313-320

Chapter 313: Victory by a Fine Line

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

This sudden change surprised everyone as they had never witnessed a sword that could change its own form. On the other hand, Mobis remained calm and as a Master Swordsman, he was experienced in facing such sudden changes in situation. Even though angles and timing determined by Rhode were crafty, a sly fox like Mobis wouldn't be so easily taken down. Mobis slowed down his pace and brandished his Chrysoprase Sword which suppressed the viper blade. He tilted his head and the sharp blade scraped by him along with a few threads of hair.

The older, the wiser.

Rhode exclaimed in admiration at the sight of Mobis dodging his attack.

Mobis didn't panic at all. Instead, he adjusted his speed to ensure more space for his maneuver. He was clear that such attack couldn't be figured out nor defended against. Although an extendable weapon could catch the enemy off guard, it had its flaws too. The extended sword was an interconnected whole, so even though Mobis couldn't capture its attack trajectory, it would be much easier to handle when the attack came in a straight line.

Mobis tried to deceive Rhode, so wouldn't Rhode try to deceive him too? The former tried to bait Rhode by acting weak, and Rhode replied with his Shadow Embrace, which utilized afterimages to force Mobis into consuming his own energy.

But now, both sides were getting harder to deal with.

Mobis's plans to murder Rhode had failed and he understood that this young man could figure out his thoughts, which meant that he couldn't continue turning his thoughts into actions openly. He had purposely disguised an accident in order to prevent trouble, but if he overdid it and this was noticed by Rhode, it would bring even more trouble.

Rhode felt rather hopeless. [Dark Brandish] was a deadly sword skill, but it was obvious that he had no intentions of killing Mobis. However, both sides had similar strength and based purely on sword skills, it would probably bring about danger if he tried to preserve his energy against Mobis. However, if he gave his all and accidentally killed Mobis, the result would be worse than anything else.

Although Rhode was biased toward the King's Party and Lydia, he wasn't as loyal as Mobis, who could commit suicide for the sake of loyalty. The reason why Rhode supported the King's party was because his impression of Lydia was favorable all along in the game. Moreover, the King's Party's and his target benefits coincided. However, Rhode would not be like Mobis and sacrifice his mercenary group for the benefit of King's Party. He would definitely not do it.

That was why he didn't wish to kill Mobis in this competition.

But once one had concerns during battle, one would surely feel constrained.

Not to mention, Rhode had no intentions to summon his spirits yet.

Just as Anne had suspected, Rhode didn't have intentions of summoning his spirits as of now because he was clear that there were a lot of people observing his every move.

But Rhode would be in a disadvantage this way.

The forte of a Spirit Swordsman depended on the tactic of ganging up with summoned spirits. However, this world was balanced in the way that if one received something, something else would be taken away. A Spirit Swordsman's sword skills would forever be weaker than a pure Swordsman, and that was the price in exchange. Although Mobis was a native and not a strong player-like presence, such restrictions and limitations on levels still existed. Although Rhode seemed to be equally matched with Mobis, that was more likely due to the difficulty Mobis had grasping Dark Brandish.

If they compared solely on sword skill masteries in player terms, Rhode was only at Rank C while Mobis was at least a Rank A. A two rank difference.

If Rhode relied on pure sword skills against Mobis, it wouldn't be as easy as everyone else just saw.

However, it didn't mean that Rhode had no chance of winning.

The sound of wind changed abruptly.

Detecting the wind at the back of his head, Mobis turned around. He saw the pitch-black sword which he had subdued revolving and striking toward him as though it wasn't a sword, but a real, conscious viper.

What exactly is that weapon?

Mobis realised that this pitch-black sword wasn't as simple as it seemed. However, he didn't have the time to consider the problem because the strong whirlwind erupted and deflected Rhode's sword blade. Using this chance, Mobis slid back along with the wind.

But Rhode wouldn't let him off with this opportunity. Just as Mobis retreated, Rhode stopped his movements and without hesitation, he charged forward.

In an instant, there was a huge contrast in the situation. Just a few seconds before, Mobis was the one charging toward Rhode and the latter only dodged and retreated. But now, in the blink of an eye, both sides exchanged roles: Rhode attacked Mobis unforgivingly while the latter drew distance away from him.

It was a pity that he wasn't successful.

The whirlwinds that Mobis had cast drained too much of his energy and he temporarily didn't have enough energy to face Rhode's frontal assault. Although Mobis hoped to draw a distance away to recover and initiate a counterattack, Rhode wouldn't give him this chance.

Shing!

Along with the wind, the whizzing shadow twisted like a whip as it launched at Mobis. Pressured by Rhode's attack, Mobis frowned and slowed down his pace, at the same time brandishing his sword.

The radiance emanating on the Chrysoprase Sword flickered. A magical barrier forming a hexagonal crystal emerged beside Mobis and at that moment, the viper once again reared its head.

This time, Mobis didn't notice the black, razor-sharp tip and another transparent tip suddenly emerge.

Clang!

The pitch-black sword crashed into the hexagonal crystal barrier and was deflected by Mobis' left arm. Mobis was pleased, but before he prepared himself, he felt a cold, icy energy spreading into his arm. In the blink of an eye, half of his body turned numb and stiff.

What's going on?

He stared at his left arm in shock as there didn't seem to be any signs of injury and he couldn't feel any pain. As a matter of fact, only half his arm felt numb and stiff as though a shapeless blade had cut off his arm in an instant.

Damn!

Although he didn't know what happened, the rich battle experience in him instantly informed him of the danger this entailed. As his left arm was no longer nimble, it slowed him down drastically. In the blink of an eye, Rhode closed in on their distance.

Mobis lifted his head and witnessed the expressionless face before him.

The young man didn't seem to mind what happened at all.

But, Mobis was sure that Rhode's eyes were glinting with smiles.

He instinctively lifted his sword, but it was a pity that it was too late.

Storm Slaughter, activate.

In the blink of an eye, Rhode divided into dozen copies and and engaged in attacks with different stances. The whizzing blade air blasted at Mobis in its entirety.

This time, Mobis couldn't defend against Rhode's attacks because these attacks were genuine. All the copies were his actual presence and every sword carried equally terrifying strength and speed which even Mobis couldn't withstand.

Mobis struggled to brandish the sword with his right arm and desperately stop two rounds of offense from Rhode. However, with his numb left arm affecting his movements, he couldn't keep up any longer and staggered backward. At this very moment, a pitch-black shadow streaked across his body.

Fresh, red blood splashed into the blue skies.

Chapter 314: It Wasn't Luck

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Mobis couldn't avoid Rhode's attack. The Dead Soul Blade pierced deep into his soul and weakened his strength. Rhode used this opportunity to activate Storm Slaughter and overwhelm Mobis' last hopes.

This feeling was unprecedented for Mobis.

After Rhode activated Storm Slaughter, that was the first time Mobis felt a real sense of danger. Although it seemed overwhelming, every Master Swordsmen knew that these were only afterimages from the brandished swords and the threatening attacks were hidden within.

However, Rhode's Storm Slaughter caught Mobis by surprise because he realised that every sword was an actual presence!

No matter if the swords slashed from above, sliced from left or right, or struck out like a ambushing viper, every attack was the real deal. However, this wasn't logical because there was only one actual Rhode and he couldn't possibly attack from different positions.

But Rhode did it.

