnessing this, they felt the might of an unprecedented and powerful strength.

"Alright then, let's go."

Erin had no reaction at all. She smiled, turned to the red emergency light that spun crazily due to the 'abnormal damage', and strolled into the steel tunnel. On the other hand, Mini Bubble Gum and Canary exchanged looks with each other before following her closely.

Even though there were also traces of damage in the steel tunnel, the damage was smaller than they expected, perhaps due to Erin holding back. Shortly after, the trio reached the bottom of the steel tunnel and as soon as they touched the ground, even Erin with her calm expression widened her eyes in astonishment.

"What is that..."

Mini Bubble Gum opened her eyes wide in surprise.

What presented before them was an enormous, oval hole laid with all sorts of mechanical devices. However, these weren't the most important details. What attracted their attention the most was the object imprisoned by three mechanical obelisks in the middle. That object looked like a one-meter-long rectangular black slate, spinning slowly in midair as a mysterious circle of a faint tint wrapped around it entirely.

"What is that thing?"

Canary knitted her brows and asked. She didn't remember seeing something similar to it in the game. Mini Bubble Gum shook her head and shifted her gaze to Erin. But facing their queries, Erin had no idea at all.

"How strange... I can feel the presence of Chaos and Order from it... what exactly is that?"

The trio stood before the black slate. Erin pondered in silence before extending her arm forward...

"————!"

At the same time, an ear-piercing voice erupted from deep inside their souls. Despite Canary and Mini Bubble Gum being clad in sealed spacesuits, they couldn't help but also hear the strange and unpleasant voice. They knitted their brows and shortly after, they realized the radiance surrounding the slate had brightened abruptly. Then, the shadows enveloping the ground and sky twisted and took shape into a terrifying life-form!

"Oh-no, they are Chaos Beasts!"

Looking at the creatures, Mini Bubble Gum shrieked in panic. At the same time, the Chaos Beasts snapped their jaws open and pounced on them furiously!

"Argh!"

Erin grimaced and extended her arm forward quickly. Along with her movement, a bright, star-like radiance erupted from her surroundings, instantly penetrating hundreds of Chaos Beasts. Then, the magical brilliance encircling her shone brighter, turning into a defensive shield that resisted their ambush.

But no one noticed that at the same time, a glaring halo erupted from the black slate and expanded to the surroundings.

Swish——!

As the radiance approached closer to them, Canary and Mini Bubble Gum discovered the scene before them changed completely!

The pitch-black, run-down ruins disappeared abruptly, only to be replaced with a world of red. The blazing heat struck their faces. The scarlet sky and dried land linked up to form a whole new world. The air consisting of death and heat coalesced into a most extreme evil that couldn't be dissolved in eternity.

"This is..."

"What's going on! Where is this damn place?! Where did those Chaos Beasts come from!"

Erin turned around in astonishment, only to realize a sacred beam of horizontal light had swept across and eradicated the Chaos Beasts. Then, the scorching blaze erupted and raged into the sky.

Chapter 1095: On the Other Side of Fate

"Bubble, Canary, what happened?"

Rhode knitted his brows and gazed at them dubiously. A few moments ago, the two young ladies who were in their slumber jumped up from the bed all of a sudden as though they had a nightmare. They widened their eyes in shock, gazing at him in disbelief. Before Rhode continued to speak, they suddenly pounced on him and grabbed each of his arms. Facing this bizarre reaction from them, Rhode was taken aback. As for the rest, they watched curiously and didn't know what to say. After all, their behavior was too peculiar.

"Rhode? What are you doing here? Where is this place? Am I dreaming?"

"Leader! It's really you, Leader!"

"What happened to you two?"

Facing the sudden inquiries, Rhode was at a total loss. As they were about to reach their destination, Rhode woke Canary and Mini Bubble Gum up to get ready. But he didn't expect them to freeze in place after waking up as though they were cursed and now, they even pounced on him? What exactly was going on?

As Rhode felt dubious, the two young ladies stopped their actions and felt a shiver down their spines. They raised their heads with baffled and dubious expressions. After scanning the surroundings curiously, they shook their heads.

"Huh? Leader... where's... the group of Chaos Beasts?"

"Chaos Beasts?"

Rhode felt ridiculous. He gazed at them helplessly, unable to figure out the situation. Could it be that traveling in hell for too long had given them a terrifying nightmare? After hearing his response, Mini Bubble Gum and Canary stared blankly at him. They looked around them, knitted their brows, and Mini Bubble Gum held her head in confusion.

"Huh? I recall losing my vision to the blinding light and being transported away to some ridiculous place... could it be that is just a misconception?"

"What place?"

"Oh, it looks like those ruins in sci-fi horror movies and there were so many Chaos Beasts pouncing on us. Even though I didn't know what was going on, I fought back nonetheless... hmm? There was also a glaring beam of light..."

"I had the same dream."

While Mini Bubble Gum was in a state of confusion, Canary said softly from beside her. She knitted her brows and lowered her gaze to her hands. There was nothing. But to Canary, the scene felt so surreal and she had even felt the sensation of the raging fire elements. That didn't feel like a dream at all.

"I saw all sorts of machines around me. I also met Her Highness Erin and there was a mysterious black slate floating in midair. Then, before I knew it, Chaos Beasts started charging toward us and we got into a battle... I remember eliminating the Chaos Beasts, then... hmm? That's strange. I recall a white light beam and we're back, it seems?"

"Yes, yes. I met Her Highness Erin too and it seemed like she was really surprised to meet us. She kept asking us what happened. That's really odd."

"Erin?"

Rhode was caught between laughter and tears. He couldn't imagine why Erin appeared in their dreams. If it were a man who appeared instead of her, perhaps Rhode might get a little jealous. But it was the moon princess instead... So what exactly was going on? Even both of them felt like this dream was too peculiar. They exchanged looks and saw the doubts in each other's eyes. No matter what, it was truly a mystery as to why they had the same dream. But even though it was a dream, they felt like it was filled with unspeakable realism.

"Are you two sure that you aren't in a daze?" Rhode asked, sizing up Mini Bubble Gum and Canary. Then, he shrugged and said, "Come to think of it, both of you have been acting really strange just now. I wanted to ask you to wake up but instead, you asked me a bunch of odd questions as though you haven't seen me in a long time. Before I was able to answer, you returned to your senses... could it be that you're really in a daze?"

"..."

Upon hearing Rhode's response, Canary puckered her brows. After pondering for a few moments, she looked at him and asked.

