1205-1213

Chapter 1205: Ill-fated relationship

"You two brats..."

Rhode looked at Icy Snow who had put on the robe and hid behind him, before shifting his gaze to the twins who hugged their heads and squatted in defense. He let out a helpless sigh and crushed the magic crystal in his hand. He knew there was about a 80 percent probability that Bubble was up to no good suggesting this idea. In the end, it seemed like he was indeed right.

Mini Bubble Gum and Icy Snow were considered to have an ill-fated relationship. Even though they knew each other for a long time, when Icy Snow and Rhode knew Mini Bubble Gum, Starlight wasn't established yet. Logically speaking, the two little fellas knew each other for a long time, so their relationship should have more or less improved. But in reality, it was entirely otherwise. The rebellious Bubble looked down upon obedient girls and was often filled with hostility against Icy Snow who kept replying with 'My mother said...", "My father said...". On the other hand, Icy Snow's serious personality made it impossible for her to accept erratic people like Mini Bubble Gum. That was why both of them often quarreled when they came together. What made matters worse was that Mini Bubble Gum was unlike the rest. She was unafraid of Icy Snow's 'Projectile Shooting'. As a talent who went against a large group of players on the forum alone and killed players in the game until they deleted their characters, there was no doubt about Mini Bubble Gum's perseverance. Mini Bubble Gum cast a defensive shield over her as long as she was online, taunting Icy Snow: "Come and kill me if you can" and angering her every time. The success of Icy Snow's Projectile Shooting was its unexpected instant-kill. Icy Snow had no ways against Mini Bubble Gum who didn't mind casting a defensive shield over her all the time. One had to admit that from a certain angle, these two little fellas did have extraordinary tenacity.

Among the conflicts between them, they unintentionally learned that they were born in the same year, and on the same month and day. Thereafter, Icy Snow and Mini Bubble Gum had been arguing who exactly was the big sister among them. Icy Snow believed that she was born at midnight, so she was definitely older than Mini Bubble Gum. But Mini Bubble Gum wasn't willing to admit defeat. She expressed confidently that she was born right at midnight and had even seen the time herself!

Utter nonsense!

Up until Rhode transmigrated, it was always an eternal topic of debate between them—who was the big sister. The guild was also used to the bickering between these two mascots. Not only that, but fan clubs were also formed to support them, adding fuel to fire. On the other hand, Rhode actually enjoyed such a comedic development. After all, Icy Snow was too clever for her own good. The sight of her acting like a brat towards Mini Bubble Gum reminded him that she was indeed still young... which made her rather adorable.

Of course, that was only once in a while.

"You really decided to use this method to force Little Icy to call you big sister, huh..."

Rhode let out a helpless sigh, gazing at the two Bubbles who hugged their heads and revealed an expression of agony upon witnessing the crushed magic crystal in his hand. As a matter of fact, Canary and Mini Bubble Gum had also felt a similar sort of resentment. Perhaps it was that they were also naked when they were first summoned, so later on, when Rhode summoned other characters, both of them watched from the sidelines with a 'you-shall-suffer-the-same-loss-as-me' expression. But it was a pity that Orchid Heart was summoned in a card form and came equipped with an armor and weapon, failing to satisfy Mini Bubble Gum's greed. As a result, it seemed only right for Mini Bubble Gum to take it out on Icy Snow.

"There's no need for that, Leader!"

Upon hearing Rhode's sigh, the two Bubbles jumped up suddenly and said in a righteous tone. Then, they revealed a proud smile at the same time, knitting their brows and curling their lips at Icy Snow, who stared at them.

"Hahaha, that's because we're sure that we're the big sisters now!"

"W-What makes you think you are..."

The instant Icy Snow rebutted instinctively, Bubble interrupted.

"You're a phantom guardian, right?"

"Yes..."

Unlike the original self, phantom guardians would be informed of their identities when summoned. That was why the obedient Icy Snow couldn't possibly lie and simply nodded. Upon hearing her response, Bubble revealed a satisfied smile. She pointed her finger at Bubble No. 2 and then at Icy Snow.

"You're a phantom guardian, and so is she. But she was summoned by Leader earlier than you! That is why she is your big sister! You don't have any excuses anymore, huh! And I... am her big sister... right!"

"That's right, Big Sister!"

Bubble No. 2 seized the chance to work with her original self. After receiving the confirmation from Bubble No. 2, Bubble revealed a delighted smile at Icy Snow and stuck her thumb out.

"You see, she is your big sister. She calls me a big sister too, which makes me your big sister! Come on, Little Icy. Let me hear you call me your big sister!"

"You... You...!"

The fuming Icy Snow was speechless by this theatrical double act by the two Bubbles. Although Icy Snow was a phantom guardian, she didn't wish to surrender to them. But it was a pity that Bubble's arguments were indeed reasonable, which put Icy Snow at a complete loss. As a well brought up child, she wasn't an annoying troublemaker like Bubble, which explained why she didn't know how to retort. She let out a grunt and turned over to stop looking at Bubble. Meanwhile, Bubble treated this as a sign of yielding and jumped up and down in excitement.

"Hahaha, I win! I finally won! You see, Leader, a piece of cake!"

"In this case, why did you still take a video of it?"

"To threaten her, of course! I can make her do anything I want in the future. If she dares to defy my orders, I will play it for others!"

This can't go on. These two brats are beyond hope.

Facing these two smug little fellas, Rhode's only choice left was to punish them with a fist to the head.

Pow! Pow!

***

"Nice to meet you, I'm Icy Snow..."

After putting on another set of clothing, Icy Snow followed Rhode's lead to meet the rest. After all, the robe that Rhode handed to her was to cover up her body and wasn't meant to be her permanent equipment. Fortunately, Rhode had requested Lydia to retrieve a set of 'Thorn of Dawn' bow, arrows, and armor before summoning Icy Snow. Even though the 'Thorn of Dawn' was a set of archer costume for someone with a reputation level higher than 'Worship' in the Munn Kingdom, in terms of value, it wasn't comparable to Icy Snow's rightful 'God Hunter' equipment in the game, which she could obtain later. For now, the 'Thorn of Dawn' was sufficient as a substitute at this stage.

Of course, even though there was a 'dawn' in its name, it wasn't exactly an armor for dawn angels. The armor that dawn angels wore was considered heavy-armor and wasn't suitable for archers at all. 'Thorn of Dawn' was a suit of white leather armor with a large jade longbow. Icy Snow wasn't mindful about the equipment. In the game, she used equipment that was much better than this, so this longbow didn't have any unique significance to her.

"Leader, is she a half-beast?"

Gazing at the twitching black cat ears and tail in the back, Anne couldn't help but ask curiously. Facing her question, Rhode shrugged.

"You could say that. She's about the same as you."

Icy Snow had initially chosen a human race. But in a mission, she accidentally triggered the hidden condition of fusing with a beast spirit, gaining the reward to fuse with a black cat. That was why Icy Snow had a pair of cat ears and a tail. Of course, this wasn't only to 'act cute'. As a matter of fact, Icy Snow also gained the nimbleness of a cat and the special skill of 'concealment', making it even harder for others to deal with her. She could conceal herself whenever she wanted and sprint in extreme speed. In addition to her ultra long-range Projectile Shooting, she was simply a nightmare for all outdoors PK.

But Rhode didn't summon Icy Snow just to introduce her to everyone.

"Alright, Little Icy. Leave this to later. You should know what to do, right? Do you have any questions?"

"No, I will give it a shot, Big Brother."

Upon hearing Rhode's question, Icy Snow nodded in response. Rhode had explained everything that happened to Icy Snow and why he needed her help. Icy Snow was glad to accept his request for help. Of course, she didn't forget to glare at the two Bubbles and criticized: "I won't be as useless as someone."

But it was a pity that those two shameless brats weren't affected by such an insignificant statement from Icy Snow.

Icy Snow agilely stepped on the deck and gazed into the distance. Apart from white layers of cloud, there was nothing else. But to Icy Snow who possessed [Space Detection] and the power of manipulation, it was an entirely different matter.

She gazed ahead with her pitch-black eyes, penetrating the distance and barrier of space, shooting straight at where she anticipated. She narrowed her eyes and they glinted in countless flashes. Objects that shouldn't be seen by human eyes appeared in her line of sight. She shifted her eyes slightly and searched for essential clues. Then, she came to a sudden halt.

"Found it," the young lady said softly.

Chapter 1206: Bow of Time, Arrow of Space (1)

"How's the situation? Have you found the person we want?"

"Yes, Big Brother."

Upon hearing Rhode's question, Icy Snow nodded and the swaying tail behind her revealed her mood. She gazed at Rhode with a blush and answered softly. At that moment, Icy Snow shifted her gaze to the sky. Her pitch-black eyes stared blankly as though searching for something invisible. But Rhode clearly knew that all secrets of the ghost fleet were revealed in her vision.

"... Just like what you described, Big Brother—a vampire in red clothes... Yes... wounded and seems to be recuperating at the moment. There aren't any other enemies around her. Seems like she is the commander there."

Icy Snow said, extending her right arm and sliding across the air. Along with her movement, an image map appeared in front of everyone. The cabins used to isolate themselves from any line of sight lost their purpose now. Rhode's group effortlessly spotted every enemy and what exactly they were doing. This was Icy Snow's forte, [Space Detection]. Even though Alice's 'History' was also incredible, in terms of using images and non-text records to provide details, Icy Snow's [Space Detection] was more convenient in this situation.