When Mobis brandished his sword and blocked the sword aiming for his shoulder, he felt another blade aim for his stomach. However, this strike didn't come after the strike to his shoulder failed. Instead, they came simultaneously.

This took Mobis by surprise. All he could do was to instinctively awaken the powers of the Chrysoprase Sword. Soon enough, the hexagonal crystal barrier once again emerged before him and defended against the attack that shouldn't have appeared.

However, this was also Mobis' limit.

As the whizzing sword pierced into his shoulder, he lost all other ideas. Even as a Master Swordsman, he was still a human, after all.

Accompanying pain was a sense of strange coldness and numbness. At this moment, Mobis couldn't hold it in any longer. He backed down and collapsed to the ground. At this moment, he let out an inward sigh as he lifted his head and looked to Rhode.

Rhode stared at him without any expression and sheathed his sword. Then, he stepped down the arena.

How did he do it?

Mobis couldn't figure it out. He was sure that Rhode's aggression was over the charts. No, maybe he exceeded the "laws" of boundary. He had broken the logic of 'a normal person can't possibly attack from various positions at the same time'. But, this was impossible, just like flames burning in water and stones growing like plants.

Could it be that he...

Mobis's heart sank.

Unlike Mobis, Rhode felt much more relieved and delighted.

The experiment went smoothly.

Mobis didn't know that when Rhode activated Storm Slaughter, he had also awakened the Composition Adornment's set effect and borrowed the attributes of enhancing his nimbleness: Spatial Displacement.

[Spatial Displacement: When the holder's nimble attribute exceeds the limit, he can defy "laws" and engage in multiple attacks in one location for five seconds.]

The instant Storm Slaughter was activated, Rhode's nimble attributes exceeded its original limits. "Spatial Displacement" was triggered and assisted Rhode in getting rid of the "laws" while giving him the crucial opportunity for the win. Of course, a huge part of the win was also credited to the Dead Soul Blade that struck Mobis, which depleted his spiritual energy. If Mobis had enough remaining strength and if he was unable to withstand all of Rhode's attack, he would still be able to dodge. Although [Spatial Displacement] broke Rhode's nimble limits, it wasn't perfect. It could only pinpoint one location. In other words, no matter how many attacks Rhode launched, he couldn't use it on another location if his enemy dodged. This was its flaw.

However, this was good enough for Rhode. He didn't have to summon any spirits and only relied on his sword skills and equipment win, which was a crucial part of his plans.

Everything went well.

A cold smile glinted in his eyes. Then, he swept a glance at the audience before stepping down from the arena.

No one spoke.

After Mobis fell off the arena, the whole place went dead silent.

Everyone opened their eyes wide in disbelief. No one expected such an ending when they first stepped into this place. Before the competition started, they thought that the results of this matchups was predictable: the Sky Sword Guild would easily run over the whatever mercenary group. In fact, the truth was the complete opposite. All they saw were failures and failures and in the end, even the Sky Sword guild leader was defeated. They didn't know how Mobis was defeated, but they knew that the goddess of victory didn't go to their side.

The whole arena was in complete silence with many covering their heads and staring blankly at the black-haired young man. It wasn't who they anticipated to see. The truth was always cruel. Some of them shut their eyes hopelessly and hoped that it was nothing but a nightmare or just their eyes playing tricks on them. When they opened their eyes, it should be Mobis standing on the arena with both hands raised and soaking in cheers and honor. On the other hand, those country bumpkins would be lowering their heads, trying to sneak away in defeat. This was the scene that they wished for, but no matter how many times they blinked their eyes, that scene never appeared. The man slowly walked off the arena and only at this moment, the judge standing by the sides returned to his senses and announced the victor of this match.

"Three wins in five matches; Starlight is victorious!"

The deep bungle horns sounded. Celebratory petals fell from the skies and announced the emergence of a victor. At this moment, the winners should have stepped onto the arena and accepted the cheers and blessings from the audience. However, there wasn't such a scene this time. Other than the bungle horns and fluttering petals, the entire arena was as dead as a graveyard. The speechless audience covered their heads with both hands. At this moment, the silence seemed to have become a virus that mercilessly infected everyone present. No one felt delighted at the sight of fluttering petals and the sound of bungle horns.

Mobis stood up and cupped his hand over his shoulder wound. Golan rushed to his side and supported him. However, Mobis gestured and rejected Golan's intentions. Then, he sighed helplessly and returned to the tunnel.

This time, they had lost utterly and completely.

The Sky Sword Guild had been eliminated.

This news spread across the entire Golden City almost immediately. From the start, due to the huge difference in strength in both sides, many mercenaries had disregarded the match because the verdict had already been decided for them. Most of them were more concerned about the upcoming match tomorrow between Sky Sword and Purple Lily; they had sentenced Starlight to the death penalty.

And because of this, it was imaginable how shocked the mercenaries looked when they heard this piece of news. Not every mercenaries could enter the arena, so they weren't able to understand the exact details of the matchups. However, just the facts were enough to astonish them. Starlight won three out of five matches and eliminated the Sky Swords. That was totally impossible and according to them, the Sky Sword Guild should have won three matches in a row, kicking Starlight out immediately. This would have been normal, no?

But now, Starlight won and Sky Sword lost!

In an instant, everyone discussed this topic. Not just ordinary mercenaries—even the mercenaries joining the sub-event also talked about it. Previously, they didn't have any good impression of Starlight and just as Rhode predicted, they had to fight for their rights to battle against the four guilds. But how could this mercenary group that was formed less than half a year ago step on the arena without the need to fight their way through? Of course, they were upset with this arrangement. However, when the results of the competition were announced, the mercenaries shut their mouths instantly because they knew it was impossible for them to defeat the Sky Sword Guild themselves. But since Starlight did it, it proved that they were indeed capable.

However, this didn't mean that there wasn't any topic for them to talk about. Just like the supporters of the Sky Swords expected, the mockery and sarcasm targeting them and Sky Sword was immediately omnipresent. Originally, the guild was the representative of the conflicts between regions and now that Sky Sword had lost the competition, people of other regions would surely grab this opportunity to humiliate them. "You Southern bums actually lost to a mercenary group? How embarassing can you get? Are you even considered men?"

Facing such mockeries, the Southerners wouldn't tolerate them. However, it was the truth that their pillar of support had lost, and no matter how they retorted, it wouldn't change the fact. Therefore, some of them chose to not speak and paid no attention to this matter. Some reacted violently, but within Golden City, acts that disrupted order wouldn't be overlooked by the Angels. After capturing dozens of Southerners who tried to protect their reputation, the rest finally learnt to be peaceful.

Everyone turned their attention to a more serious question: how did a small mercenary group like Starlight defeat Sky Sword?

No one could figure it out. Although some weren't present to witness the whole matchup, those who observed from the start to end failed to figure out what was wrong too. Logically speaking, they shouldn't have lost, so did they lose due to bad luck?

Some said that Starlight was extremely lucky to eliminate Sky Sword, but not many maintained this view because the difference in strength was there. Just like no matter how good a sparrow's luck was, it couldn't possibly snatch food from an eagle. That was nonsensical. And from the matchups, the first two matches that Starlight won weren't won on luck at all. Starlight defeated their opponents with true strength and under the attacks of Marlene and Gillian, two members of Sky Sword Guild were blasted out of the arena before they had a chance to retaliate. Was that considered lucky?