"Just now, huh... how long did it happen for?"

"Hmm... less than a minute?"

"Was I really in a daze? I recall fighting the Chaos Beasts in that strange place for more than 10 minutes..." Upon hearing Rhode's answer, Mini Bubble Gum puckered her brows and scratched her head in confusion. But shortly after, she shrugged and tossed this matter to the back of her head. "Forget it, it isn't anything important, anyway. But that ridiculous dream was kinda interesting though. Frankly, I sure am curious as to what that place is all about. Perhaps I may get to meet something fun."

"Uh... is it really just a dream? Why do I feel like something isn't right..."

Compared to the careless Mini Bubble Gum, Canary was much more dubious of the entire situation. But after some serious thoughts, she eventually decided to leave this matter aside. Judging this odd situation, Rhode shrugged in confusion. In fact, he had also realized that something was amiss. Even though it was indeed Mini Bubble Gum and Canary sitting before him, for some unknown reason, he felt like the situation wasn't as simple as them being in a daze. Not to mention, the chance of them having the same dream was also extremely small. The auras that they exuded seemed to be different than usual too. But as to where exactly had gone wrong, he couldn't pinpoint it...

Forget it, now isn't the time for this.

At this thought, Rhode focused his attention and patted their heads.

"Alright, stop thinking about this strange incident for now. We have proper things to do. We're arriving at our destination soon, so get ready."

Rhode spoke, lifting his head and gazing at the red land before him. At this moment, the River Styx was flowing forward in the void. As usual, the ferryman took control, rowing the ferry with both hands on the long pole. Shortly after, the ferry changed its direction steadily and turned the curve ahead.

At the next moment, the world changed.

A murky, chaotic hue of red enfolded the sky and land, making it extremely difficult for one to distinguish between heaven and earth. Lifting one's head and gazing at the sky, the bright red, scorching sun was no longer there. One could only see vast stretches of turbid red mixed together like various paints smeared onto the land. Winds blew the sand wildly and no one could see the path ahead. This was the highest point of the innumerable planes in the Bottomless Abyss. A deserted and barren land, and also the center point of the bloodbath. Countless devils, demons, and other participants in the bloodbath arrived here like moths flying into the flame. Death was their only fate. This was the Rift Plain. The plain of bloodbaths.

The quiet-flowing River Styx was the only presence of Order. Lifting one's head, one could see the dense black dots inking in the scarlet sky. Those were groups of devils. On the spread of land, the city flickering in a metallic shine and the pitch-black, major gap constituted the only two sceneries that remained constant on the Rift Plain.

This was also the destination of Rhode's group.

The ferry approached the shore gradually. The ferryman extended his arm to wipe off the cold sweat on his forehead. He turned around and gazed at the passengers cautiously. As one of the ferrymen of the River Styx, this was his first time being so unfortunate. All along, intimidating passengers was a pleasure for ferrymen of the River Styx. But he didn't expect this day where he would be terrified by someone. The powerful strength of these passengers exceeded his expectations completely. As of now, he no longer had the intention of taking advantage of them. Instead, he was secretly praying for them to not cause any more troubles for him. After all, it was a luxury for one who came to explore the underworld to have a conscience.

"Alright, everyone. This is the Rift Plain. According to our agreement, even though the journey isn't all that smooth, I've brought you to your destination safely. Alright then, this is goodbye."

After bidding farewell mechanically, the ferryman rowed the ferry and drifted down the flow of the River Styx. The ferrymen lived on the River Styx forever and would never leave this river filled with death.

After the ferryman left, everyone shifted their gaze to the land. For Rhode, Canary, and Mini Bubble Gum who had come to the abyss in the past successfully, they had no reaction at all. As for Cheryl and Celestina, they seemed rather tense. The former was an ordinary elf, while the latter resided in hell and seldom came to the abyss. Although there was a certain amount of Order here at the highest floor of the unlimited planes, the chaotic aura of the abyss made them uncomfortable. Of course, the reason for the discomfort varied between them entirely.

"Alright, let's get going."

Gazing at the Rift Plain, Rhode pondered in silence, before giving an order.

Chapter 1096: Fated Accident

"Erm... Your Majesty, may I know how much longer will it take before we arrive at Desolate Town?"

Panting as she followed everyone from the back, Cheryl couldn't hold in her most curious question anymore. She knew that she had the least authority to ask this question among this group of formidable beings. Also, she was only a burden to them and the reason why Rhode was willing to bring her along was just because it was along the way for them. This temptation was huge for her. Only people who personally lived in hell understood how precious peace, hope, and kindness were. Even though she was only an elf who was ill-treated in the Country of Light, compared to the dangers in hell, the malice of the main plane was nothing in comparison...

Cheryl was hesitant about it. After all, this wasn't her original mission. But now, she couldn't help but ask because everything before her eyes were too bizarre!

Of course, she had heard more or less about their destination. Desolate Town wasn't an obscure place in the underworld. But even though their destination was clear, the direction where Rhode's group was heading to wasn't 'clear' at all. In Cheryl's eyes, they were heading left, right, straight, and sometimes even backward! There were a few times when Rhode headed back to where he came from without speaking a word and turned the corner that led to another place as though he had taken the wrong route. But despite that, no one raised any objections. They followed his orders completely as though it didn't concern them. There were several times when Cheryl felt like they were even walking in circles.

Are we really able to reach our destination this way?

"Don't worry, Miss Cheryl. We will be there when it is time."

Unlike the worried young elf lady, Rhode sauntered casually, gazing at the pitch-black shadow in the distance with narrowed eyes. That was where Desolate Town stood. If Cheryl walked ahead of the group, she would discover that no matter which direction Rhode took, even if he turned around entirely, the presence of Desolate Town would forever be in front of him.

"This is Bottomless Abyss, Miss Cheryl."

At this moment, Stefania who walked alongside Cheryl explained with a kind smile.

"Even though this is the highest floor of Bottomless Abyss, this place has no Order, after all. Here, rules in hell don't apply and one is unable to determine one's direction by bearing like on the main plane. Be it a city or fortress, its position is moving constantly, which is why we are not searching and are just following it. Besides, time and distance have no meaning here. We can't be sure of the amount of time we need to reach our destination. All in all, as long as we keep moving, we will reach our destination at the most appropriate time."

"Is... that so?"

Cheryl, who didn't have any experience in traveling across planes, turned pale. She widened her eyes speechlessly. This bizarre situation was totally illogical. If she didn't encounter this herself, she would never believe that such a world existed.