Shortly after, everyone spotted the target: the dispirited female vampire sat on the chair, closing her eyes like she was meditating. There was no one around her and it seemed as though Gaya had indeed injured her badly. Rhode scanned the surroundings and twitched his brows slightly.

"Little Icy, mark that man on the right."

"Okay, Big Brother."

Shortly after, a death knight two cabins away from the female vampire was marked. Everyone instinctively shifted their gaze to the mark and was taken aback at the same time. Inside that cabin was none other than one of the four legendary generals, Balende. However, he looked a little strange. He used to be a tall, burly knight. But now, he looked as thin as a match, like a low-level skeletal soldier donned in an unfitting set of armor. Despite that, the black aura hovering around him seemed much denser now. Without the need to fight him, everyone knew that his strength was definitely on a higher level than before. But...

"Balende?"

Rhode stared at the death knight and couldn't help but pucker his brows. Even though this man was undoubtedly Balende no matter how Rhode looked at him, he wasn't the same Balende who lost an arm from what Rhode remembered. Logically speaking, Balende's battle against Alice wounded him severely, so he couldn't possibly recover so soon. But now, his arm was restored, which was a strange thing. It wasn't any ordinary injury, but a consequence of a clash between Order, where losing an arm was only a materialization of Balende's Order rule being shattered. Due to that reason, Balende should never have been able to heal the wound. And now, his arm was perfect, which represented that his rule was healed. But logically, he shouldn't have recovered so soon...

"Leader, there's another one."

At that moment, Mini Bubble Gum said, marking another person who Rhode and the rest couldn't recognize. At the sight of the rotten wings and pitch-black armor, it was enough to reveal the target's identity.

Fallen angel...

"Alright, that's three then."

In reality, even though Icy Snow's system interface couldn't read enemies' health points, attributes, and critical details, the red names above their heads were obvious enough. Icy Snow was at the max level of 85. According to the system setting, the names of players who were 10 levels or higher than hers would be in red. This went to show that the three of them were genuinely at the four legendary generals' level. It became clear now why they didn't retreat to Lydia's attack. If Lydia had given chase earlier, no one could confirm who would emerge the victor. Although they didn't know where Ion found these beings to make up for the empty seats of the four legendary generals and how Balende recovered fully, they were sure that these enemies were at the caliber of Chaos Lords.

The three Chaos Lords were located at the ship's bow, middle, and end respectively. It was apparent that the two at the bow and end were protecting the injured vampire in the middle. This meant that Rhode's group had to kill the vampire in one shot. If they failed, the bewildered vampire might escape. When that happened, perhaps they could start holding a funeral for Gaya.

"Are you confident, Icy Snow?"

Even though Rhode was a little worried, there wasn't any other choice now. Although he could also summon Gracier and Madaras back and head over, they would be discovered easily, albeit having similar levels as Icy Snow. Carlesdines were powerful, but weren't invincible. If not, their royal family wouldn't have been wiped out during the Creation War. With this consideration, Icy Snow's abilities were more reliable and convenient for the job.

But it was also situational.

Balende's presence was indeed bothersome as he possessed the ability to shatter space. In the situation where two abilities of the same nature had different effects, interferences would definitely occur. That was why if Balende detected Icy Snow's attack, her attack would most likely fail. Due to that reason, Rhode had to act cautiously. Upon hearing Rhode's question, Icy Snow didn't reply immediately. Instead, she stared at the target ahead, pondered for a few moments, and spoke.

"Big Brother, if you allow me to, I would like to activate my second talent."

"You're saying that..."

Rhode was surprised by Icy Snow's suggestion. On the other hand, Mini Bubble Gum widened her eyes in astonishment, gazing at Icy Snow.

"Little Icy, you want to activate your double talents? Are you sure you can handle it? I still remember you having terrible success rate in the game!"

"In theory, there should be no issues. I've calculated!"

Upon hearing Mini Bubble Gum's doubt, Icy Snow jumped up like a cat who had its tail stepped on. The latter curled her lips and revealed a dissatisfied look.

Like Canary's wind and fire elements, Icy Snow was also capable of mastering double talents. Her double talents were 'time' and 'space', which were on a higher level than 'wind' and 'fire'. Icy Snow brought out the best of her space talent, but just couldn't find a proper approach to handling the time talent. Both time and space talents could specify and manipulate a period of time. Icy Snow also came up with her ultimate skill—Arrow of Time and Space.

The reason for that was simple. At the same time Icy Snow attacked using the 'space' talent, she could appoint when that arrow would arrive by activating the 'time' talent. This way, her arrow could arrive at its destination 'ahead' or 'after' time. If Icy Snow practiced this move, she would be unrivaled on this continent. Because she could designate a target, fire an arrow, and appoint that arrow to either hit the target hours later or in advance. Once she mastered this move, she could also create the effect of her enemy being struck by her arrow even before the arrow was fired, which was basically an unconquerable skill.

But it was a pity that up until Rhode transmigrated to this world, Icy Snow wasn't able to master this move yet. Even though she was powerful, the concept of time and space was unique, after all. Besides, she needed to calculate many more factors that were involved in her attack. If she was in a great state, she would likely succeed. But if she were in a bad state or had terrible luck, she would likely fail. As this move wasn't that useful in BOSS fights and was meant for PK only, Icy Snow didn't set her heart on researching and developing it. Moreover, there were other factors that needed to be calculated and she was just a 13 to 14 years old girl, after all. Battling against a BOSS was tough enough, so having too many things running through her mind also exhausted her. One must enjoy playing the game. There would be no purpose in playing the game if it became as stressful as doing research and assignment, wasn't it?

"..."

Facing Icy Snow's suggestion, Rhode was troubled. This move was indeed powerful. Besides, if Icy Snow were to use it, she could create the effect of hitting the enemy as soon as she fired the arrow. Everything would happen within 0.1 seconds. As long as the enemy wasn't one who owned the ability to manipulate time, this move would surely seize the life of the enemy.

But the issue now was that Icy Snow didn't conquer this move yet and had to rely upon her state and luck. Once she failed, the enemy would immediately realize that something was wrong.

There is only one chance... Based on this situation, the success rate is around 50-50.

At this thought, Rhode turned to Lydia. After all, she should be the one to make the decision. Upon realizing Rhode's gaze, Lydia nodded firmly.

"I'll leave it to you, Your Majesty Rhode. No matter the results, I will accept it," the archangel said.

"Alright."

Upon receiving her confirmation, Rhode nodded with might, extended his arm, and held Icy Snow's shoulder.

"Little Icy, activate your double talents!"

Chapter 1207: Bow of Time, Arrow of Space (2)

"Got it, Big Brother."

Upon hearing Rhode's order, Icy Snow nodded with might. She gazed ahead with a stern expression and shut her eyes. Along with this action, the image that appeared before everyone vanished immediately. The young lady raised the jade longbow in her hands. Shortly after, patterns of leaves and branches emerged over the surface of the spotless longbow. They resembled a combination of twisted hour, minute, and second hands. The runes representing time formed two circles that wrapped the longbow in the middle, like a unique-looking clock. Icy Snow's eyes remained closed as she slowly lifted up the longbow. The clock hands etched on both sides of the longbow began to turn. Then, she reached for the bowstring and pulled it back. Light coalesced on the stretched bowstring and in the blink of an eye, a crystal-clear arrow appeared above it.

Resting on the chair, the pale and exhausted female vampire closed her eyes. Even though she had been confident of winning the earlier battle, she underestimated Gaya's abilities. The power of 'sound' was incredibly rare among higher-level rules. After getting caught off guard, the vampire suffered grave injuries. If it were a cautious person in her place, that person would have retreated immediately. However, the other two formidable beings stopped her from leaving and insisted that she lure Gaya to take the bait. In this case, all the vampire could do now was continue waiting.

And now, she was hoping that they didn't let her wait for too long. After all, she was severely hurt. Even though she could still force herself to attack, she could only escape immediately if an intense battle were to break out. The vampire opened her eyes, raised her arm, and gazed at the heart that had crystallized. There was a tiny human shadow inside it which was, in fact, the core of Gaya's soul.

Chaos Lords loved collecting the souls of their spoils of war as works of art. Not only that, but the powerful spiritual powers within them could also be used to replenish their strength. Through encroaching and devouring the soul, Chaos Lords could disrupt the power of rule and Order within it and reinforce themselves. This was also why players couldn't find their souls after being killed by Chaos Lords. Of course, in the game, one could choose to release the soul. But that was in the game, after all.

Smelling the aromatic scent of the soul in her hand, the vampire's expression twisted. She opened her mouth and was about to swallow the heart when suddenly, she closed her mouth abruptly.

Patience... I need to be patient. I need to bring this beautiful soul back home and savor it slowly. After I head back, I will have all the time to 'cook' this delicious soul. She will crumble and go crazy in eternal despair and agony and become my loyal servant.

At this thought, the vampire sighed and put the heart away. Then, she closed her eyes to continue resting...

At that moment, a bone-piercing, immense pain exploded. The vampire's eyes sprung open, staring at the arrow that had punctured her neck. She widened her mouth, but could only make a stifled cry. She raised her arms in vain, attempting to pull out the arrow from her neck. However, the Grim Reaper had already brandished its ruthless scythe. The arrow metamorphosed into a blade light, instantly splitting her body completely apart. Before she gripped the arrow, she hung down on the side of the chair motionlessly.