But, if one were to say that a small mercenary group like Starlight was stronger than the Sky Sword Guild, some of them couldn't accept such an explanation. After all, many members in Sky Sword were experienced and well known. However, apart from Marlene, the rest of Starlight was unpopular and even though strength and reputation couldn't be used in comparison, most people still wanted to think of it in that way.

So then, what was the most reasonable explanation?

Many had splitting views. However, just as they debated endlessly, a new perspective emerged out of nowhere.

Starlight's victory wasn't based on luck, but was still inseparable from luck because Marlene and Gillian's performances were outstanding without a doubt. However, the other three performed mediocrely. It could be seen from Anne's performance that she was in a disadvantageous position. There weren't many problems with these matches so the only one worth discussing was the battle between Rhode and Mobis.

According to this perspective, Mobis was much stronger than Rhode and if he faced Rhode seriously, Rhode definitely wouldn't stand a chance. However, Mobis didn't expect Rhode to have a secret technique; the transforming sword that broke Mobis' rhythm. After all, he was getting old and even though he was a Master Swordsman, his reaction would still be more or less sluggish. On the other hand, Rhode was much younger and had a lot of energy. Furthermore, he seized the chance to initiate quick attacks to gain the upperhand. Also, based on the later part of Mobis's performance, that sly young man had even smeared poison on his sword blade to limit Mobis' movements and won using this scheming tactic.

This was why Starlight defeated Sky Sword—strength and luck.

After this explanation spread, many people immediately accepted it because this suited their views on this matchups. A mercenary group like Starlight defeating Sky Sword definitely wasn't a sign of strength. This statement had become the most acceptable reason.

However, no one knew that when they were debating this hot topic in the bar, Old Walker stood in the shadows of the small alley outside Starlight's campsite. He knitted his brows and looked at Rhode in dissatisfaction.

"Kid, I have done what you instructed and many people have agreed to this explanation... Hey, what are you up to?"

Rubbing his hands, Old Walker looked at Rhode in dissatisfaction. This victory raised Walker's eyebrows and he had intended to announce it to the mercenaries. However, after the competition ended, Rhode looked for him and got him to secretly spread word that "Starlight's victory was mainly based on luck."

Old Walker was discontent because no matter how Starlight won against Sky Sword, it was a huge success! Starlight was only a mercenary group that was formed less than half a year, and they defeated the Sky Swords that had protected the South for decades!

Old Walker couldn't help but feel excited over this news. What's wrong with luck? Luck is also part of strength, right?

However, Old Walker didn't expect Rhode to instruct him to do such a thing. Now, the mercenaries who revealed their respect for Starlight returned to their proud manners saying, "I knew it. If a mercenary group like Starlight didn't scheme, how could they defeat Sky Sword?"

Old Walker couldn't wait to teach those punks a lesson.

"Of course I have my ideas; you just need to follow my instructions."

Rhode answered without a change in expression.

"All you have to know is that everything is for the sake of victory."

Chapter 315: Night Ambush

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Old Walker left the alley in grumbles. Rhode stood on the spot and observed in silence as the old man disappeared into the crowd. The Midsummer Festival hadn't ended yet and Golden City, known as a city that never slept, had bustling nights while relaxing music played from the bars. Not only that, but the streets were also filled with vibrant, festive decorations.

Rhode admired Golden City's night scenery for a few moments before heading out of the alley. At this moment, a shadow flitted by behind him.

While exiting the alley, Rhode pulled up his hood to conceal his face. He reached a bar named 'Midnight Beauties' within a few minutes and without much hesitation, he pushed the wooden doors open.

Then, the melodious sound of music and clamor flooded him.

The spacious hall was full of people. Mercenaries lifted their cups and exchanged conversations with one another. There were female dancers swaying their slender waists and hips sexily in the middle. Half-naked mercenaries surrounded them and whistled sharply. Their laughter filled the entire bar. Rhode puckered his brows and moved to a corner where a drooling drunk was sleeping over the table. Rhode turned a blind eye to him and pushed him aside for his seat.

This didn't start any commotion, just like how a small stone couldn't show its presence in the face of a storm. Since the victim lay flat on the ground and didn't respond, the others wouldn't be dumb enough to stand up someone whose name they didn't even know. Furthermore, a customer who had occupied a seat without spending money wasn't welcomed by the bar. The drunk might even be removed from the bar and thrown into the ice-cold valley along with the trash.

The waitresses testified this explanation as they carried warm smiles while disregarding the drunk beside Rhode. They seemed to be around 25 to 26 years old. Their pretty faces were smeared with low quality powder and half their chests were revealed in a long dress which outlined their slender bodies. Gazing at this customer who was concealed under a cloak, one of them came to his side with a smile.

"Excuse me, Sir, what do you need?"

"Give me your best alcohol."

Rhode placed a golden coin on the table and lifted his head to admire the woman's fair, ample pair of breasts. He paused for a moment and continued.

"Keep the change."

The woman's smile turned into a grin. She took the gold coin and looked at Rhode with an enticing smile. Then, she slid the gold coin into her cleavage. With her woman's instinct, she sensed that the pair of eyes hidden under the hood was tracing her every movement, which rejoiced her. Then, she tossed a coquettish glance at Rhode before skipping away.

Only when she entered the crowd did Rhode withdraw his gaze. There really was still a difference between the game and reality. In the game, the waitresses wouldn't be dressed as skimpily and their attitudes wouldn't be so... Yes, open-minded.

Perhaps the gold coin had brought out its effect. After a few moments, the woman returned to Rhode's side and placed a huge cup filled with astrong alcoholic drink to the brim before him. Then, she pulled up and adjusted the chest area of her dress. Rhode nodded and the woman turned around and headed down the corridor.

In such a small bar, naturally, there wouldn't be any alcohol. Rhode looked into his cup of bubbling ale and stood up without drinking a sip. After checking his surrounding, he followed the woman.

Unlike the bustling main hall, the corridor was unusually quiet. The clamors that infiltrated the thick walls were weakened a lot and due to this, the corridor felt much more unfrequented. As Rhode paced along the corridor, he lost sight of the woman. However, he didn't spend much effort to find her because the wooden door left ajar had already pinpointed his target.

Like a walk in the park, Rhode headed to the door and spotted the woman inside the room. At this moment, she leaned on the wall and lifted her head to the sky. She revealed an enthusiastic and attractive smile. She pushed out her proud chest, padded to Rhode, and wrapped her dewy arms around his neck.

"I didn't expect you to come here, my dear customer."

She licked her thick, red lips and winked her flirtatious eyes. She pushed her chest to Rhode closely. However, this didn't seem wrong to her as she cheekily smiled and clung onto his body. On the other hand, Rhode extended both arms and roamed her soft, fleshy body. Under Rhode's fondles, she revealed a blush, gasped for air, and let out a soft moan. She poured into Rhode powerlessly, at the same time wrapping her legs onto him.

"Sir, you are so generous with a gold coin... What exactly do you want me to do for you?"

She said in a slutty manner. She skillfully unbuttoned her chest strap to spill out its contents and rubbed his chest.

Rhode handily caressed and sneaked into her clothes to fondle with her soft, fleshy assets. The woman moaned increasingly louder and closed her eyes. She spread apart her legs and arms in preparation for deeper interactions.

And because of this, the woman didn't notice the magical radiance emanating from Rhode's right hand.