According to Miss Stefania, we will reach our destination at the most appropriate time. In that case, why are we still wandering about? Maybe if we take a break, we will reach our destination after opening our eyes. Does such a strange world truly exist?

Even though Cheryl was dubious, reality quickly overthrew her final doubt.

"We're here."

As she puckered her brows and pondered, Rhode suddenly came to a halt and turned to the corner on the left. Upon hearing him, Cheryl turned to where he was facing and widened her eyes in astonishment. A fortress had emerged in the wild, sandy land.

Desolate Town.

Even though one might think that Desolate Town was like those small towns in the main plane, as a matter of fact, it was a huge fortress city made of stone and steel. But it was a pity that this fortress wasn't as orderly as the demons' Steel Fortress. Although it was just barely in order, the state of the city walls was a complete mess. Looking from a distance, the fortress looked like a child's carefree game of block building. No matter how the overall look of the blocks stacked on each other turned out to be, it would be enough as long as it resembled a fortress.

And that was the case for Desolate Town.

"What in the world? Leader, let's do it."

Gazing at the chaotic group of devils by the entrance, Mini Bubble Gum raised her spirits instantly. She squinted, clenched her tiny fists, and revealed an excited smile. This reaction of hers was entirely a sign of her about to attack. But...

"Hmm?"

At this moment, she was taken aback. Her expression changed slightly as she stretched out her arm and emanated a pure, white radiance from her hand. But compared to the holy brilliance she usually released in the past, this time the radiance seemed more... dull?

"Leader, there's a problem..."

"What's wrong?"

Upon hearing Mini Bubble Gum's sudden, lowered voice, Rhode stared blankly at her. In fact, he was prepared to send Mini Bubble Gum out to greet the beings ahead. Although Rhode came to Desolate Town to 'fulfill' his agreement with Asmodeus, it was an entirely different matter as to how he executed it. But now, the excited and joyous Mini Bubble Gum 'calmed' down all of a sudden and this surprised him.

"My power..."

Mini Bubble Gum clenched her fists. Although along with her action, the pure white, sacred radiance grew brighter, it seemed like she had to expend a lot of strength to do it.

"My strength has weakened!"

"... Huh?"

Upon hearing her response, Rhode was in disbelief. He extended his arm quickly and opened the system interface, searching for her name in the name list and looking at her attributes. But there didn't seem to be anything wrong with them; her level and attributes remained the same. Could it be due to her entering the abyss? What kind of joke was this? Mini Bubble Gum was always healthy and active and now, her power had suddenly weakened?

"What exactly is going on?"

In an instant, Rhode was bewildered. He felt like the situation was too unusual. Even though it was possible for players to feel weak and burnout after playing a game for too long, Mini Bubble Gum didn't seem like she was in one. This little fella was more eager than everyone else and had no lack of initiatives. Could it be that they had fallen into some unknown trap?

At this thought, Rhode ran through his power immediately. Everything was as per usual. As for the rest...

"Everyone, check your power too!"

Upon hearing Rhode's command, everyone began experimenting. It was apparent that they also felt like the situation was too bizarre. After a few moments, Rhode received their answers.

"No issues with me."

Celestina lifted her head and said proudly.

"Me too... Master, my strength is fine."

Celia glanced at Mini Bubble Gum worriedly and answered. Lesa who was standing beside her didn't say a word as she simply nodded. It was apparent that everything was fine with her too. Then, Stefania and Cheryl also responded.

"I'm fine too, Your Majesty Rhode."

"M-Me too, Your Majesty. Even though they are running a little disorderly... there isn't a problem with my strength."

What is this strange occurrence...

After hearing their responses, Rhode turned to Mini Bubble Gum with an odd look. If Celia, Lesa, and the rest were affected, perhaps he would suspect that there was a problem with his system interface that possibly led to issues with the card system and Phantom Guardians. However, Lesa was fine and even though she wasn't a Phantom Guardian, she was still a projection based on the same system. In fact, Rhode wasn't surprised that everything went well with Stefania too because it would truly be strange if a plane merchant like her couldn't handle such situations. On the other hand, an elf mage in the Peak Master Stage like Cheryl also wasn't affected. This meant that his group of formidable beings couldn't possibly be affected by some seal traps. If not, it didn't make sense for Cheryl to escape, while Mini Bubble Gum fell for it. Moreover, Mini Bubble Gum was a cleric who was more sensitive to any negative effects. At this moment, before Rhode figured out the situation, he heard another bothersome answer.

"Rhode, my strength seems to be weakening too..."

"... What's going on?"

Gazing at Canary, Rhode was completely speechless.

"In other words... both of your strengths are declining?"

"Rather than declining... it is more like a part of them has disappeared..."

Mini Bubble Gum puckered her brows and clenched her fists.

"How should I put it? I can easily crush a group of devils with one punch. But now, I may need to gather more strength to do the same. As for the BOSSES... Urgh, Leader, it may perhaps be too tough for me alone, especially the high-level ones."

"Me too. Even though there aren't many problems with my high-level spells, some of my low-level spells have been weakened."

"Weakened?"

Rhode's expression turned odd. Of course, he knew that players would 'give up' some low-level skills due to the lack of skill points. But when one reached his or Canary's level, the skill points were allocated accordingly based on their experience. They couldn't possibly be canceled or weakened at all.

"No, perhaps I should say that... the skills are weakened, but I don't know where they've gone to..."

Perhaps due to the fact that others were present, Canary didn't clarify the situation. However, Rhode understood what she meant because they were currently using the player system. The usage of skills including magic and spiritual spells was the same. But the problem was that these spells had to be within their specializations. The damage of skills was in accordance to their mastery level. Take Canary, for instance. She was a mage specializing in fire and wind, so the highest mastery level of her 'fireball' spell could reach Grade SSS. The ultimate damage of her 'fireball' spell was based on the mastery level of Grade SSS and her attribute values. These skills needed skill points to increase mastery levels. Rhode also experienced the same thing when he started leveling up. To any top player, it was essential to master the technique of not wasting skill points. At level 85, which was the level cap, they knew thoroughly about their attributes and skill point allocation.

But now, according to Canary, it seemed like her 'fireball' spell that was supposed to be Grade SSS was lowered to Grade AAA for no apparent reason. The skill points that were used to strengthen its mastery seemed to have disappeared without a trace.

After scanning through both of their attributes, Rhode confirmed that all their skills were lowered by one to two levels on average. Fortunately, they were powerful to begin with and Mini Bubble Gum could still defeat a group of devils with three punches.