The instant the vampire died, she suddenly heard the soft tick of the clock hand.

Tick.

"———!"

The young lady opened her eyes wide, gazing around her in suspicion. At a glance, there weren't any changes to the cabin. Everything was as peaceful as before.

Was it just a dream?

She knitted her brows and stretched out her hand to touch her throat. There was neither any injury nor punctured arrow.

What a distasteful one...

At this thought, the vampire closed her eyes, let out a long sigh, and reached out for the spirit crystal from the folds of her clothes to admire it. That dream was so surreal that she felt like she had been pierced in the neck by an arrow. Even for a Chaos Lord, such a traumatic moment couldn't be forgotten that easily. She stared at the wonderful spirit crystal and her anxious mind settled down gradually. After calming herself, the vampire placed the spirit crystal back into the folds of her clothes...

At that moment, her vision turned black.

In just a few seconds, her left eye stopped functioning. The ice-cold, tremendous pain of death entered the back of her head mercilessly. She widened her eyes in bewilderment. Before losing consciousness, the last thing she witnessed was the arrow that penetrated her eye. Along with a shining brilliance, her head was shattered into bits in the blink of an eye. This time, before letting out a scream, she collapsed from the chair, and the spirit crystal dropped to the ground.

Tick.

"———!"

She opened her eyes once again, staring blankly at the ceiling. She couldn't help but touch her left eye as though it were aching dully.

That's strange. What's wrong with me?

The vampire couldn't help but knit her brows. She seemed to have had a really strange dream, but just couldn't recall what it was about. This was a rare occurrence, but it was just a dream, after all... The young lady shook her head and reached out for the spirit crystal to admire it. But after retrieving the spirit crystal, she suddenly had a bad feeling as though she would be in danger because of it. But...

How is it possible? I'm hiding deep inside the ghost fleet. There are also two powerful beings protecting me now. Hah, how foolish of me.

The vampire shook her head in denial, throwing her uncertainties to the back of her head. Then, she raised the spirit crystal and indulged in the beautiful spiritual radiance within...

"———!"

The spirit crystal in her hand plummeted to the ground. She sat on the spot, widening her eyes and staring at the arrow that punctured her chest. The crystal-clear arrow emanated a faint magical radiance. At the next moment, violent space turbulence exploded from it. In a loud bang, the vampire's body was ripped apart, twisted, and sucked into broken space fragments, vanishing in sight.

Tick.

"No...!"

The young lady opened her eyes abruptly, extending her arm to wipe beads of sweat off her forehead. She used her strong tenacity to stifle her wail.

What happened?

The young lady turned and looked at her surroundings. For some unknown reason, the Chaos Lord felt like something was amiss. After a few moments, she reached into the folds of her clothes to retrieve the mesmerizing spirit crystal... At that moment, she suddenly stopped moving.

Three arrows emanating a faint radiance punctured the young lady from the back of her body, penetrating her eye, neck, and heart. No one knew when the three arrows were fired or how they punctured her body. The Chaos Lord couldn't budge. She widened her eyes and stared blankly in vain. The spirit crystal in her hand had dropped to the floor. She opened her mouth and tried to scream, but the punctured arrow stopped her from doing so. At the same time, as though resonating with one another, the three arrows exploded in a white brilliance, bursting into the sky in a straight line.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

At that moment, the second hand finally overlapped with the other two clock pointers on Icy Snow's longbow.

"———"

Along with a string of dazzling brilliance, Rhode's group witnessed a tremendous, white light beam burst out from the sea of clouds in the distance. It was so powerful that it ripped apart the thick layers of clouds, revealing a huge opening. At that moment, Icy Snow opened her eyes and released her grip on the bowstring.

A blinding white radiance flashed.

"It worked!"

Gazing at this scene, Mini Bubble Gum couldn't help but yell in excitement. Rhode also nodded in satisfaction. This scene was seemingly puzzling to the rest because they only witnessed Icy Snow closing her eyes, raising the longbow, and then, a brilliance erupting all of a sudden. It was only after the explosion of light that Icy Snow fired the arrow. However, Rhode and Bubble, who were familiar with Icy Snow, knew that she had unleashed her most powerful Arrow of Time and Space. In other words, before Icy Snow raised the longbow and aimed ahead, her arrow had already shot the enemy. Then, she had to complete the step of 'firing the arrow and hitting the enemy'. Once this step was completed, it meant that nothing could be reversed.

And now, as Icy Snow fired the arrow, it only meant one thing.

That Chaos Lord was killed!

"Oooo———!"

Indeed. In an instant, the silent world restored the 'sound' rule. Rhode's group heard a series of loud, fierce bellows, which meant that Gaya's soul had escaped from the Chaos Lord's restraint. But apart from that, there was also something bothersome.

The bellow obviously reverberated from the ghost fleet.

"Attack!"

Staring at the ghost fleet that shifted direction and sailed toward them, Rhode let out a snort. A black radiance flickered in his palm and Succubus appeared in his hand.

"This time, I will make sure Chaos can't return to where it came from!"

Chapter 1208: Lost Young lady

The battle continued for Rhode.

Some people craved battles, but were forced to lead peaceful lives instead. Even though peace was only temporary, it was long enough from their perspectives.

"... How much longer do we have to walk, Your Highness Erin?"

Angelina hugged the shapeless sword with green magical power spiraling around it, stumbling as she followed Erin closely. At a glance, there was nothing other than underground tunnels. The last time they met something that made a sound was a rat from three days ago—hmm? Or was it four days back? This god-forsaken place made them forget about the concept of time.

"Sigh... Let's have a break, Angelina."

"Yes, Your Highness Erin."

Even though they wouldn't feel any discomfort without consuming food and water for days as a wyvern and vampire respectively, the problem was that even if there were no issues with their bodies, the mental exhaustion was still torture. They had no idea how long they roamed the underground tunnels and failed to find the exit. There were instances when Erin thought of blasting a hole on the surface with her dragon breath. But considering the dangers lurking up there, she decided to go on foot. What made them helpless was that even though they didn't know who built these escape routes, Erin was certain that it must be an incredibly-capable person. Judging from the distance of the routes, there was no doubt that they crossed the entire Darkness Capital. If the routes were wider and more spacious, Erin could transform into her dragon form and fly. But it was a pity that the routes were only two to three meters tall and wide. There were also corners everywhere, so it was impossible even if Erin and Angelina were to fly. Perhaps they might even crash head-first into walls if they couldn't stop in time.

"Sigh..."

Laying down the sword in her hand, Angelina let out a sigh and sat on the ground. This was simply a disaster for her. Of course, this wasn't because she was trapped in the underground with Erin, but the source of disaster was the sword she carried around. Angelina was displeased at the sight of the sword. She initially remained at a respectful distance from this mysterious sword that slashed her randomly. But she didn't anticipate the sword to continue pestering her. As soon as Angelina tried to escape from the sword, the sword would flourish and turn her into a human pillar (or vampire pillar) immediately. The tortured and enraged Angelina tried to toss the sword as far away as possible, but it was a pity that the sword was self-willed. As soon as Angelina hurled it away, she was hacked into chunks of meat. It seemed like the sword recognized the fact that Angelina wouldn't die so easily as a vampire and slashed to its heart's content—even Erin couldn't stop it.

Wherever there was oppression, there was resistance. Wherever there was resistance, there was suppression.

After reattaching her limbs for the 123rd time, Angelina finally stopped bearing a grudge against the sword and helplessly assumed responsibility as its 'sheath'. Since all this sword wanted was for Angelina to bring it along, wasn't it? In that case, Angelina might as well do it, right? Anyway, it was much better than the sword puncturing her body as the pain was excruciating.

"Your Highness Erin, is there really an exit? We've spun around here for a long time. All we saw were dead-ends."

This was what depressed both of them. Logically speaking, this was an escape route, so there must be an exit somewhere. In the end, they walked into several forked roads and turned corners upon corners, only to face dead-ends. Erin suspected if she had fled into some secret routes that the ancestors used to punish traitors and chasers. If that were the case, they wouldn't be able to escape with their lives. Fortunately, there weren't many traps or monsters, though Erin and Angelina would rather meet them, so as to inquire relevant information. But it was a pity that they didn't meet anything along the way, apart from that rat from a few days ago.

Even though the sword in Angelina's arms was considered a 'local resident' of this place, it was a pity that the sword spirit seemed entirely disinterested in communication. Although Erin and Angelina tried communicating with it several times, the sword spirit didn't respond at all. Other than slashing Angelina into several chunks whenever she tossed it on the ground, it wasn't any different from ordinary swords. Besides, the specter that appeared before them also vanished to nowhere and never appeared again.

"Sigh... How much longer does this have to go on for!"

Gazing at the repetitive underground tunnel, Angelina couldn't help but grumble. She extended her hand and scratched the wall with a bat-like mark to indicate that they had already been through here. This was the method they used to mark their journey. If not, they would go crazy while being confused, roaming in this intricate maze.

"Which direction should we head to next?"

At that moment, they stood before a three-way-path. This was a dilemma that pained them the most, as it meant that they had to reconsider their choices. The result of their decision might possibly mean that they would sink deeper, into a more complicated maze.