A sharp, pitch-black blade pierced her neck from behind and missed Rhode by an inch. In the blink of an eye, the assassin had almost accomplished his mission by putting both of them to their death beds. Then, Rhode pushed his hands forward and pulled a distance apart from the woman who had turned into a corpse. At the same time, he clenched his right hand.

Countless tentacles shot out from the shadows and caught the shadow lurking behind the woman. The woman's corpse disrupted the assassin's movements and stopped him from leaving instantly. It seemed like he had lost his chance.

The corpse collapsed to the ground, but the impact was submerged by the music and clamors.

"Willfully slaughtering the innocent shouldn't be the way of an assassin, Mr. Carody."

Rhode's action was faster than his words. As he spoke, a crimson sword blade flew out from his sleeve and streaked a glaring, contrasting arc in the darkness at the black-clothed man who was bound by the tentacles.

This was the first time Carody revealed a look of shock.

He was confident in this mission. Although the previous battle between Rhode and Mobis had displayed Rhode's outstanding strength, it wasn't threatening for a murderer. However, Carody still had to make certain adjustments to his plans. An angered Master Swordsman definitely wasn't an easy target, so he gave up on his original plans and made amendments. Anyway, to Carody, he wasn't concerned if Mobis's guild was eliminated from the competition. Instead, this was the best opportunity for him to complete his mission. That young kid must be both mentally and physically exhausted from his battle with Mobis, and this was the best chance to strike.

And because of that, after Mobis left the arena, Carody had been trailing Rhode and waiting for an opportunity to strike. He initially thought that Rhode would return to his campsite and that would mean bad news. However, to his surprise, after everyone returned to the campsite, only Rhode made his way off to have a chat with an old man at the alley before casually going for a stroll.

This definitely served as an opportunity for Carody and he had no qualms of Rhode's intentions. A young man who had defeated a huge figure like the Sky Sword Guild would naturally celebrate. Therefore, he had trailed Rhode while waiting for the right time to strike. Initially, when he spotted Rhode flirting with the waitress, he knew that it was the opportune time, but he never expected that when he struck, the hunter turned into the hunted!

Not good!

Carody's complexion turned pale, but before he came up with any counteractive plans, dozens of pitch-black tentacles scuttled from the shadows and bound him tightly.

Only then was Carody finally convinced that this young man was harder to handle than he had ever imagined.

Chapter 316: The Death of Carody

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Rhode was quick in his movements. Ever since he detected Carody trailing him, he had been waiting for him to take the bait. Now that he finally attained this chance, how could he let it go?

The ice-cold Crimson Blade arrived at Carody's throat, and just a tiny inch more would be enough to make him bleed.

However, Carody dodged and Rhode wasn't surprised by his nimble reflexes. In fact, he was prepared.

"Celia! Celestina!"

A glaring radiance of white and black erupted along with his summons. The Battle Angel flapped her graceful wings and descended from above with a silver, white sword in hand that was erupting with holy radiance. The darkness in the room instantly shrunk like the tide and exposed Carody entirely, and he desperately lifted his head and revealed a terrified expression.

Battle Angel?!

Although Celia couldn't overpower him in terms of strength, he still instantly broke out in cold sweat. He realised that this young man named Rhode wasn't that simple at all. Based on the fact he could summon a battle angel as his servant proved that he held a high status. Damn it! What was the bunch of idiots from the intelligence group doing?! Easy mission? How can this be considered easy?

Carody cursed inwardly. Even though he seemed unwavered, he instantly realized that his assassination plan had failed entirely. His target had obviously set this up to eliminate himself, and it could still be considered a victory if he could escape. As for assassinating his target, Carody could only leave it for later!

Then, he realised that this thought would not even be in his wild dreams.

"You even need your lady, me , to handle such a lowly human?"

After Celia's holy radiance dispersed the darkness and forced Carody out, a proud voice rang beside him. Along with this voice, a pitch-black thorn whip whirled and whipped onto his body. The pitiful assassin had focused his attention on Celia above and Rhode behind him, so never did he expect that someone was hidden in the darkness around him. Although as an assassin, his reactions toward such situations weren't slow, Celestina was still one step ahead!

Whip!

The thorn whip lashed on Carody and just as he escaped, the thorns on the whip extending and transforming into vipers that bit him!

"Argh!"

Carody couldn't tolerate the penetrating pain. He yelled in pain and instinctively extended his arm. A smear of black, putrid liquid shot out at Celestina from his hand. But before they splashed onto the young lady, she dodged quickly and the venomous liquid lost its presence. At that moment, a huge shadow shrouded Carody entirely.

What's this?

Just as this thought flashed through Carody's mind, a whistling wind blew past him and a sturdy knight spear punctured Carody's skull. At the same time, Celia slashed his body apart and the holy flames on her blade erupted and turned his corpse into ashes.

A Master Assassin lost his life due to the encirclement of summoned spirits without a chance to resist.

That is the true strength of a Spirit Swordsman.

As Carody's corpse burned into ashes, Rhode's expression remain unchanged. If he had summoned his spirits during the afternoon matchup, even a person of Mobis's caliber wouldn't stand a chance against him. After all, even though the four guild leaders were masters, their difference in strength from a Swordmaster like Sereck was only around five levels according to the players' explanation. Reality wasn't a game and the natives couldn't level up crazily like players. Therefore, four levels was considered a huge difference even though they meant nothing to the players.

Not to mention, there weren't any settings in reality called "Health Points" and one wouldn't need to worry about fighting a BOSS with thousands of Health Points and not injuring it one bit. Regarding this, Rhode had already realised it during his battle with Mobis. Of course, Carody was an assassin and not a class that engaged in frontal battles, which was an important point to note. If not, based on Rhode's abilities, perhaps he would face difficulties.

But now, everything had ended.

"Phew..."

Rhode shook his head and looked up. The flames had almost extinguished and darkness once again enveloped the place.

"Let's go."

He took a glance at the corpse who had its eyes wide open and nodded at Celia.

"I'll leave her to you."

"Yes, Master."

Celia unsheathed her sword and ambled toward the corpse. She spread her arms open and holy radiance emerged between her arms, enveloping the corpse. Subsequently, light dust flew from the corpse and floated into mid-air before vanishing. After the speckles were nowhere to be seen, only a pile of clothes was left on the ground.

Then, Celia laid her arms down and turned to Rhode with uncertainty and hesitation.

"Pardon my rudeness, Master. In order to reach your goal, you sacrificed an innocent life. That's a little too.."

"That's why I said you're a dumb sister."

Before Celia finished her sentence, Celestina interrupted in disdain.

"She's just a lowly human. Does it even matter if she's dead? Besides, this chap wasn't that easy for Master to handle, and if Master didn't use this lowly human as bait, how could we even finish him off so easily? Or maybe, you had better ideas?"

"We can fight him upright and openly..." Celia clearly disagreed with her elder sister. She shook her head and explained. "As long as we work together..."

"There's no cure for stupidity and you have exceeded my expectations." Celestina groaned.

"Since that chap was an assassin and murderer, how would it be possible for him to face you fair and square? You may not be afraid of death because you can't die now, even if you wanted to, but what if Master died? We..."

"Big Sister!" Celia sulked.

On the other hand, Celestina seemed to have realised that she spoke something inappropriate and abruptly paused. She turned to Rhode with a look of dismay before revealing a proud smile.

"All in all, I don't think that Master's decision was wrong, dumb sister. Stop being so stubborn. All Master needed was to win, which is something glory and pride can't gift him."