However, although it didn't affect them much, Rhode puckered his brows in doubt because the situation was too weird. He had never seen mastery levels of skills dropping all of a sudden, be it in the game or reality. For this to happen all of a sudden, it made him somewhat concerned.

"Seems like we need another plan."

Although they could still continue with their initial plan, Rhode felt the urgency to change his plans as it was simply too peculiar.

Chapter 1097: Desolate Town

Red Shroud didn't have a great time during this period.

She was the owner of Desolate Town, the daughter of the succubus queen, and also a powerful spell-caster. She had ruled Desolate Town for thousands of years and could also be said to be one of the well-deserved, powerful beings of this land. Besides, as a succubus, she had outstanding wisdom and bewitching charm. She was also one among her race who uncharacteristically wouldn't mess things up due to her chaotic nature. She ran Desolate Town meticulously and made it the most notable hub in the Rift Plain. Judging from her achievements, she was indeed unique in her own ways.

But now, she was in a pinch.

The reason was simple. Grazite, one of her allies, who she had worked with for countless years, had fallen from power all of a sudden. Grazite was playful by nature and had a record of being imprisoned by humans in the past. But this time, it apparently wasn't as simple as being imprisoned. Grazite's plane of existence began to crumble and his palace was completely destroyed. All of these proved one thing: Grazite was entirely done for. This and also due to the 'geographical location' of Desolate Town (even though it didn't make sense to use this term in the abyss) left Red Shroud in a difficult situation. Desolate Town was always being spied on by devils and even though Red Shroud was powerful, she didn't have an endless source of power. Although she dominated Desolate Town and the formidable devils, as a matter of fact, Grazite's protection over Desolate Town was one of the main reasons it was able to remain in peace over the years. Without Grazite's flag, perhaps Red Shroud's Desolate Town wouldn't survive from the devils for that long.

But now, Grazite was completely doomed and the blissful life of Red Shroud had reached the end.

The biggest reason why Red Shroud and Grazite worked well together was because they were similar to demons to a certain degree. They were able to trust and collaborate to a limited extent and didn't need to worry about each other breaching the contract. But it was different with other devils. Even though there were plenty of powerful devils in Bottomless Abyss, Red Shroud wasn't sure if asking them for help was a good idea because among them were Grazite's mortal enemies who weren't willing to help her. On the contrary, they might even take over Desolate Town and toss Red Shroud aside immediately. But this wasn't the worst outcome. If Red Shroud died in the process, she would be totally speechless. Although some devils had strong and massive forces, they weren't concerned about the Rift Plain because they lived too deep down the abyss. Even if they were concerned, they were out of reach. Therefore, they weren't interested in Red Shroud's proposal at all. Even though some were delighted to work with her, Red Shroud didn't feel like they were trustworthy. Due to this reason, she had been in a headache ever since Grazite fell in power.

As of now, Red Shroud didn't dare to leave Desolate Town anymore. In the past, she left for a period of time to attend to some matters and as a result, her home was almost demolished by devils. In the end, she had no choice but to stay behind and maintain the operations of the place. What gave her a bigger headache was that as the number of ambushes from devils increased, the 'amount of traffic' to Desolate Town also declined. After all, the reason why everyone chose this place as the hub was because the Rift Plain was a rare land of 'peace'. At least they didn't need to worry about being slaughtered by devils while roaming the streets. But now, this place wasn't safe any longer and they lost most interest in it.

This left Red Shroud in a thorny situation. The reason why she was able to rule Desolate Town for so long was that apart from her powerful subordinates, she also had some methods to 'lure' inhabitants who came to the underworld to fight for her. As a matter of fact, there was no lack of beings who were exhausted from the bloodbaths, trying to find a steady place to recharge themselves. As long as Red Shroud 'recruited' them to defend Desolate Town and provided them a certain amount of beneficial facilities, she could 'rope in' their firepower. Since these foreign beings managed to arrive at the Rift Plain, it meant that they were certainly powerful. But now? Not only did the number of visitors decline, but some were also trying to leave!

This was definitely bad news for Red Shroud...

But as this pitiful succubus was pondering about the predicament, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a trail of white radiance.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lesa raised the staff high in the air and pointed forward. Along with her action, a dozen rays of glaring light descended from above like shooting stars. Before the devils reacted in self-defense, they were bombarded by the berserk attack and turned into ashes.

"Ugh..."

Gazing at this scene, Mini Bubble Gum couldn't help but turn slightly pale.

"What's wrong, Bubble?"

Upon realizing the discomfort on her face, Canary asked with knitted brows. Normally, it should have been Canary and Bubble who led the attacks. But due to the sudden loss of strength, Rhode had no choice but to act more cautiously. He changed his plans at the very last minute and pushed Lesa to take the stage instead. As for Cheryl and Stefania... it was none of the former's business, while the latter happened to be around and was watching from the back. Rhode had no high hopes for her since it was normal for plane merchants to not be involved in battles. The fact that she helped to connect him with the crucial parties was kind enough of her.

"I just realized... so powerful."

"...?"

Upon hearing Mini Bubble Gum's words, Canary blinked dubiously and followed her gaze. Then, she realized that Mini Bubble Gum wasn't staring at the group of devils, but Lesa who stood in the front.

Lesa didn't realize they were speaking about her. Or perhaps she wouldn't have any reaction even if she knew. After demolishing the devils who tried to stop her in one attack, this young lady in a white robe clutched and struck the bottom of the staff to the ground abruptly. Shortly after, a golden shield appeared over them and resisted the scattering fireballs thrown by the devils. White rays of light erupted with her standing in the middle all of a sudden and turned into a magical ritual like a running clock. The instant the devils fluttered their wings and entered the range of the magical ritual, they suddenly came to a halt and froze like sculptures for a second. On the other hand, Celestina grunted and lashed out the steel chain sword that resembled a viper ferociously. The devils regained their freedom quickly, but the black flames had arrived before them. At the next moment, in a series of loud wails, the devils were engulfed in black flames, before vanishing entirely.

Even though Lesa's movements were small and gentle, Mini Bubble Gum and Canary witnessed clearly that she had used one of the most powerful spells of Order: Time Stop!

They had to admit that Lesa's strength was a mystery to even the people around Rhode.