"Really! Can't you say something? Would it kill you to point us a direction?!"

The thought of possibly going around in a big circle again aggrieved Angelina's headache. She clutched the invisible sword, complaining and brandishing it. The instant she swung the sword, a green radiance flashed from the blade and disappeared in sight.

"Hmm, Angelina? That was..."

"I saw it too, Your Highness Erin. It..."

Looking at this scene, the surprised duo exchanged looks with each other. Angelina raised the sword and swung it left and right. Indeed, along with her movement, the invisible sword emanated a faint, green radiance. When Angelina pointed the sword at the rightmost tunnel, its radiance glowed brighter. The moment she moved the blade to the left, the radiance dimmed. Erin and Angelina looked at each other and spotted joy in their eyes. Even though they didn't know what this meant, there was at least some sort of guidance now. They stood up instantly and sauntered into the rightmost tunnel.

This time, the sword that played dead (said Angelina) finally seemed to be willing to offer a helping hand. Whenever the duo approached a fork, the sword shone at the seemingly correct path. Under the guidance of the sword, Erin and Angelina didn't face any dead-ends and were advancing smoothly. This should have been great news for them, but...

"Your Highness Erin, why do I feel like we're heading down..."

"Yeah..."

Gazing at the pitch-dark flight of steps, Erin felt so helpless that she couldn't even sigh anymore. Even though it was true that they didn't face any dead-ends following the guidance of the sword, their expectations seemed to be entirely different the deeper they headed down the tunnels. But now, their only choice left was to embrace themselves.

I wonder how the situation above is and what Big Brother is up to.

At this thought, Erin couldn't help but knit her brows. Deep down in her heart, she had a premonition. And as time passed, the premonition vanished completely. However, Erin didn't feel entirely relaxed. She knew that a premonition remained one because it didn't turn into reality. Now that her premonition was gone, it meant that the premonition had turned into an unchangeable truth, so it was useless to worry about it anymore.

Big Brother... Do we really have to be enemies?

At this thought, Erin shook her head and descended the stairs with Angelina.

The pitch-black tunnel was no obstruction to them at all. In just a few moments, they arrived at the second floor, which was more spacious and deserted. But the moment they stepped on the ground, the sword in Angelina's hand erupted a glaring green radiance!

"———!"

"What's wrong with you!"

In a dazzling flash, the sword hacked off Angelina's arm in a single swing. Angelina was already used to this and didn't cry in agony. She simply picked up the fallen arm and glared fiercely at the sword. However, the shapeless sword apparently had no intention of answering her. Instead, it metamorphosed into a ray of light and shot straight into the deep tunnel. Looking at this scene, Erin and Angelina exchanged looks with each other and made the same decision.

"Chase it!"

The sword moved really quickly, but Erin and Angelina weren't slow either. They followed the sword closely, flitting across the tunnel. Shortly after, they realized that as they proceeded, the narrow tunnel gradually became wider and eventually turned into a huge underground cave.

Why is there an underground cave under the Darkness Capital? Why am I not aware of it?

With a look of doubt, Erin sprinted ahead. At that moment, the sword came to a halt all of a sudden, before erupting a dazzling brilliance that illuminated the darkness.

"Argh...!"

Even Erin and Angelina couldn't help but close their eyes to the glare. After a few moments, they opened their eyes and were rooted in their place upon witnessing what was before them.

There was an enormous black dragon, twice the size of Erin and Ion in their dragon forms. It was riddled with scars from head to foot, with countless steel chains extending from all directions puncturing its huge body, binding it in place. Looking at this appalling view, Erin and Angelina were stunned. The former revealed a look of disbelief and murmured.

"... Mother?"

Chapter 1209: Hidden Secret

"Why... is Mother here?"

Gazing at the Dark Dragon who seemed to have sunken into an eternal sleep, Erin couldn't conceal her bewilderment. Angelina shifted her gaze from Erin to the Dark Dragon, but didn't say a word as she sauntered to the side. As an ex-citizen of the Country of Darkness, it went without saying that she understood the higher authorities of the country well. Just like how dragon soul heirs of the Country of Law were born from the Spirit Tree, dragon soul heirs of the Country of Darkness were born from the dragon family. However, the number of wyverns was small, with less than 20 remaining in this generation. Besides, the wyverns basically spent most of their time sleeping. Unless it involved a moment of life and death for the Country of Darkness, they would never show themselves. If Erin weren't Ion's younger sister, she would only be one of the wyverns, sleeping away and wouldn't roam the world.

Angelina more or less knew who Erin's mother was. After all, Erin's mother was the one who gave birth to a Creator Dragon, so she naturally was one of the revered figures in the Country of Darkness. It was said that she died of a serious illness but now, it turned out that she was actually imprisoned here. Well, Angelina wasn't too surprised by how the truth played out. After all, her family was also destroyed by her own relatives—no, perhaps such ruthless family plots were common occurrences for vampires in the Country of Darkness. That was why Angelina went to the side silently. Anyway, this was Erin's private affair, so Angelina was better off not interfering and acting as though she didn't see anything.

"Mother?!"

At that moment, Erin wasn't in the mood to care about Angelina anymore. She stared at the Dark Dragon in shock. She was aware of the news of her mother succumbing to a serious illness and didn't feel like anything was amiss. That was because even though dragons were vigorous, whenever they were sick, it was always caused by a serious illness. When Erin heard news about her mother's illness and rushed back home to visit her, she was already dead. It was Ion who was responsible for arranging matters. Back then, Erin was frustrated by her mother's passing, so she passed everything to Ion's care. It was then when Ion received the inheritance of the dragon soul and officially became a dragon soul heir.

But now, it seemed like the truth was otherwise. Erin was certain that it was her mother right in front of her now and not an illusion. The familiar scent, aura, appearance, and everything. She was sure that it was indeed her mother!

"... Who is it..."

As though she heard Erin's call, the seemingly-unconscious, enormous dragon lifted her head slowly, opening her eyes and gazing ahead. She looked with dazed eyes for a few moments, before barely gaining clarity and locking onto Erin dubiously.

"... Who is it..."

"Mother! It's me, Erin! Why are you here...? And why did you end up like this?!"

Looking at the Dark Dragon who was covered with wounds, Erin bit her lip tightly and her head was in a total mess. As a matter of fact, she wasn't naive. She instantly guessed the actual issue after facing her mother. Back then, she was also present at her funeral. According to the customs of dragons, all dead dragons would be sent to the Dragon Valley for burial, which was why Erin didn't see her corpse. According to Ion, their mother died a horrible death to the illness and it was hard to look straight at her. Erin didn't wish to see the unfortunate state of her mother, which was why she accepted Ion's advice. But now, she recalled that the funeral was full of loopholes.

She had heard rumors and gossip, but they were gone entirely after Ion became the dragon soul heir who ruled the Country of Darkness. Erin thought the rumors about her big brother were spread by jealous people, which wasn't uncommon in the Country of Darkness, after all. Besides, there also wasn't any concrete evidence to back up the rumors. Of course, everyone was prohibited to head to Dragon Valley and dig up the corpse because only dragons who were on the verge of death could open up and enter the sacred venue. In other words, Erin would need to bash herself up thoroughly in order to enter Dragon Valley and investigate the rumors, which was naturally impossible...

"... Erin...?"

Upon hearing this name, the Dark Dragon's eyes glinted, before drastically turning dim.

"... Erin... I have heard... this name... from... somewhere..."

"Mother?"

Gazing at the condition of the Dark Dragon, Erin gnashed her teeth and swept glances at the surrounding swiftly. Shortly after, she discovered moss-green radiances flickering from the large steel chains binding the Dark Dragon. They were apparently the reason why her mother turned into this state! Erin hesitated no more. She extended her arm to draw the sword, leaped up abruptly, and raised the sword high. She targeted the steel chains and flourished the sword with might!

Clang!

To Erin's astonishment, the moment the tip of the blade came into contact with the steel chain, a powerful energy exploded from the surface and deflected the blade strongly. Erin was stumped, but didn't give up just yet. She gripped the hilt with both hands and a dazzling ray as pure as moonlight erupted from the blade. She brandished the sword from above but in a loud clang, the blade glanced off again.

It failed again?

Erin stared blankly at the trembling steel chain. She had given almost all her strength in that attack, but couldn't even shatter it once. The only gain was that she knew the steel chains weren't entirely unbreakable as there was dent from her attack, albeit it being the size of a fingernail. Erin was out of ideas as she looked at the steel chains that were as thick as arms in comparison to that almost undetectable dent. At that moment, the Dark Dragon opened her eyes again and looked at her.

"There's no need... to waste your energy... You are of a dragon race, right? These steel chains are enhanced with runes, strong enough to resist any dragons. Even if you use all your might, you may not be able to cut them off..."

The Dark Dragon looked at the young lady with a gentle gaze.

"How strange... Your presence feels familiar... I once had two children, and your presence seems similar to my daughter... Maybe she will grow up to be just like you..."

"Mother..."

Upon hearing the Dark Dragon's words, Erin bit her lip. She discovered that even though the Dark Dragon was somewhat awake and rational, her memories seemed to be all over the place. Erin was clearly standing before her and yet, the Dark Dragon couldn't recognize her. Erin felt an excruciating pain in her heart, but what else could she do? She gripped the sword in her hand and gazed at the Dark Dragon with a complicated expression. However, the Dark Dragon seemed to stop caring about Erin as she lifted her head to the sky, as though she were in the state of a dream.