Celestina instantly vanished into a black mist and returned to her card, which hovered in mid-air and disappeared thereafter. On the other hand, Celia turned to Rhode worriedly and followed Celestina in returning to her card without saying much more.

"That's interesting..."

After retrieving the hovering summoning cards and analysing their pictures and texts, Rhode said softly. As a matter of fact, he realized from Celestina's remarks that things weren't as simple as he had thought and their origins were the same.

Unlike a Master Summoner's summons, all of a Spirit Swordsman's spirits came from this plane of existence. In other words, the spirits that they summoned were beings that lived or once lived in the Dragon Soul Continent. But, honestly speaking, he didn't think of it this way when he first met Celestina because from his understanding, Angels and Demons had always been archenemies with no exceptions. Celestina was a pure, high-level Demon whereas Celia was a Battle Angel. It would be impossible for both of their bloodlines to be mixed. However, looking at their relationship, this pair of siblings seemed so natural together... Celestina was a high-level demon, the elder sister of an Angel, and could say whatever she wanted to. On the contrary, Celia was an Angel and didn't retaliate against the Demon. So, what was this all about?

Moreover, what did Celestina meant by "You may not be afraid of death because you can't die now, even if you wanted to..."?

It seemed like there was a need to investigate their true identities.

Chapter 317: Rosen

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Although Celestina's last words had piqued his curiosity towards the siblings' identities, but he still had a lot of things to do and couldn't be bothered by it.

He was currently sitting in the arena. He furrowed his brows as he watched the intense battle below.

After the battle between Starlight and Sky Sword ended, it was Liberty Wings and Cole Falcon's turn next.

Even though, in many people's opinion, their strengths didn't differ by much and the winner couldn't be judged, but after everyone watched the match, they were dumbstruck because the battle was completely one-sided!

The Liberty Wings had five consecutive wins. They completely eliminated Cole Falcon. No matter how hard the Cole Falcon struggled, they were still unable to overturn the situation.

Rhode was looking at the most eye-catching member of the Liberty Wings.

He was a white-haired old man who was about 60 years old. However, he seemed to be full of vigor. Not to mention, he was holding two fine shields behind him. Obviously, this old man was a shield warrior and a very strong one, on top of it.

Rosen Stein.

In fact, when Rhode saw the list of participants of the Liberty Wings Guild, his first reaction was the same as Barter's. They both took a deep breath and felt troubled. Rosen's existence was equivalent to cheating!

As a representative of the Liberty Wings, Rosen was very strong. He was once the leader of the Liberty Wings, but because he was tired of the power struggle, he retired and became second-in-line, no longer taking care of those troubling and complicated matters. Among the people in the Four Major Guilds, he was considered the strongest. According to the player's evaluation, he's supposed to be Level 50 and was five levels higher than the other Four Major Guilds' leaders. He was also closest to the Legendary level among them.

In addition, he was also a shield warrior.

In the game, Rosen was very hard to deal with. He had strong durability and high HP. Even a group of five Level 50 players had faced difficulties when facing him. He was born with a monstrous strength and was able to wield two fine shields at the same time. Right now, Anne couldn't even be compared to him. It had to be said that Anne was a half-beast and Rosen was a pure human, but he actually could do something that a half-beast and half-barbarian couldn't do. This was enough to imagine how powerful he was. In the game, it was impossible for ordinary players to confront him directly. His strength was enough to kill the opponent MT when they collided with each other. Even if the players wanted to use the 'kiting' tactic, it was still nearly impossible to drain his HP since he had a strong defense. That's why almost no ordinary players could pass through the Level 50 dungeon. Many players were abused by this old man in this dungeon. Usually, they would come back to take their revenge after they reached Level 70-80. Only players who were the elites among the elite were able to defeat him. It could be seen just how difficult this boss was.

If reality was the same as the game, then there would be no other choice for him but to give up. If Rosen's durability and HP were the same as in the game, then not even he could handle it. Fortunately, after observing the competition continuously, he had realized that rather than PvE, the competition itself was more like a downgraded PvP. Both parties had the same amount of HP; the only differences were their physical attributes, skills, and equipment. This was also the fighting style that was closest to the reality.

Because of that, Rhode had the confidence in beating Rosen and came to the arena early in the morning to observe the battle.

And the result was just as he had expected.

Liberty Wings didn't choose the universally acknowledged fighting method. Instead, they chose to brawl. Rosen went up, taking the advantage of fighting the five of them at the same time, and easily beaten them. It seemed like Viktor was already mentally prepared, so when he lost, he did not seem to be angry or upset. As he watched this old monster fight, the only thing he could do was to surrender.

In this battle, Cole Falcon had lost miserably, but since the Sky Swords had lost before them, they didn't receive many ridicules from the audiences. In addition, Rosen was a famous public figure in the Munn Kingdom, and there was nothing shameless about losing to him. To the contrary, the Sky Swords lost to Starlight. Cole Falcon had not been eliminated until the second day. This counterbalanced Cole Falcon's loss, and at most, they only got ridiculed by Liberty Wings supporters. "We have such a powerful person as a backing, while you don't..." and so on. Such a ridicule was not a big deal for Cole Falcon.

"That old thing is really powerful, isn't it?"

When Rhode looked at Rosen silently, a voice sounded beside him. He looked up towards the person who sat not too far from him. It was Barter, the leader of Purple Lily. Barter was smiling as he looked at him and Rhode also nodded without hesitation.

"Indeed, he's very difficult to deal with."

"Hmph, even if he's difficult to deal with, Viktor's performance was still too..."

Barter seemed to disagree about this part.

"That fellow is too modest. If it's me, no matter if it's 32 vs. 1, I will still fight him; even if I can't win, at least I will injure that old man. If he doesn't even have the will to fight, how can he handle that old man? Don't you think so, kid? I saw your fight with Mobis previously, and I have to admit, you're indeed strong. It makes me see you in a different light now!"

Barter lifted his thumb up as he looked at Rhode. Although Rhode's expression was indifferent, Barter wasn't angry. He was a generous person in nature, so Rhode's impolite behavior didn't affect him the slightest. But it did not mean that he would allow the other person to ignore himself.

"I say, kid. It's okay if you want to observe your opponent, but I want to tell you: don't underestimate our Purple Lily Guild. Before challenging the old one, you should not forget our existence."

"I certainly did not forget."

Rhode shifted his gaze and looked towards Barter once again.

"But, Mr. Barter, if I say that I will definitely win, would it be too impolite to you?"

"Interesting!"

Hearing Rhode's answer, Barter furrowed his brows. However, he didn't seem to be mad. Instead, he revealed a curious and joyous expression.

"You really talk big, kid! A small mercenary group like you is so certain of defeating me? Let me tell you; even that Sky Sword's old fox can't be that certain... Alright, let me see how strong you are since you actually dare say these kinds of words."

Having said that, Barter stood up. At this moment, he finally stopped smiling, gazing at Rhode with a serious expression. However, Rhode didn't seem to be bothered by Barter's suppressing gaze.

"I say, kid, don't blame me if you lose. At that time, I don't think you still can keep that beautiful face of yours."

After he said it, Barter waved his hand and left. Seeing the barbarian man's back, Rhode helplessly shook his head and turned around to look at the ring.