As the guardian of the Astral Temple, Lesa spent most of her time in it. Her job was to look after the heroic spirits that Rhode summoned and ensure that they didn't cause any troubles. It might sound simple, but it wasn't easy at all. Although battle angels and elves were relatively lawful, demons were a hard bunch to deal with. But under Lesa's watchful eyes, there were no clashes between the unique races and they were living peacefully with one another. Based on this fact, it was clear how capable Lesa was. Since she was the psychic of the Astral Temple, it was expected of her to more or less be this capable.

However, Lesa's usual performance seemed too harmless and overly-puzzling. She basically spent all her time praying in the Astral Temple and would only follow Rhode whenever he summoned her. Besides, this docile psychic had never defied his orders. As Mini Bubble Gum, Canary, and the rest were often by Rhode's side, Lesa was most commonly used by him as a 'large-scale teleportation tool'. Due to this reason, they didn't know that this quiet psychic who had been quietly following Rhode at the back was so powerful!

After being repelled by Lesa and Celestina, the devils changed their initial strategy and dispersed to two sides quickly. At the same time, the space began to tremble. Facing this sudden change in situation and enemies who launched their attacks without speaking a word, the devils weren't surprised. In the abyss, it was rare for both sides to get in a battle with reasons!

Shortly after, as the space trembled, five six-armed snake devils emerged out of the voids. They swung their arms with glistening blades in hands. The razor-sharp, ice-cold aggression was so strong that one couldn't look straight at them.

But in the face of the menacing blade rays, Lesa had no reaction at all. She raised the staff high and chanted a string of curses melodiously. In the blink of an eye, she pointed the staff forward and swept it across horizontally. In this movement, swords coalesced from white radiances appeared above her and burst out at the mighty six-armed snake devils, skewering them altogether.

"Woah..."

Judging Lesa's performance, Mini Bubble Gum hugged her head in agony as though she was the one being penetrated by the light swords. Canary became increasingly confused. But as she turned to Mini Bubble Gum, she understood what she was feeling distressed about immediately. All this while, Mini Bubble Gum felt really proud of her position beside Rhode because in her perspective, her position was unique. In this area, no one could compete with her and that was actually the truth. But now, the situation had taken a turn. Lesa wasn't a player, but was a psychic of Astral Temple. According to the rules of the Dragon Soul Continent, NPCs generally possessed subclasses that not even professional players could have. For example, Lesa was in the 'psychic' class and also the 'cleric' and 'Order mage' subclasses. Judging from this point, Lesa was indeed the definition of being capable of attacking and defending perfectly. Upon facing attacks, she used her spiritual spells as a cleric for defense and healing. When she attacked, she used the spells of Order. It was especially so for the high-level spell that manipulated time, which was like a powerful bug in the system!

Besides, Lesa was adorable, gentle, quiet, and lovable; it was just that she seldom showed up in front of everyone. But she was one of Rhode's subordinates, after all. If Rhode were to bring her to bed, there wouldn't be an issue at all.

If it were in the past, Mini Bubble Gum definitely wouldn't mind at all. But as her strength declined, she officially began to worry about such problems. Her position might be replaced by Lesa!

It's about time now.

But right now, Rhode didn't know what was going through Mini Bubble Gum's head. He sensed the surging evil aura from before him and smiled because he had already sensed something brewing within Desolate Town.

Now!

At this thought, Rhode held his hilt abruptly.

Then, the incomparable dragon's prestige erupted from his body. An enormous and translucent image of a Void Dragon appeared behind him all of a sudden, enveloping the entire sky!

Chapter 1098: Rhode's Request

"This is..."

Red Shroud jumped to her feet. She lifted her head in astonishment and gazed at the gigantic, expanded wings that enfolded almost half the sky. The powerful, omnipresent dragon's prestige was so powerful that even she couldn't help but shiver. That was unlike the aura from demons that were 'oppressed by social class'. Instead, it was more like a pure, massive strength as though tiny humans standing by the shore and witnessing a tsunami crashing toward them. Other than lamenting the majestic power of nature, they couldn't even escape. Their strength and presence were so strong that not even the devils were brave enough to step forward rashly. Perhaps they snorted disdainfully at 'social class', but they knew clearly that they should avoid the blazing sun as much as possible to avoid being burnt to a crisp. After all, devils weren't fools.

As the owner of Desolate Town, Red Shroud knew how massive the aura was. It could also be said that perhaps even the aged creatures in the abyss didn't possess such formidable strength. But now, this powerful being had arrived and came knocking on her door. This left her extremely terrified. She didn't know when she had offended such a formidable being. Could it be that one of the lords in Bottomless Abyss decided to head up to catch a breath? But this didn't make sense. Bottomless Abyss wasn't a tall building with elevators. In fact, the journey through the plane of existences was usually completed by powerful beings because it would expend a huge amount of their power. When one was as powerful as them, it wasn't surprising to have mortal enemies eyeing covetously, ready to kill them from the back. It was the same for Grazite. He was the mastermind behind the scenes and didn't expect to be dragged to the main plane by Rhode through the summoning ritual and eventually be killed. It was truly an unexpected disaster for him.

As of now, the entire Bottomless Abyss was debating as to how Grazite was murdered. It was apparent that he wasn't killed by other abyssal lords because the murderers would be acting all high and mighty by now. On the other hand, Grazite was cunning by nature and shouldn't face such an issue at all. From the start, many abyssal lords believed that this was a trap set by Grazite. But in the end, they discovered his death and began to worry about any mishaps in the situation. One had to admit that they were living a rather tiring life...

"Oh-no-no, I didn't expect the renowned Your Highness Red Shroud to show such an expression."

At this moment, a voice sounded all of a sudden and startled Red Shroud. She raised the staff quickly and pointed it toward the direction of the voice. Then, she witnessed a young lady clad in a black coat and long, triangular hat standing by the corner of the walls and gazing at her. How did she enter? This place is protected by my defensive enchanted field!

"Who are you?"

"Greetings, respectful Highness Red Shroud." Facing Red Shroud's unkind query, the young lady seemed extremely calm. She bowed casually and said, "I'm Stefania, a plane merchant. Yes... this time I'm here to represent my client to... communicate with you."

"Communicate?"

Upon hearing this untimely term, Red Shroud knitted her brows. Of course, she was aware of the existence of plane merchants. In fact, the development of Desolate Town also relied a lot upon the plane merchants. If not, she wouldn't be able to purchase sufficient food and water. Growing food in the abyss was truly a technical work.