"... I once had two children who were really outstanding... They were obedient, clever, and quick-witted. They were my pride, especially my daughter... She inherited the best abilities of the Dark Dragons. Whenever I look at her, I can't help but be filled with pride. We believed she would surely become the next excellent ruler to help this country of eternal darkness prosper just like her ancestors, leaving behind her very own legacy in the history of the Country of Darkness..."

"Huh?"

Erin and Angelina were stunned. What was going on? According to this Dark Dragon, it seemed like she saw Erin as the prospect for being the next dragon soul heir and not Ion? How was that possible? Erin and Angelina exchanged looks with each other, spotting the doubt in each other's eyes. At that moment, Angelina let out a cough and asked curiously.

"Erm... Madam Dark Dragon? Didn't you have two children? Why are you sure that it is your daughter who will receive the inheritance of the dragon soul?"

"Oh..."

Upon hearing Angelina's question, the Dark Dragon squinted and lifted her head once again. It was apparent that her consciousness had entered a state of trance and she would answer everything she knew. Perhaps due to years of imprisonment, her mental health wasn't normal anymore. Or maybe she wasn't answering Angelina's question, but thought that she was questioning and answering herself instead.

"Because... I have two children... but there can only be one... dragon soul heir... They need to put in hard work to prove that they are worthy of being the heir. Among my two children, even though the older one is capable, he is too stubborn and extreme in his ways. I don't think he is suitable to become the ruler of the Country of Darkness. In comparison, my daughter is gentler and smarter. With her around, she can surely bring the Country of Darkness to a greater height, just like our ancestors. But..."

"But...?"

"But... she... No—he... he... wasn't willing... to accept... fate... He...!"

All of a sudden, the Dark Dragon seemed to be suffering in agony. She lowered her head, shuddered, and after a few moments, she slammed her claws on the ground.

"... That is why... I'm here...! Because... If I'm not around... he will not be qualified for the inheritance!"

"What?!"

Erin and Angelina were flabbergasted.

Chapter 1210: The Choice Ahead

Erin and Angelina stared blankly at the Dark Dragon's bellow. Angelina blinked and shifted her gaze indifferently to the ashen Erin. Angelina finally found the answer that everyone in the Country of Darkness had been searching for.

Why didn't Ion involve Erin in government affairs, give her a sinecure, and keep her away from politics?

It turned out that this princess who served as an attractive, decorative vase should have been the destined ruler of the Country of Darkness, while the current Dark Dragon was the usurper. In this situation, it all made sense. Judging from Angelina's perspective, Erin was better than Ion in every aspect. Although she wasn't as unyielding as Ion, stability was always the finest, most ancient tradition in the Country of Darkness. As long as the ruler didn't face any fatal accidents, the immortal nobles residing in the country would grasp their authority in the future. Ion insisted on promoting medium to small-sized noble families and Angelina became a victim of this policy. If it weren't for Ion's encouragement, the medium to small-sized noble families wouldn't have revolted. Angelina's vampire family also wouldn't have gone downhill either. It was impossible for Angelina to not bear any grudge against Ion. But due to her weak strength in the past, she could only throw this matter aside. But now...

Judging from this aspect, Angelina felt like if Erin were the one who ruled the Country of Darkness, she would definitely do a better job than Ion. After all, the moon princess's wisdom, strength, judgment, and other areas were more outstanding. If it weren't for the sake of inheriting the dragon soul, she would surely be more suitable for this position. But it was a pity that the ruler of the Country of Darkness must be the dragon soul heir. Perhaps this was why Ion snatched and inherited the dragon soul, while prohibiting Erin from interfering with political affairs. After all, the reason why Ion was recognized by everyone as the ruler was because he was the 'dragon soul heir'. Once his people realized that Erin's administration ability was better than his, it was highly likely that the core authority of the entire country would shift toward her. When that happened, Ion would be like Lilian in the past: simply a mascot. But this wasn't what Ion wished to see. If not, why would he risk imprisoning her mother to gain the dragon soul power?

Angelina turned to Erin again. It was obvious that the moon princess thought the same. At that moment, Erin put up a complicated expression. Judging from her tightly-clenched and trembling hands, Angelina knew that Erin was baffled, which was why the former remained quiet. Then, Angelina swirled and narrowed her eyes slightly.

This is a juicy secret. I wonder what generous gift His Majesty Rhode will reward me with if I hand this information over to him... Right, should I tell His Majesty Rhode to encourage Her Highness Erin to ascend the throne of the Country of Darkness? Even though it seems like Her Highness Erin has no such intentions, if it is His Majesty Rhode who suggests it, maybe she would heed his advice. In that case, I, who came from the first vampire family, may be able to gain some benefits from it... After all, His Majesty Rhode has done something similar in the past, so there shouldn't be any difficulties.

At this thought, Angelina's eyes glinted in pleasure. She knew clearly that she would receive generous rewards from accomplishing this move. She had observed Sonia's situation in the past. Sonia merely looked after the Light Dragon and became her trusted aide. If it weren't for the fact that Sonia lacked desire and ambition, she could have gained even greater powers!

Well, forget it. Humans are foolish, short-sighted, and ultimately a short-lived race. But I'm different. If I succeed, the days of restoring my family's glory will be just around the corner. When that happens, I will make those people who humiliated me pay the price!

Indeed, just as Angelina predicted, after pondering for a few moments, Erin let out a gentle sigh. Judging from Erin's reaction, Angelina knew that she couldn't count on the moon princess to harbor the thoughts of seizing the throne that was rightfully hers. After a few moments, Angelina cleared her throat and asked.

"Respectful Madam Dark Dragon, we lost our way and arrived here coincidentally. Do you know where the..."

"Wait, Angelina."

Before Angelina finished her sentence, Erin interrupted and lifted her head to gaze at the Dark Dragon.

"Mother, is there any way to help you escape this place?"

"Escape? Why must I escape?"

Upon hearing Erin's words, the Dark Dragon shook her head. It was apparent that the mental state of the Dark Dragon was fuzzy. Angelina also suspected whether the Dark Dragon heard Erin's question properly. But shortly after, the Dark Dragon stopped moving, squinted, and lay back on the ground.

"This place... was used by the first Dark Dragon to imprison traitors. There are no exits and no one can escape. These steel chains are forged to deal with and trap dragons. They are the ultimate torture instrument. Apart from the Dark Dragon or the heir who inherits the dragon soul power, no one has a way to break them, no matter who it is... You can never leave this place. This is a permanent, ancient maze. Even if you use your powers to try and break a path out of here, it is impossible. This space was built and surrounded by green spirit boulders. The powers of dragons are useless here."

"... We aren't that unlucky, right?"

Upon hearing the Dark Dragon's words, Angelina pulled a long face like Erin. Green spirit boulders had a unique attribute that enabled them to absorb spiritual powers. The more spiritual powers it absorbed, the tougher it became. No one knew whether there was a limit to the green spirit boulders' absorption. In the Country of Darkness, there were prisons made entirely from green spirit boulders to lock up important and formidable prisoners. After all, this place was inside the undead nation. Most prisoners were undead creatures who were capable of unleashing spiritual powers, so it went without saying that ordinary prisons wouldn't be able to lock them in. But in a prison built with green spirit boulders, be it a lich or formidable being who possessed devastating powers, one couldn't possibly deal a single bit of damage to this building.

The duo initially decided to blast their way out with their attacks as the last resort. But now, it seemed like it was just wishful thinking. Of course, if they could search for the underground river that Angelina found earlier, perhaps they might have some hope. But it was a pity that they spent a long time searching and didn't gain any clues at all. Angelina also didn't know where exactly that route led to either.

"... Since this is a prison, there must be some guards around, right?"

After pondering for a few moments, Erin asked. Facing her question, the Dark Dragon shook her head.

"There isn't a need for guards because whoever enters this place can't leave. In here, prisoners and guards are the same. Besides, I advise you to not go any farther... Because I sense a terrifying and ice-cold death aura deep inside this prison. I don't know what that is, but I do know that before I was thrown into here, the aura was already present. Please be careful. It definitely isn't a place for mortals to enter. Even when one is as powerful as the Dark Dragon, one will still perish in the death aura."

"... Understood. Thanks for the reminder, Mother."

"Ha, ha. Don't need to thank me, young lady. My daughter is about the same age as you. It would be wonderful if she could be here... I don't know what she is up to now... I'm so worried about her. She isn't being bullied by her terrifying big brother, is she? I'm really concerned..."

"Please don't worry, Mother. I'm sure that... she isn't suffering any hardships."

"Ha, ha. Thanks so much, young lady... For some reason, you sound really convincing..." The Dark Dragon said, laying back on the ground, closing her eyes, and mumbling to herself. "... Yes, my daughter is so smart... She will be fine..."

The Dark Dragon said her last words, closing her eyes and sinking into deep sleep. Erin stood on the spot, gazing blankly at this scene. Her eyes revealed a mix of sorrow and wrath. She clenched her trembling fists. She was clearly her daughter, but the Dark Dragon didn't realize at all. The Dark Dragon wasn't concerned about her, but the daughter in her memories instead...