Right now, Rosen had already walked down from the ring and was receiving applause from the spectators. Then, Rhode shifted his gaze towards a young man who stood not far from Rosen. That young man didn't seem to be much older than him. He had light chestnut hair, a handsome face that looked very attractive, and was wearing extravagant armor. Unlike others who were congratulating and flattering Rosen, that young man stood far from the crowd. He didn't look at Rosen with admiration; instead, his gaze was filled with a trace of anger and hatred.

Rhode was familiar with that young man; he was a genius knight of the Liberty Wings, Marc. According to the rumors, he had broken through to Level 30 at a young age and was considered one of the top elites in the Liberty Wings. During the Midsummer Festival in the game, Rhode had met him once. At that time, the Liberty Wings Guild participated in the Midsummer Festival under his leadership. This time, perhaps because of the bizarre promise with Lidya, Rosen had replaced Marc's position and became the new leader.

Although Rosen had enough prestige and power in Liberty Wings, it seemed like not everyone was willing to accept his leadership and orders.

This is really interesting.

Seeing this scene, Rhode smiled and stood up. Then, he followed the crowd and left the arena.

Chapter 318: Undercurrent

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The bright sunshine passed through the window pane and illuminated the gorgeous hall. A young girl was half-lying on a woven blanket made of white feathers. She closed her eyes lazily, as if she were resting. In front of her, several women wearing silver armor stood respectfully while wearing a serious expression.

"Your Royal Highness, the parliament has denied all of our allegations and has rejected our request to send people to investigate."

"It's not surprising."

Lydia turned around, raising her hands high and stretching her body. Then she stood and walked towards the window. She was watching the bustling, beautiful Golden City below.

"The rats always like to hide in the darkness while keeping the food they stole... Rats that use a despicable method to gain the power will surely never expect themselves to be targeted by others... After all, corrupted soil can never grow a beautiful flower. What else did they say?"

"They also said that... because of your existence, our investigation has no credibility at all, so the parliament has decided to organize a group to investigate."

"Oh?"

Her eyes were gleaming.

"This is really interesting. I remember that I never gave them my approval."

"I am very sorry, Your Highness."

The woman in the forefront quickly bowed in panic.

"We have also expressed opposition, but... the parliament has obtained the permission of the Dragon of Light."

Hearing this remark, Lydia closed her eyes. Then, she looked up. She bathed in the bright sunshine as her six wings reflected the sun's radiance which added a psychedelic luster to them. Lydia stood there quietly for a few minutes. After that, she sighed and began to speak once again.

"The radiance of the sun will always exist no matter when, where, and how. Whether the sky is clear or gloomy, it still won't be able to cover the sun's light. However, the gloomy weather still makes me feel somewhat unhappy."

Having said that, Lydia waved her hand.

"Alright, notify the Holy Cross Guards. I hope they can thoughtfully welcome our guest, who is coming from afar. The Munn Kingdom is a small country, and if we have poor hospitality and neglect them, it would be very impolite to the guests."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Hearing this sentence, the woman's face turned serious. She bowed and turned around to leave.

Just then, a lady-in-waiting hurriedly ran into the room. She lifted her skirt and bowed, then whispered to Lydia. Hearing her report, Lydia gently frowned and quickly issued an order.

"Invite them in."

The lady-in-waiting dismissed herself and soon, heavy footsteps could be heard. Three people walked into the room. The first one to enter was an old mage. He was rubbing his beard while grinning as he looked at Lydia and he bowed towards her.

"It is a great relief to see that you're as healthy as usual, Your Highness."

"You don't have to be so modest, Teacher Amund."

Hearing the old mage's greeting, Lydia chuckled. Then, crisp laughter echoed in the room, and even the two people behind the old mage fell into a panic.

"Didn't we travel together before? It shouldn't be too long since we last saw each other. These two are..."

Hearing Lydia's words, the old mage turned sideways, and at this time, a man who stood behind the old mage immediately came up and bowed to Lydia. He looked about 40 years old, and his height was up to two meters tall. Heavy armor wrapped around his strong and sturdy body. His square-shaped face was filled with heroic spirit, and with his combed dark brown hair, he looked scrupulous, like a regular military commander. The most eye-catching part about him was the scar on his mouth, extending from his lips to his brow bone and completely destroying his originally handsome face, but also because of this scar, part of his eyes and mouth were deflated, making him looked scary.

However, Lydia looked at the man with equanimity. After thinking for a while, she smiled and said, "Ah, Ashram... Long time no see. Speaking of it, the last time we met was at the Dragon Soul Festival four years ago. Even now, your impressive swordsmanship skills are still deeply etched in my mind."

"It's my pleasure to have gotten your attention, Your Highness."

Ashram smiled, making his face look stiffer. However, Lydia didn't seem to be dissatisfied with him. To the contrary, she even reached out both of her hands as if she were admiring Ashram's face like it was artwork.

"The reason I came here is to report something back to you."

"What is it?"

"It's like this."

Having said that, Ashram paused as if he were organizing his wording in his mind. After a while, he finally spoke.

"Something bad happened in Soraka Mountain recently."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Lidya twitched her brows.

"Your Highness must know that Soraka Mountain has always been the border between us, the Country of Darkness, and the Country of Light. Also, it is nominally under our jurisdiction, but in fact, it belongs to the scope of self-government. We have maintained a good relationship, but recently, strange rumors have been revolving around Soraka Mountain."

Having said that, Ashram stretched out his hand and handed a letter to Lydia. After she took it, Ashram continued to speak.

"It is rumored that the people of Soraka Mountain want to leave our jurisdiction and seek refuge in the Country of Darkness. Although I initially thought that this was merely a rumor, soon, the news spread further. Not only did it spread among travelers, but also the people of Northland. In the end, I received this from Soraka's governor..."

"..."

Lydia opened the letter and carefully read it. After she finished, she put the letter down and sat while closing her eyes.

"Interesting... When did this happen, Ashram?"

"Not long after the trade route got attacked..."

"Do you have enough evidence to support the statement in this letter?"

"We have done our best, Your Highness, but nothing has been found. As you know, I also can't move the troops too obviously since it's a border area. If I did so, our intentions might be misunderstood by the Country of Darkness and..."

"I understand what you mean, Ashram."

Lydia stretched out her right hand and prevented Ashram from falling into a panic.

"You have done well. This clue is very important to us, and I believe that you and your subordinates did your very best to meet my expectations... but, as you know, this matter is indeed a little bit troublesome. I believe that the people of Northland won't betray us for no reason. The sea may reveal its unknown side at night, but it still cannot cover its clear, beautiful nature... unless it is contaminated with impurities. "

As she said this, she paused and stood up.

"Amund, what do you think?"

"Forgive me for being frank, Your Highness."

After Lydia called out his name, the old mage came out.

"The Northland's situation is too chaotic; as Ashram has said, we are unable to do a large-scale investigation because not only is the Country of Darkness involved, we also have to consider the 'merchants' that have been planning something behind us."

What Amund said was true.

Soraka's location was too sensitive, located at the junction of the Munn Kingdom, the Country of Light, and the Country of Darkness. It was originally an empty zone, but it was precisely because of this that Soraka Mountain brought many unexpected factors. The races that resided there were mostly human, but there were also dark creatures like vampires and necromancers. According to the rules of the 'Genesis Code', Dragon Soul holders had the power to rule their own people. Naturally, Soraka Mountain was a disputed area.