But at this moment, the plane merchant's intention left Red Shroud on the alert. No matter what, her Desolate Town was under the control of a massive aura and pressure that even she felt as though a huge boulder were crushing on her, leaving her breathless. Gazing out the window, the situation was even more startling. The devils were either half-knelt on the ground or not moving like sculptures. On the other hand, the mercenaries who she spent money grooming didn't stand a chance at all. Judging from their reactions, they seemed like white little rabbits hugging heads in the face of big, bad wolves, waiting for death to fall upon them!

Of course, Red Shroud didn't know that if Rhode alone or any other Creator Dragons were to exude their dragon's prestige, they could restrain the devils to a certain degree but never to this extent. But the problem was that Rhode wasn't alone now. His younger sister was around to assist him despite not having a physical body. Even though she was only a soul fragment that wasn't too useful in actual battles, no one had more authority than her in terms of releasing the dragon's prestige as a Creator Dragon. At this moment, the terrifying aura that Red Shroud felt was from both Rhode and his younger sister. It seemed like his younger sister's skill in 'bluffing' was at the maximum, at the very least.

"Yes, I'm sure you've experienced my client's strength."

Upon hearing Stefania's comment, Red Shroud puckered her brows. She gazed at Stefania vigilantly, but didn't say a word. It seemed to her that this plane merchant was sent by that powerful being outside. But even though the situation was critical to Red Shroud, she wasn't feeling that tense. The reason was simple. One with that much strength could rely on one's strength to make her give in. But now, apart from symbolically destroying her forces and displaying his prestige, there weren't other indications from him. Not only that, but he had also sent in a representative plane merchant to communicate on his behalf and didn't show up himself... Red Shroud wasn't a fool. She understood that he definitely had other intentions by doing so!

"May I know who exactly is your client? I've never seen anyone so powerful in the abyss."

"Ah, that's no secret."

Stefania seemed to have no intention of keeping the identity of her employer a secret. After hearing Red Shroud's response, she spoke immediately.

"My client is the ruler of the Dragon Soul Continent, the Void Dragon, His Majesty Rhode... I suppose you're not unfamiliar with this name, Your Highness Red Shroud?"

"Void Dragon?"

Red Shroud was taken aback. But the first thought that came up in her mind was: What is he doing here?

As everyone knew, there was no favorable relationship between the main plane and Bottomless Abyss. But Red Shroud wasn't concerned about the matters going on in the main plane as running Desolate Town and facing the bloodbaths was enough trouble for her. As for crucial issues of the relationship between the main plane and abyss, as well as the war between Order and Chaos, Red Shroud felt like it was better off leaving it to the abyssal lords to worry about them. She felt accomplished if she could manage her own turf well. So now, upon hearing that the Void Dragon was here, she felt that it was ridiculous. After all, she didn't have anything much to do with the main plane, so what was worthy of the Void Dragon coming down personally? Could it be that her subordinates accidentally captured his men? But that wouldn't require the Void Dragon to take matters into his own hands, would it? At this thought, Red Shroud was increasingly puzzled. After all, it was worlds apart between the main plane and Desolate Town. There might be several inhabitants from the main plane living in Desolate Town, but they... shouldn't have anything to do with someone like the Void Dragon, right?

But Red Shroud didn't say much. She knew that since the Void Dragon was here personally, he must have something important to discuss with her. Besides, he had also appointed a neutral party in the form of the reputable and trustworthy plane merchant for communications. This proved the intentions of the Void Dragon. Could it be that he decided to get the main plane involved in the bloodbath and resist the abyss? Red Shroud felt like the possibilities weren't high because it was dangerous and risky to head to the main plane from the abyss. Besides, several 'main routes' had to go through hell. In fact, with hell taking the blow for the main plane, the choices that devils could make were extremely limited. And as the absolute dominator of the main plane, it was only normal to sit this one out and reap the spoils later. Why must the Void Dragon get involved in the dirty work himself? Was there something wrong with his head?

"This was what happened, Your Highness Red Shroud. I will get straight to the point. There is only one reason for His Majesty Rhode to be here."

Strolling toward the window, Stefania smiled and gazed at the city of steel.

"Desolate Town."

"..."

Red Shroud was in shock. She knew that there was definitely no good news for the ruler of the main plane to be here. If not, would he even need to show up personally? But now... could it be that he needed her to give away Desolate Town?

"His Majesty Rhode only has one simple request and it is something that you can definitely achieve, Your Highness Red Shroud. It requires only a slight effort from your part."

Stefania spoke, revealing the merchant smile that appeared when selling goods, like she was introducing the value of her goods. But for some unknown reason, Red Shroud had a bad feeling deep in her heart. At the next moment, the bad feeling was confirmed.

"His Majesty Rhode hopes for all devils to disappear from Desolate Town."

Gazing at Red Shroud's expression, Stefania said with a grin.

Chapter 1099: Two Intertwining Poles

What just happened?

After the radiance dissipated, the two young ladies exchanged looks with each other. A few seconds ago, they were in a scarlet world that resembled hell. But at the next moment, they returned to this pitch-black, terrifying space. Unlike earlier, the menacing Chaos Beasts were nowhere to be seen. Not only that, but the entire space had also scattered with machine parts. The perfectly preserved machines from before had turned into metal scraps as though the place were bombarded.

"This is..." Mini Bubble Gum looked at her surroundings and gasped. But shortly after, she recalled something and turned around abruptly, grabbing Canary by the arm. "Big Sister, we saw Leader just now! It's Leader, right?!"

"Ah... Yes..."

Facing Mini Bubble Gum's sudden questioning, Canary was startled. Then, she nodded hesitantly. Indeed, they saw Rhode just now and Canary could still feel the warm touch on her hand. They were so close with Rhode, so there was no mistaking it. But if it was only an illusion, wasn't it too vivid for it? What exactly did they encounter?

"Miss Canary? Miss Bubble? Are you two alright?"

Erin went up to them curiously and asked. However, Canary and Mini Bubble Gum didn't realize that the moon princess's eyes were glinting dubiously and curiously at the same time. They weren't aware of this fact, but Erin was certain that when the Chaos Beasts attacked them earlier, Mini Bubble Gum and Canary had as though woken up abruptly from their nightmares and immediately retaliated against the Chaos Beasts. At that moment, Erin discovered that they were no longer ordinary humans. Instead, they returned to being the formidable humans who followed Rhode around, just like in her impression. But what left her dubious was that they didn't seem to know why they were here, as though they were totally another person.