Big Brother, is this what you wished for? In order for you to seize authority, you wouldn't give up even at the cost of Mother's life? What exactly is the reason for that? Why must you do this?

At this thought, Erin took in a deep breath and turned around.

"Angelina, let's go."

"Huh? Where are we heading to, Your Highness Erin?"

Angelina asked in astonishment.

"But Madam Dark Dragon said the death aura is really dense in there. After all, you're a mortal. If..."

"Don't worry, we're just checking out the situation. Besides, since there are no other ways out, perhaps there might be an exit where people can't enter... When it comes to that and we still can't get out..."

Erin winked playfully at Angelina.

"I still have you around, right? I'll leave it to you then. Okay, Miss Angelina?"

After hearing Erin's answer, Angelina's expression stiffened. Then, she let out an awkward cough and forced a smile.

"Yes. Please leave it to me, Your Highness Erin."

Chapter 1211: Land of Death

Just like the Dark Dragon described, this place was nothing more than a fortified prison. The deeper Erin and Angelina proceeded, the more they understood this point. The hanging steel chains and spacious, empty caves weren't just there for show. Piles of white bones appeared along the way. No one knew exactly how many dragons who violated the taboo were imprisoned here until their demise. Not only that, but the farther the duo advanced into the tunnel, they sensed the atmosphere turning colder and brimming with a thicker death aura. It wasn't as chilly as the whistling northern winds, but it startled them even more.

This meant that the death aura had completed the process of 'quantitative change' and coalesced into a 'substantial' presence. At this stage, the death aura wasn't as simple as just being the atmosphere. The pressure it exuded was almost similar to the 'death cloud spell' by necromancers. Any life form that entered the atmosphere would have their vitality weakened and eventually die. The 'death cloud spell' was formed by coalescing magic powers, but here, the death aura naturally took shape into a substantial presence. Due to this reason, Erin and Angelina felt like the situation was getting trickier because this might possibly mean that a creature much stronger than them was hidden and lying ahead.

"Argh..."

Erin knitted her brows. A faint, indistinct spiritual light shone around her, resisting the negative energy in the hovering cold air. On the other hand, Angelina didn't have any huge reaction. As an undead creature, she couldn't possibly be affected by negative energy that eroded vitality. At that moment, underneath their feet was a stretch of solid ground covered by a thick layer of white frost. One who stepped above it would sense the chilliness escaping the surface. The deeper they advanced, the more obvious it felt to them, so much so that at a glance, they witnessed the entire tunnel shrouded in white frost. The ceiling was also covered in a thick layer of ice. This was a world of death, and no lifeforms would be able to survive long here.

Erin turned pale. Even though she had no issue pushing herself, the death air still affected her to a certain degree. Although she was able to soar through vacuums in the universe freely, the temperature in the universe was just extremely low, after all. Other than that, there were no other factors that affected her. But the chilliness here was entirely different. It wasn't a normal coldness, but the atmosphere was coalesced from the death aura entirely instead. It could also be said that the moment an ordinary human entered this place, the spiritual flame inside their body would be extinguished immediately without struggling. The ice layer here was simply like a deadly poison that killed one upon touch. The air also diffused a coldness that could make one freeze into a popsicle from inside-out. Erin had high vitality, but she couldn't handle the double erosion from the inside out and vice versa.

"The negative energy in here is almost at its critical point."

Angelina gazed at the deep tunnel ahead with a heavy expression, at the same time feeling astonished. Even though she was an undead creature, she had never seen a place with such a thick death aura. This god-forsaken place might be a getaway paradise for great lichs, but for vampires like her, she had no idea what exact creatures would show up. If an undead creature were to appear, Angelina wasn't sure if she was strong enough to defeat it. The strength of undead creatures were closely related to the power of their death aura. She reckoned that undead creatures who resided here must have existed for countless years. She didn't have a clue as to just how powerful they would be.

"Your Highness Erin, are you able to handle it?"

Angelina turned over and gazed at Erin, who sauntered beside her. This place more or less had an effect on an undead creature like her, not to mention how huge the pressure would be on a mortal like Erin. Upon witnessing Erin's pale complexion, it was obvious that she was doing her best. Despite that, this tunnel seemed endless. There was also no trace of any exits. If Erin were to carry on, Angelina doubted that she could hang on for long.

"I'm alright. I will be fine for the time being, Angelina."

Upon hearing Angelina's concern, Erin forced a smile. Even though Erin didn't look good due to the influence of the negative energy, her expression remained gentle and peaceful and she didn't seem to be struggling at all. Looking at Erin's reaction, Angelina's respect for her increased even more. But Angelina didn't comment much as she continued to saunter ahead.

Whoosh...!

All of a sudden, a draught blew from the deeper tunnel, brushing past them and lifting their long hair. Upon sensing this cold current of air, Erin and Angelina instantly felt refreshed. Even though they didn't know where the wind came from, it meant that...

There is an exit somewhere!

At this thought, the duo hastened their pace.

The death aura became denser and thicker, but it was still tolerable for them. No matter what, Erin was still the moon princess. In the underground, even though she didn't receive any direct energy from the moon, her formidable power prevented the draughts filled with death aura from affecting her any further. But it was only temporary. As long as they got out of this tunnel...

Bang!

Erin came to a standstill, while Angelina who ran beside her couldn't stop in time and crashed head-first onto an ice column. Judging from the heavy collision, Angelina must be in tremendous pain now. However, none of them grumbled. They widened their eyes in astonishment, gazing at the massive ice prison.

This prison, which was tens of meters tall, was seemingly the end of the tunnel. Standing before the duo were hundreds of solid ice columns, like prison fences blocking their path. However, the creature trapped inside the ice cage captured most of their attention.

It was a humongous dragon, twice the size of the Dark Dragon they met earlier. The dragon was entirely sealed in a thick bulk of ice, its limbs and body bound by steel chains. Apart from that, what shocked the duo was that there was no flesh on the dragon, but only ghastly white bones. Judging from the situation, it didn't seem like the remaining bones of its carcass, but that this was its state from the beginning. And this only meant one thing...

"It's an Undead Skeletal Dragon... Who did this?!"

During this period, Erin learned all sorts of unimaginable information. She once thought there was nothing in this world that would shock her anymore. But now, her head was in a complete blank. She stared expressionlessly at the Undead Skeletal Dragon and wasn't as mindful of the coldness circulating around her anymore.

As everyone knew, the Country of Darkness was a nation of undead creatures, and they were most adept in creating all sorts of them. So it went without saying that dragons were no exceptions. It was especially so since dragons in the Country of Darkness would die one day and if they could manipulate powers of the undead to summon the dragons back to this world, not only could they increase the strength of their nation, but the dragons could also survive in another form.

But it was a pity that regarding this issue, the dragon race always upheld the attitude of 'a tyrant boss can do whatever he likes, and commoners aren't allowed the slightest bit of freedom'. Not only that, but the dragon race also prohibited turning any dragon corpses into undead creatures because it was deemed blasphemy against them. Undead creatures who did something like that would be eliminated immediately and generations of their family would also be implicated. However, as the graveyard of dragons itself was a secret, undead creatures couldn't possibly kill a dragon and turn it into one of them, which was why basically no one committed this offense. Due to that reason, after personally encountering this dragon that was turned into an undead creature, Erin was flabbergasted beyond words.

Despite that, what surprised the duo the most was the pitch-black tunnel beside the Undead Skeletal Dragon. Even though the tunnel seemed endless, for some unknown reason, when they looked at it at the same time, they were confident that the exit they were searching for was right there.

"Let's go, Your Highness Erin."

The source of coldness in the underground tunnels came from that enormous dragon, where even Angelina felt her limbs stiffening. She gnashed her teeth and slipped through the gaps between the ice columns. With her petite-sized body, the fences made of ice columns weren't an issue for her at all. Erin followed behind her closely, stretching her arm to get passed the ice columns. But at that moment...

Boom!

The moment her hand passed through the ice columns, a golden brilliance erupted all of a sudden, blasting her to the back and causing her to crash into the ground. Not only that, but Erin also let out a painful groan. At the same time, a ring of golden halo was clearly seen flashing above her.

"This is..."

Looking at this scene, Angelina was taken aback. She reached out her hand and fumbled with the ice column beside her. But what was strange was that no matter what movement she made, she couldn't feel any resistance. Erin crawled to her feet with gnashed teeth, extending her right hand again. Almost simultaneously, the golden radiance exploded once more.

Boom!

This time, the prepared Erin didn't get struck to the back. But even so, she took a few steps back and her complexion was as white as a sheet. It was apparent that there were measures to prevent dragons from leaving this place. It was ineffective on other races, which was perhaps why Angelina could pass through freely, but Erin couldn't.

"Your Highness Erin, this..."

Angelina was at a complete loss. What made the situation worse was that she heard the clanking of steel chains from behind Erin. Angelina looked behind Erin and was stunned to discover that the imprisoned Undead Skeletal Dragon was swaying and getting up from its slumber. It seemed like the dragon was woken by the two intruders who broke into the prison. At that moment, Erin turned around and witnessed the oncoming danger. She stared at the dragon and gritted her teeth tightly, before turning around and ordering the dazed Angelina quickly.

"Leave, Angelina!"

Facing Erin's words, Angelina was shook. Frankly, even though undead creatures couldn't care less about their companions, after spending a long time with Erin in this god-forsaken place, they developed kind feelings for each other. Angelina couldn't bear to leave her 'companion' alone in this ridiculous place.