Since the very beginning, both parties were not very concerned about this area, but with the discovery of astronomical crystal mines in Soraka Mountain, it immediately gained attention from the two major forces. In order to obtain this mineral resource and occupy this area, there were hundreds of large and small-scale war between the Country of Darkness and the Country of Light, and this even reached the scale of an all-out war.

However, in the end, under the restraint of the Dark and Light Dragons, the war did not break out. After mutual agreement, Soraka Mountain remained neutral and was nominally put under the Munn Kingdom's jurisdiction. The result was something that both the Country of Darkness and Country of Light barely could accept. Because although the Munn Kingdom was a supporter of Light Dragon, they had a bad relationship with the ruler of the Country of Light. To the contrary, their relationship with the Country of Darkness was not bad. This fact made the people from the parliament unhappy. From their point of view, the Munn Kingdom was ruled by angels, and as an angel and supporter of the Light Dragon, how could they show their goodwill towards the evil forces of darkness?

However, to the Munn Kingdom, it wasn't a big deal. Even though the Five Creator Dragons created this world together, the relationship between them had not changed. They just had different beliefs because they had their own goals and opinions. This was similar to "I like Western food, but you like Chinese food. Just because you don't eat Western food, we can't be a friend..." It was a total joke. Despite 'light and darkness are irreconcilable' and 'the people of the Country of Darkness and the Dark Dragon are evil and need to be eliminated' were advocated by the Parliament of Country of Light, it was only because their own understanding towards the Dragon of Light that was completely different from the truth. It really couldn't be imagined how the people from the parliament who said that 'the Country of Darkness is evil and should be completely wiped out' would react when they knew that Country of Darkness was also as serious about wiping out the evil. Most likely, they would pretend to not have seen it.

However, the Munn Kingdom also realized that this mission was a burden because the influence of the Light Dragon had decreased and was replaced by the parliament's own belief. The Country of Darkness also gradually began to lose their respect towards the Country of Light and they barely maintained the original peace and mutual recognition between them. However, since the Dragon of Light couldn't achieve its mission and the parliament that held authority that was not friendly to the Country of Darkness, the other party was naturally also reluctant to befriend them. Followed by this imbalance, the danger of Soraka Mountain had once again emerged. The current Country of Darkness no longer had enough patience towards the Country of Light. Since the parliament needed to maintain its prestige among the people, they continuously glossed over the rhetoric that 'the Country of Darkness is equal to evil'.

Now that the relation between the two countries was like two explosive barrels, just a little fire would cause it to detonate.

And Soraka Mountain was the source of that fire.

Certainly, Lydia knew that the parliament had been unable to forget the mineral resources in Soraka Mountain. If, at this time, they received news that the Country of Darkness had received that piece of land, it would be a big trouble. But just as Ashram had said, that area was too sensitive and no country's military force would dare to enter it. For hundreds of years, the two sides had signed an agreement. Whether it was the Country of Light or the Country of Darkness, their flags stopped at the edge of Soraka Mountain and no one had ever dared to overstep it.

But perhaps this balance would now be broken.

There would soon be a storm that swept everything.

"I certainly understand what you mean, Teacher Amund."

Lydia smiled, she walked to the window and looked down.

"But I already have an idea in mind... as Ashram had said, official interference has always been sensitive and prone to problems, but not all problems have no solutions. Since we cannot do it ourselves, then we can commission someone to do it."

"What do you mean...?"

Hearing until here, the old mage frowned. He worriedly looked at Lydia. It seemed like he understood her intention.

"But, those people..."

"You have to be confident in my decision, Teacher. I already have the best candidate... I hope they will not disappoint me."

Speaking until here, Lydia smiled. She looked at Ashram and nodded at him.

"Then, Ashram, you can go back and rest. I will prepare for everything next. At that time... I hope I will have your help."

Hearing these words, Ashram lowered his head and bowed towards Lydia.

Chapter 319: Hidden Snake in the Dark

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Currently, Mobis was having a headache.

After he lost the individual battle against Starlight, many people expressed dissatisfaction towards him. Although there were many outsiders who defended the Sky Sword and despised Starlight, those voices were not helpful enough to stabilize his current position. Unlike the Liberty Wings that represented the poor people in the south, the Sky Sword represented the upper class. Because of this, Mobis's pressure after losing was very large. There were many wealthy merchants and nobles from the south who had expressed their dissatisfaction towards him. Those were the sponsors of the Sky Sword Guild. In their opinion, regardless of how Sky Sword had lost, they still lost. They had spent so many days supporting the Sky Sword Guild, and couldn't allow themselves to be insulted and depraved in front of those northerners. Not to mention that Starlight was only a mercenary group that was established for half a year. Since Sky Sword even lost to them, what else could they do?

Mobis also vaguely heard news that if they didn't perform well in the group battle, these sponsors might even withdraw their funding, or find a new leader that could make Sky Sword win and not get eliminated by a damned mercenary group in the first round.

This was a sad truth of a mercenary guild. Although they had huge power and authority, they needed to maintain it with money. A mercenary guild that lost its autonomy meant that to a certain extent, it had become a private army of a certain group of interest. In order to prevent this, various countries deliberately limited the number of mercenary guilds. However, this had also become the weakness of a mercenary guild. The number of people limited by the rules was far less than the number of people a mercenary guild needed in order to maintain their sphere of influence. This forced mercenary guilds to support themselves by relying on external forces and capital to achieve it. As a result, they lacked sufficient autonomy and independence. A strong mercenary guild leader such as Mobis was no exception. Although his individual strength was strong, he was still worthless in the face of money. Mercenary guilds like the top four guilds, which had survived for so many years, had long been entangled with those forces, and just like climbing vines on a trunk, they couldn't be separated.

This was the reason why Rhode tried to avoid getting into the similar situation. He didn't want to live a life by relying on someone else.

It was already depressing enough for an obedient person to obey, let alone a strong one.

However, what Mobis was worried about wasn't that. Although the current situation wasn't good for him, he believed it's still not difficult for him to get through this crisis by relying on his leadership and influence in the guild. As long as they could win this next battle, then there would be no problem... In addition, he was also very confident with his team. What gave him a headache was that Carody was gone.

Even though this young man was usually arrogant, he was still quite trustworthy. Mobis didn't know what was Carody's intention was in coming here. Just as Rhode had guessed, Mobis was only ordered by the southern nobles and wealthy merchants to accept him to his own mercenary group in order to do a 'secret mission'. As for what the mission was, Mobis was not qualified to ask.

Although according to their strength, Mobis was even stronger than Carody.

It was really uncomfortable to lower himself in front of someone who was weaker than him. But since both sides had reached a 'mutual consensus', Mobis decided not to interfere in Carody's affairs. Besides Carody's appearance during the game, he didn't really care about what he wanted to do for the rest of the time.

But now, it was already time for the group battle to begin. Where was Carody?

Nothing happened to him, right?

Thinking until here, Mobis felt a little bit uneasy. He was born as a noble of the southern class. Naturally, he was aware of the relationship between the rich merchants of the south and the parliament of the Country of Light. Moreover, this Carody was sent by the parliament, and if anything happened to him, then... Mobis couldn't help but felt a chill down to his spine as he thought of it. He didn't know Carody's reason for coming here, but it was certainly an important mission. At first, he didn't want to get involved with this trouble, but since his mercenary group was controlled by others, even if their leader was a legendary figure, he still could only submit himself before the money...