Although Erin had a lot of doubts, the Chaos Beasts were equally hard to deal with. That was why she didn't ask too many questions and quickly countered the enemies with them. As the trio combined their strength, they wiped out the enemies cleanly. But at that moment, Erin saw the black slate erupting another blast of glaring light and the two active young ladies in battle instantly stopped moving.

Not only that, but also when Erin leaned in to check on them, they were like lifeless corpses and their souls had as though disappeared from their bodies! This phenomenon bewildered Erin, leaving her at a total loss. But all of a sudden, they 'revived' before her eyes and judging from their behavior, they didn't seem to remember everything that they had done.

This is interesting... what has exactly happened?

"W-We're fine, Your Highness Erin..."

Facing Erin's concern, Canary didn't know what to say. Her head was in a complete mess. If it were in the past, perhaps she would treat it as just a hallucination or that she was under too much mental pressure. But now, as she gazed at Erin before her, she couldn't lay down the doubt in her mind. After all, even a character who belonged to a game came to the real world, so what was there to be impossible?

"Let's leave this place."

Although Erin had a lot of doubts, she didn't show her feelings. After all, Canary and Mini Bubble Gum really seemed like they knew nothing. If Erin were to continue questioning them, perhaps she might make the situation even more chaotic. Therefore, Erin decided to temporarily put this matter aside. She turned around, strolled to the black slate, and scanned it from top to bottom. Then, she extended her arm and lifted it up. This time, nothing strange happened. She held the black slate, turned her hand around, and put it away in her bag. She had a hunch that perhaps this black slate was the key to solving the mystery.

———!

At the same time, bright rays of light shone from the openings above, enfolding Erin, Canary, and Mini Bubble Gum entirely. Upon witnessing the radiance, the trio turned around in astonishment and witnessed a dozen heavily-armored soldiers charging out from the openings. After spotting the three of them, the soldiers were startled. They raised their rifles and aimed at them quickly.

"Ahh... we're in trouble."

Canary let out a sigh at this scene. This was what she was afraid of. As an ordinary, university freshman, she was a so-called darling. Not to mention the police, she didn't even cause trouble for teachers. But now, she was in trouble with foreign soldiers? Argh... this escalated too quickly!

"...!"

The heavily-armored soldiers lifted their weapons, snarling and aiming at Canary and Mini Bubble Gum. Looking at this scene, the flustered Canary and Mini Bubble Gum raised their hands subconsciously. No matter what, they were only civilians, and it wasn't possible for them to not be afraid with rifles pointing at them with their black muzzles. As soon as they raised their hands, the soldiers seemed to let loose a little and didn't continue to pressurize them. But... the problem was that not everyone was as submissive as the two young ladies!

Facing the soldiers who brazenly stopped them, Erin grimaced and stood in front of Canary and Mini Bubble Gum, which instantly baffled the soldiers. Well, they couldn't be blamed. Apart from Erin's beautiful appearance, her dress up was also alarming. Although modern technologies allowed humans to build bases on the moon, it didn't mean that they could do as they pleased. Facing the harsh environment on the moon, humans had to wear spacesuits in order to survive the terrifying conditions. But now, this young lady stood before them without being protected by space equipment at all.

Is she even a human?!

From a certain angle... Erin wasn't actually a human.

But Erin wasn't in the mood to care about their thoughts. She knew that these people attacked her earlier on and they were clearly threatening her too. Moreover, they were related to this slate, so they were most likely lackeys of Chaos! At this thought, Erin said no more. She swung her right hand straightaway and along with her movement, dazzling magical radiance appeared abruptly around her one by one, forming an elegant and massive magical ritual. Looking at the dreamy magical brilliance, the soldiers were distraught. They had never seen anything like this in their whole lives. They raised their rifles, pointed at Erin, and fired.

"Ahhh!"

Canary and Mini Bubble Gum were horrified. Even though they were almighty in the game, it was entirely different for them in reality. Even though one was a thief who robbed a car in the game, it didn't mean that one could rob a bank in real life successfully! Therefore, facing the soldiers, the two young ladies panicked. Mini Bubble Gum had even extended her arm before her subconsciously.

But at the next moment, the situation took a sudden turn.

Along with Mini Bubble Gum's action, dazzling golden rays of light erupted from her palm, turning into a translucent barrier that enfolded the trio. As the rifles fired, the thin, mirror-like defensive barrier deflected all the bullets! Meanwhile, Erin pointed her right finger forward and suddenly, a dozen magical breams burst out of her fingertip. There was no playing with the moon princess's strength. Even though it wasn't an all-out attack from her, it was enough to blast them away entirely, not to mention they were on the moon with lesser gravity!

"B-Bubble?"

Canary widened her eyes in disbelief at the defensive barrier before her. Of course, she knew what that was. It was the sacred shield of a cleric! But... that was a skill in the game, so why was Bubble able to cast it?

"Huh? Huh? Huh??"

Upon realizing what she did, Bubble was flabbergasted. She spread her arms apart curiously and along with her action, two circles of holy white light emerged! Then, the two white circles overlapped and enveloped the trio swiftly. As soon as they were shrouded by the white light circle, Canary felt her body becoming incredibly nimble. The heavy and clumsy spacesuit on her was as though non-existent. Not only that, but her head also felt unprecedentedly clear. She saw through the enemies' movements and even read their thoughts!

This is... a spiritual spell?!

"Oh-oh-oh, Big Sister, I can use my spiritual spell now!!!"

Spiritual spell? How is that possible?

Canary turned to Mini Bubble Gum beside her, before shifting her gaze to her hands. Shortly after, she felt warm energy flowing from her heart to other parts of her body through blood vessels. Then, she was astounded to all of a sudden witness two small fireballs coalesce in the middle of her palms!

"This... this is..."

Staring blankly at the fireballs, Canary's head went blank. She no longer knew how to face everything that was happening right now. Was this a dream or reality? She was just an ordinary student, so how could she possess such mystical strength? Before she figured out what happened, dazzling lights shone from the shattered openings once again and several soldiers arrived as reinforcements. They raised their weapons and aimed at the intruders before them, pulling the trigger.

Meanwhile, perhaps due to her human instincts to survive, Canary had as though returned to the game as she turned around and pulled a distance apart from the soldiers. She moved her right hand swiftly, drawing several mysterious symbols in midair. Then, she chanted under her breath and pushed both hands forward. She had done this motion in the game countless times and it was one of her most commonly-used counterattacks. But Canary didn't expect herself to behave in this delusional way like some game addicts reported in the news.

And the results exceeded her expectations.