"Huh? Your Highness Erin? We can try again. Maybe..."

"It's impossible."

Facing Angelina's response, Erin shook her head with a bitter smile. Erin had already realized that the moment the mysterious energy struck her away, there was something that restrained and weakened her powers. Erin was able to rely upon her formidable strength to resist the death aura. But now, she felt like she couldn't hold on any longer. If Erin were to try slipping through the ice columns again, perhaps she couldn't stay at this place any longer and could only leave after receiving another attack.

"As a dragon race, it seems like I can't leave here for the time being. I can only rely on you now, Angelina! Leave and inform His Majesty Rhode about the situation here. I'm sure he will have a solution!"

"..."

Upon listening to Erin's command, Angelina bit the bullet, turning to the former and nodded with might. Then, the petite vampire dashed off in a trail of afterimages into the dark tunnel beside the Undead Skeletal Dragon. At that moment, the Undead Skeletal Dragon gradually woke up. The pitch-black eye sockets burned in spiritual flames. It shifted its head to where Angelina was and widened its mouth.

"———!"

At the next moment, an ice-cold, bone-piercing dragon breath exploded from its mouth, blasting at Angelina in an instant. Upon detecting the lethal chilliness of death, Angelina's hair stood on end. She wrapped her arms around the invisible sword and darted as quickly as possible.

Even though Angelina gave her best, the cold air affected her greatly, causing her to slow down instantly. At that moment, the ice-cold dragon breath arrived from above. Upon realizing it, Angelina's heart sank. She rolled to dodge the assault, but her skirt wasn't as fortunate. Her skirt that was fluttering along with her swift movements stiffened immediately before metamorphosing into chunks of fragments. In the blink of an eye, her pitch-black skirt shattered and revealed her fair, slender legs.

Ssss———!

Angelina sucked in a breath of cold air. She wasn't distressed over the loss of her skirt, but was baffled by this terrifying power. The dragon breath merely brushed past her and she felt as though her body were frozen entirely. Moreover, the speed of erosion from the ice-cold air was devastatingly fast. She was certain that if it were her body that came into contact with the dragon breath, she would have ended up the same as her skirt. Angelina shivered at this thought. Without checking out her surroundings, she took large strides and flitted into the tunnel ahead. This time, not only did she run at her quickest speed, but her bat-like wings also expanded in an instant. She metamorphosed into pitch-black lightning that burst straight toward the tunnel.

However, the Undead Skeletal Dragon realized what she was up to. The moment Angelina turned into pitch-black lightning, the dragon snapped its jaw open and spurted another stone-cold dragon breath at her. In this case, even if Angelina managed to enter the dark tunnel, she would still be frozen stiff. And if she didn't make it into the tunnel, she would surely be sealed in ice. When that happened, she could forget about leaving this place!

"Be careful!"

Erin watched the entire scene helplessly. She couldn't help but shriek, clench her fist, and stare at Angelina's escape. If it were Erin who was on the other side, she could have turned into her dragon form and fought against the dragon. Perhaps she might not be able to defeat the Undead Skeletal Dragon that had been in here for who knew how long, but at least she could buy some time. But now, Erin couldn't get past the ice columns into the prison, not to mention providing any assistance.

Angelina bolted ahead but eventually failed to make her escape. The moment she arrived at the entrance of the tunnel, the freezing dragon breath arrived above her. If nothing went wrong, she would be frozen into an ice sculpture at the next moment.

Yes, if nothing went wrong.

Swish!

Suddenly, the invisible sword in Angelina's arms flew out of its sheath and slashed at the dragon breath, splitting it into two. The dragon breath dissipated shortly after and the Undead Skeletal Dragon widened its mouth. Spiritual radiance in its pitch-black eye sockets blazed frantically.

"What—... Why is that sword...!"

Meanwhile, Angelina vanished into the pitch-black entrance of the tunnel.

Chapter 1212: Escape From Danger

"Haa... Haa... Haa..."

Hugging the invisible sword in her arms, Angelina dashed into the deep tunnel without looking back. She was so anxious that she felt an illusion of pain from rapidly breathing. As an undead creature, she didn't need to breathe at all. But now, she felt as though she had restored her flesh and blood, like a living creature. But now, she wasn't in the leisure mood to care about that. She sprinted desperately, and her wings could no longer flap. Even though that attack earlier didn't hit her, the freezing current brushed past her and damaged her wings severely. At that moment, her flat, sleek wings seemed as though they had been through countless storms, fluttering behind her like a tattered curtain. It was a ghastly sight that pained one.

"Phew..."

After sprinting for a long time, Angelina slowed down her pace and held onto the wall for support, turning back to confirm that nothing was pursuing her. Although she felt relieved, she didn't let her guard down yet. She gripped the sword, scanned around her cautiously, and continued advancing.

If it were possible, Angelina hoped to use this sword in battle. As a descendant of an ancient vampire family, she possessed their unique swordsmanship. Besides, she also clearly felt the energy accumulating on that invisible sword. If she were to wield the sword, she would be stronger in battles at the very least. But it was a pity that even though this sword allowed her to hug it, everything else was off limits. Angelina tried wielding the sword as a weapon and hung it on her waist, but either her head or arm was slashed off afterward. With no other choice, Angelina could only embrace the sword in her arms.

"Sigh... Seems like I can only rely upon myself now. I wonder how much farther I have to walk. I sure hope I don't face any more forks ahead..."

Angelina soliloquized as she proceeded ahead, taking light, nimble steps like a specter drifting across the air. Fortunately, as though her prayer were answered, there weren't any forks like before or winding tunnels that led to dead-ends. On the contrary, she was glad that after sauntering across flat paths for a long time, she realized the slopes were starting to incline upward, which meant that she was getting closer to the surface and wasn't heading farther to the underground. Frankly, Angelina was terrified that what awaited her at the end of this tunnel was an even more deadly underground prison. She was no match for the Undead Skeletal Dragon earlier. If she faced another foe who was more powerful, she would undoubtedly be instant-killed.

After some time, Angelina finally saw something she yearned for a long time—a sealed, heavy stone door. It emanated a faint magical radiance and was seemingly enhanced by powerful sealing spells. If Angelina didn't guess it wrongly, this should be the exit of this damn underground maze. As for how she should open the stone door, she didn't give it much thought. She gazed subconsciously at the transparent sword that was bound by green, flickering spiritual light. Up until that moment, she didn't know what its origin was. However, since it possessed self-consciousness and was found in this deep underground maze, it should more or less possess some ways around the seals.

And just as Angelina thought, the moment she approached the stone door. The faint radiance circling the invisible sword grew intense. Shortly after, the stone door in front of her emanated a similar brilliance. In a series of rumbles, the stone door opened gradually. Glacial steam escaped the gap, blowing on Angelina's cheeks. The petite vampire braced herself up instantly. She stared with wide, blood-red eyes at what was behind the door. But apart from a natural grotto, there didn't seem to be any dangers. After ensuring there was nothing except her around, she shuttled into the stone door like a wild animal, swiftly concealing herself into the nearest shadow. She turned and instantly scanned her surroundings. At that moment, the wide-open stone door beside her creaked as it closed itself.

Boom.

The stone door closed and the pitch-black cave restored its peace. However, Angelina didn't move off right away. She remained hidden in the darkness, holding her breath as she scanned the place. As a vampire who had gotten herself into dangers and pursuits in the past, Angelina was an expert in this field. She wasn't that foolish to fall into any avoidable dangers. Due to that reason, even though she was in an extremely unfavorable environment, she had ways to protect herself with her meticulous behavior.

After several hours and confirming there was nothing lurking in the darkness, Angelina strolled out of the shadows. She took a glance at the stalactites above, before metamorphosing into a shadow and zoomed ahead.

There were no traces of anything man made in the paths ahead. At a glance, she was inside a natural mountain cave. But this time, she wasn't stupefied by winding tunnels and forks. With a clear target and without the restrictions of the green spirit boulders, she could take advantage of her abilities to effortlessly overcome obstacles.

Just ahead. It's just ahead. I'm almost there!

At this thought, Angelina smelled the scent of soil in the wind. She had never been so agitated. She subconsciously picked up her pace and agilely passed through the natural cave. At the next moment, the petite vampire sprung up abruptly, changing into a bat that flew across the cave. The gloomy cave was finally disappearing from her sight! And what presented before her was the long-awaited...

"Wha—?"

After restoring her human form and landing on her feet, Angelina wasn't as joyous as she imagined. On the contrary, she gazed at the sky dubiously. Her scarlet eyes glinted in confusion.

In her memories, the sky hovering above the Country of Darkness was boundless, pitch-black, and beautiful. The red, full moon was as dazzling and mesmerizing as a shining diamond, and it left a deep impression on her. It had always been that way since the Country of Darkness was born. But now, what unveiled before Angelina was nothing like that picturesque view. On the contrary, the sky seemed as though someone had mixed black and white paint together and violently smeared it onto an originally heavenly canvas. Just the sight of it was enough disgust one. The revulsion felt so distinct that it succeeded in wiping out the trace of happiness from escaping the dark underground in Angelina. Not only that, but also the moment she gazed at the sky, she had this thought—perhaps it might be better to remain underground.