As she pushed her hands forward, the symbols drawn in midair suddenly transformed into two intertwining flame dragons that pounced on the soldiers. As the soldiers' vision flashed, they were devoured by the flame dragons instantly, flying backward and disappearing without a trace.

"This... this..."

Looking at this scene, Canary was at a total loss. She gazed blankly at her hands, but quickly returned to her senses because now wasn't the time to ponder over it. Since so many soldiers had arrived, it meant that their group was targeted! Perhaps the Americas Region's armies were rushing to the scene now!

"Bubble, Your Highness Erin, we have to leave right now!"

"What are you afraid of, Big Sister? Your Highness Erin is so powerful, and I'm eager to try out my skills. Since they're just a bunch of foreign idiots, I won't feel bad even if I kill them... woah!!" As though protesting against her words, a dazzling beam of light shone from above and brushed against her, scaring the little fella into shrinking her head. Then, she lifted her head and frowned. It was a massive tank in the shape of a steel spider peering out of the opening. Its blinding searchlight shining on the intruders.

"There is no end to this."

Gazing at the tank, Erin wasn't nervous at all. On the contrary, she expanded her arms and her slim and slender figure suddenly grew in size. In the blink of an eye, an enormous dragon appeared before everyone.

"Let's go, Miss Canary, Miss Bubble. There's no point in staying here any longer."

***

The base command of the Americas Region was brightly lit in attention. Judging from its appearance, it wasn't any different from usual. But if one were to look carefully, one would find that it was heavily guarded. The fighter aircraft, Falcon III, whistled across the sky. On the surface, searchlights shone on every inch of the moon, leaving no stone unturned.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the base command was incredibly heavy. Commander David Chris gnashed his teeth, staring at the screen before him with bloodshot eyes, where there was an enormous, pitch-black creature expanding its wings and battling the air forces.

"Reporting, HQ! Reporting, HQ! The enemies are too powerful! We can't deal any damage to them! S-Stay away, stay away... Ahhhh....!"

On the screen, the massive dragon snapped its jaws open and a dazzling white brilliance enveloped it completely. The video ended abruptly and the 'rustling' of the screen resounded in the dead-silent meeting room. David stared grimly at the white image like it was his father's murderer and fell into silence. Then, he turned around and gazed at his subordinates who held their breaths.

"Can someone tell me exactly what is going on? Where did that monster come from?!"

David was beyond enraged. In fact, all the damage that Erin had done in the Americas Region when she first teleported there was already made known to the entire moon. Even though there were differences in opinions between countries on earth, on the moon they more or less shared information with one another. It was due to this that they knew a terrifying, dragon-like monster had appeared in the Americas Region. What made matters worse was that the monster wasn't afraid of nuclear warheads either!

The entire moon was in an uproar. Even though directors of sci-fi movies occasionally created characters nuclear warheads couldn't stop, that was essential for the plot, after all, in order to pave the way for the protagonist to save the world. But if one were to meet such a monster in real life... that would be a true bother!

Therefore, from the start, everyone felt unsafe, afraid that the monster would come find trouble with them. But shortly after, they realized the situation wasn't as terrifying as they imagined. Before meeting Canary and Mini Bubble Gum, Erin destroyed a total of three bases on the moon located in the Americas Region. Based on the intelligence from other regions, it seemed like the monster was searching for something in the Americas Region. Even if other regions were to approach the monster, it wouldn't be interested in attacking them.

As a result, the other regions watched passively from the sidelines. It was apparent that the monster was attacking only the Americas Region, so they must have done something to enrage it. Since it had nothing to do with them, they weren't afraid at all... And this left the commander of the Americas Region blowing his top. They sought assistance from other bases. After all, the moon was still a mystery to humans (secrets on earth weren't fully uncovered by humans yet, not to mention the moon). If this monster was a native of the moon, shouldn't everyone face the trouble together? At this moment, everyone should join hands and resist the threat!

But it was a pity that the monster wasn't afraid of the nuclear warheads and didn't seem to cause any threat to other regions. Although every country had their own secret weapons, they weren't meant for slaughtering dragons. Moreover, if their secret weapons were revealed and they didn't manage to kill the dragon, wouldn't their secret be exposed? This kind of unfair trade shouldn't be done... and this was the deep-rooted bad habits of humans...

As old allies, the Europe Region instantly agreed to the Americas Region's help-seeking. Of course, they didn't forget to remind the Americas Region that this might implicate the ecological balance of the moon. Therefore, they had to seek advice from experts before letting all members of the moon base judge and decide how they should face the terrifying monster. Then... there was no more then.

On the other hand, the Asia Region's response was extremely cautious. They requested the Americas Region to share more information as they experienced firsthand how powerful the monster was. Of course, they also didn't forget to 'remind' the Americas Region that they had civilians who were dragged into the earlier incident in the Americas Region and went missing. They hoped that the Americas Region would search for their whereabouts. If the Americas Region couldn't cope with it, they would send out a team of 'rescuers' to search for them...

As for other regions, they either used all sorts of excuses or expressed that they were afraid of stirring up the fire. This left the Americas Region fuming. Back then, the Americas Region was considered the greatest and no one dared to defy them. But it was a pity that 'a phoenix with its feathers plucked wouldn't be as great as a chicken'. After being pushed to second place, the Americas Region gradually weakened and now internationally, no one gave a damn about them. They were also badly battered on the inside. Sigh... it didn't feel good dropping to second place after being the first. In the past, they were the ones who intervened with internal affairs of other countries, but now they were kindly 'reminded' by them instead... If you don't do something about it, we will be intervening with the situation, alright?

This is ridiculous!

David's blood boiled as even the president of the country called him personally to ask about the progress. Even though only leaders of respective countries knew about the situation so as to avoid causing panic among the people, who would believe they didn't do something for a monster to appear on the moon and only attack the Americas Region? The president requested David to find out where exactly the monster came from, the reason it attacked the Americas Region for, how to defeat it, and if possible, capture it!

This gave David tremendous pressure because the monster had already disappeared. The massive dragon vanished without a trace and not even 24-hour satellite search could track its location. What made matters worse was that he didn't know why the monster attacked the Americas Region. But even so, he sent soldiers to investigate the base that the dragon destroyed, in search for any possible clues...

Beep———!

At this moment, a rapid electronic beep rang, followed by a hurried and anxious voice.

"Reporting, Commander. We received news from the front line. We have lost contact with the investigations team heading to D3! We have lost contact with the investigations team heading to D3!"

Upon hearing this report, David's complexion turned ashen.