This was totally unprecedented and unimaginable for the Angelina from a few seconds ago. She thought that as long as she left the underground, she could do anything. She didn't expect to be disappointed so soon.

"What exactly is going on?"

Angelina shifted her gaze away from the bizarre night sky. After staring at it for some time, she felt a little giddy, and she couldn't distinguish between sky and ground. At that moment, she stood on a path that was half-way up a barren mountain. One thing she felt fortunate about was that the cave exit led to safety outside the Darkness Capital. From her perspective, the entire Darkness Capital was shrouded in a pitch-dark barrier, which meant that Ion had no intention of stopping the Dark Curtain, the ultimate defensive mechanism. She wasn't surprised by it. Instead, she was stunned by the scene around her.

It was total chaos outside the Darkness Capital. Blazing flames, death, and ruins spread across the land as though terrifying monsters had devastated the region. It made Angelina feel like she was in hell. The aura of death and disorder and the putrid smell of blood blended into one like a magical concoction prepared by a witch. Everything was thrown in the huge pot and stirred vigorously. No one could recognize its original shape.

"... Master, can you hear me? Master?"

After confirming that she left the envelopment of the pitch-black curtain, Angelina contacted Rhode using the spiritual communication. But what was weird was that even though she had gone away, she still couldn't reach Rhode properly. She barely sensed Rhode's position. The signals she sent were unclear and also disrupted. Not only that, but Angelina also didn't know whether Rhode heard her.

It seems like the problem doesn't only stem from the Dark Curtain.

At this thought, Angelina shook her head and turned to the other side.

Since I can't reach His Majesty Rhode, I'm only left with one choice.

Chapter 1213: Tide of Dusk

Even though Rhode made a fairly complete plan against the Country of Darkness, he experienced what it meant to be a 'plan wasn't as fast as change' shortly after.

After Icy Snow eradicated the Chaos Lord, Rhode initially decided to lead the others in annihilating the remaining two Chaos Lords and figuring out what exactly turned them into this ridiculous state. But the Chaos Lord weren't fools either and that caught Rhode by surprise. The moment they spotted Rhode and his group of formidable beings rushing over, they tucked tails and fled shamelessly. Rhode's group couldn't catch up with them at all. They managed to wipe out a part of the ghost fleet and watched helplessly as they escaped. Even though they could continue to chase, for safety's sake, he eventually dismissed the idea.

But the changes in the situation later left Rhode speechless. The battle happening on the elves' side didn't subside yet. Although the twin dragons of the Country of Law had mobilized their army, no one knew whether it was because the Country of Law had an overly long time of peace that they spent too much time gathering Holy Knights from all over the Dragon Soul Continent and forming their forces. Besides, borrowing the power of Gracier, Madaras, and the elf knights, the Country of Law managed to resist the enemies. No one knew when the twin dragons could accomplish their tasks, so for the time being, they couldn't be relied upon.

Not only that, but the alliance of the Void Territory and Munn Kingdom also faced some relatively huge resistance, especially in terms of the dragon souls. In the past, when Rhode attacked using his dragon soul powers, it felt like two blades were clashing with each other and the battered enemy retreated after. From a certain angle, a clash between dragon soul powers was truly a battle between dragon soul heirs. Rhode joined forces with his younger sister and went against Ion. It went without saying that they were like fish back in the water, advancing all the way through. Although Ion withstood desperately, he was inevitably forced back.

These days, Rhode sharply realized that Ion's dragon soul protection had changed. Using a less abstract metaphor, it was as though the strong dragon soul protection was melting in high temperature like chocolate, turning sticky and hard to break. When Rhode tried to break Ion's dragon soul protection, he felt like he hurled a punch into a thick puddle of mud. Not only was there no resistance, but he was also contaminated with something distasteful. Rhode flitted away from Ion's dragon soul protection when suddenly, he discovered that the dragon soul protection that should have been shattered into fragments wrapped back around like sticky glue. If it weren't for Rhode's decisiveness to retreat from Ion's dragon soul protection, who knew what would have happened.

Due to that reason, Rhode felt like the situation was getting worse and the Country of Darkness was beyond cure—no, perhaps the country was already a goner. After experiencing the initial, rigorous stages, the country became weaker and even decayed from the inside out. Even when Rhode gazed at the land of the Country of Darkness from a distance, he sensed a rotten and disgusting scent and that forced him to command his army to stop advancing. Rhode's biggest flaw now was that he didn't know what exactly was going on with the Country of Darkness. Judging from the state of Ion's dragon soul protection, it was apparent that there was something wrong with Ion. As for what exactly went wrong... Rhode had no clue at all.

The only good news was that Gaya was resurrected and everything seemed normal with her. However, as she dealt a deadly attack on the enemy with all her rule power, her soul received a huge backlash. During this period, she could only lay in bed and recuperate. Rhode also used this moment to stop sending his troops out and only dispatched scouts to investigate the front line from time to time. But despite that, they had little success. Fortunately, with Icy Snow around, [Space Detection] acted as their high-performance radar. However, there was also a limit to her ability. Besides, there seemed to be many issues with the Country of Darkness, which turned the space around it unstable, disrupting Icy Snow's detection.

"What's wrong, Little Icy?"

Arriving at the deck of the magic warship and gazing at the young lady, Rhode couldn't help but ask.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, Big Brother. I'm fine."

Upon hearing his concern, Icy Snow turned to him and shook her head with a smile.

"It's just that the two Bubbles are a little too noisy in there..."

"I see..."

Upon hearing her answer, Rhode had a hard time responding. Ever since the two Bubbles used 'fallacies' to settle their sister-relationship with Icy Snow, the two proud Bubbles were a real pain in the neck for Icy Snow, demanding her to call them 'big sisters'. Later, the enraged and speechless Icy Snow had no choice but to seek help from Canary. With Canary backing her up, the two brats held back much more.

Even though Icy Snow had only been around for a few days, Marlene and the others had already learned of her strictness. Although Icy Snow didn't need to attend school in this world and complete assignments, she still made plans according to the habits of her previous life. Other than consuming food and taking breaks, she made changes to her plan, including free time, assisting Rhode in investigating the Country of Darkness, and practicing her skills. In the game, even though Icy Snow's double talents weren't that useful in a BOSS fight, they were absolutely vital in this world, which was why she put in a lot of effort to master her skill.

Of course, unlike Bubble who stayed up all night watching 'animes', Icy Snow went to bed at 10 p.m. sharp and woke up at 8 a.m.... Observing this behavior of hers, Rhode suspected if Icy Snow had obsessive-compulsive disorder like what Bubble mentioned...

"... Honestly, I'm still in disbelief, Big Brother... Big Sister really came back to life."

Icy Snow said, lifting her head to admire the starry sky. Her eyes were flowing with nostalgia and memories. Upon hearing her words, Rhode remained silent, but stretched out his hand to caress Icy Snow's head. He empathized with Icy Snow's thoughts and feelings. Back then, it could be said that Rhode and his younger sister watched Icy Snow's growth. But before the younger sister passed away, Icy Snow had already moved away with her family. The next time Rhode met Icy Snow was during his younger sister's funeral. Icy Snow was heartbroken over the loss of this big sister who always accompanied her. And now, Icy Snow was elated to see his younger sister reappearing in front of her.

"Big Brother, will my original self... be aware of this good news?"

"I think so. I'll bring you to meet her next time. I'm sure she'll be happy to meet you."

Rhode nodded to Icy Snow's question. He had made up his mind to come up with a way to connect his home and Earth after moving the entire Dragon Soul Continent to the solar system. Not only would he be able to reminisce past everyday life, but he could also meet his close friends in the game. Of course, Icy Snow was no exception.

"Yes... Actually..."

Upon hearing Rhode's answer, Icy Snow nodded with a smile. The latter gazed at him and blushed.

"... Big Brother... I'm really glad too. I thought there was no way for us to meet in reality. I didn't expect to see you again because of this opportunity..."

Icy Snow said, turning around and lowering her gaze to the deck shyly. The pair of cat ears on her head seemed really nervous as they stood up, trembling. Then, Icy Snow stole a glance at Rhode and continued softly.

"Erm... Big Brother, I have a small request. If it's possible, can we be like in the past where before I sleep, you..."

Icy Snow's complexion turned red. Her voice became as soft as a buzzing mosquito;s. But the moment, as the young lady made up her mind and decided to speak, a high-pitched scream interrupted her.

"Woahhh! Master, I'm back!"

Along with this exaggerated scream, a huge colony of bats appeared in the night sky, squeaking as they spiraled in midair and headed toward where Rhode stood. Shortly after, a petite figure emerged among them. Upon witnessing the person, Rhode was taken aback.

"Angelina?"

At that moment, the young, noble vampire lady had lost her graceful demeanor. She was covered in filth from head to toe. Her expensive dress was torn and the skirt and sleeves were tattered in large holes. Her long, white hair was also burned and stained with smoke as though the product of failed hair-coloring. Rather than treating Angelina as a high-class descendant of the first vampire family, she looked more like a refugee now. Rhode couldn't help but stare blankly at Angelina. In his memories, he couldn't remember seeing this vampire in such a sorry state, apart from when Mini Bubble Gum forced her into the 'spirit ball'.

Upon spotting Rhode, the battered and exhausted Angelina plopped herself down on the ground as though she had lost all her strength.

"Phew... I finally get to meet you, again Master," she said with a sigh of relief.