That's why Mobis had always been worried about what happened to Carody. Now, the group fight was about to begin. They should have gone to the arena, but they hadn't seen Carody appear. This made Mobis felt very anxious and worried. Since he was a spy of Country of Light, and the Midsummer Festival was held in Golden City...

Damn it, those b*stards who don't know anything besides eat and sleep literally just left after causing me troubles. If Carody falls into Lydia's hand, can I even leave Golden City alive?

Thinking until here, Mobis shuddered. He suddenly felt that he was not far from his demise...

"Yes, president!!"

As Mobis was feeling restless, Golan rushed into the room. Golan was surprised by his sudden appearance and quickly stood up while holding his sword hilt. Then, he vigilantly looked at the window.

Damn it! Is my premonition right? Has that sissy really sent someone here?

But soon Mobis noticed that although Golan was surprised, he was not feeling frightened or uneasy. Instead, he puzzledly looked at Mobis. This made him felt quite confused, he couldn't help but bitterly smile and sit down once again.

"What's going on? What happened? Didn't I tell you to prepare for the group battle??"

"I came to report some matters, leader."

Golan rubbed the sweat on his face and looked at Mobis with a surprised expression.

"It's like this, I, I just got news from the arena that we don't have to fight because Starlight has... forfeited!"

"Forfeited?"

Hearing these words, Mobis's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Golan. After a moment, he frowned.

"Is this for real? Why? There must be a reason for them to quit the battle."

"This... I did ask for the reason, and they said that one of their members was injured in yesterday's individual battle, and today, their number is not enough to participate in the battle... so they forfeited."

"Is that so..."

After hearing Golan's explanation, Mobis lowered his head. What Golan said did make sense. Yesterday, everyone had seen that Anne was injured, but weren't they supposed to have a backup member? Although the shield warrior was injured, Rhode, Gillian, and Marlene didn't seem to be injured. What were they trying to do?

For a while, even the usually sly Mobis couldn't figure out what Starlight was planning to do. Forfeiting in a Midsummer Festival was very embarrassing to do. Weren't they afraid that their action might cause trouble? After all, between mercenaries, winning and losing was a matter of differences in strength. However, whether one had the courage to fight was another thing. People might be able to tolerate the former, but they would definitely ridicule the latter. For Starlight to make this kind of decision... Was it really as simple as because their member was injured? Or...

Wait.

Thinking until here, Mobis was stunned.

Carody didn't come back, Starlight forfeited... Is Carody's aim actually Starlight?

But... Starlight was just a small mercenary group. Why did that Country of Light send Carody from far just to deal with them?

Mobis could not figure out the reason, but at this moment, he was not as nervous as before. Even so, Mobis still looked up at Golan and then issued an order.

"Go and investigate the reason why Starlight forfeited the group battle. The more detailed the better!"

"Yes, Sir."

Although he did not know why Mobis issued this order, Golan still nodded and turned away. As Mobis looked at Golan's back, he sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was currently feeling very tired and helpless.

What was going on with this Starlight?

Mobis wasn't the only one who was puzzled.

"Mr. Rhode, what exactly are you trying to do?"

At this moment inside the room, Marlene frowned and asked the same question towards Rhode with a puzzled expression.

"Even if we lack the strength, I think we can at least give it a try..."

"No, Marlene, this is not about of strength."

Rhode waved his hand and interrupted Marlene's words. This made Marlene slightly surprised. She blankly stared at him, not quite understanding what he meant.

"First of all, our strength is indeed not sufficient. Before, we only prepared for individual battle training, and not group battle. In this case, if we are too impatient, we will just embarrass ourselves. Second... I don't want you to spend your energy in this irrelevant group battle. You know, our ultimate opponent is very powerful, and I don't want any accidents to happen before that. For us, there is nothing more important than winning the individual battles, which is why I chose to abandon the group battle."

As he said here, Rhode pointed out a finger. She didn't know whether she was hallucinating or not, but Marlene saw a trace of a smile on Rhode's face.

"Not to mention, we still have another companion, Ms. Marlene. If we finished everything alone, it would not be good for stability and unity."

"But..."

Marlene was not a fool. When Rhode gently reminded her, she immediately understood his reasoning, but...

"Mr. Rhode, do you really believe in them? It's not that I worry, but if they fail to meet your expectations..."

"You're wrong again, Marlene."

But at this time, Marlene's words were interrupted by Rhode. He waved his hand and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not that I believe in them; it's just that I believe in myself."

Chapter 320: Haze

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Endless darkness.

Thick fog had shrouded the entire space, and the black clouds hovered in the sky. A thundering sound echoed back and forth, disappearing afterward. Everything was dead silent. There was no trace of life, death, hope, or despair.

There was only an absolute emptiness.

The thick fog gradually dispersed and the thundering sound rang louder. The lightning pierced the clouds and hit the ground.

The white light reflected on the ground was so dazzling, making people unable to open their eyes. As the fog dispersed, the white, carpet-like thing spread and extended to the bottom of a high platform in the distance. However, upon a closer look, it could be seen that it was not a carpet, but a mountain of bones.

"!!"

Christie suddenly opened her eyes and jumped up like a scared little rabbit.

It was currently afternoon, and warm, sunshine rays shone through the window and brought about a lazy and warm feeling. The clean and comfortable room was very quiet. She opened the window, and the sound of the noise and music that was sealed before secretly snuck in and brought her peace of mind.

"Sigh…"

The girl stood before the window as she held her chest and sighed.

It was this dream again.

Ever since she was born, she had been having this dream, anytime and anywhere, as if reminding her of her own existence. She couldn't remember the scene of the dream clearly, but the feeling still remained. It was the feeling of melancholy that made her feel suffocated and a feeling of sadness accompanied with unparalleled despair. She couldn't understand what the dream meant, and she was eager to find out the answer. However, every time she tried to dig deeper into her dream,a powerful force that forced her out and made her felt miserable.

Even Rhode could not explain the meaning of her dream, Sister Marlene who was wise and knowledgeable also had no clue, but Sister Gillian would occasionally look at her strangely as if she were a rare animal. Unexpectedly, she did not feel disgusted by it. Instead, she felt a feeling of familiarity and intimacy towards Gillian, but Christie also did not know why.

Knock knock knock

Just then, the door sounded and made her startled. She turned around and took small steps to open the room door. After that, Marlene's soft and gentle expression appeared before her.

"Good afternoon, Christie. Am I bothering you?"

"… No… Marlene… I've just woke up …"

Christie shook her head, curiously looking at the young girl in front of her. From what she remembered, Marlene was not the kind of person who liked to do things aimlessly. Unlike Sister Anne—the latter always came into her room whether she had something to do or not. Sometimes she wanted to chat with her, sometimes she just wanted to share some delicious and peculiar food with her. She even once wanted to give her a foamy drink. Of course, Sister Lize, who was always following her, firmly stopped it.

Now, Christie was not as shy and evasive as before towards the three of them. The fear of loss seemed to have diminished under their meticulous care. Now, she had begun to try to open her heart and accept others' kindness. However, the result was not necessarily as good as she would like it to be. Just like yesterday, when she saw that Anne's palm was stabbed in the arena, Christie felt that her heart almost stopped beating. She never thought that the feeling of worry would be so difficult and painful for a person, and even she doubted whether her choice was correct. Did it mean the more she opened her heart and accepted others' existence, the more she would feel such worried and restless feeling in the future?

She also didn't know the answer.

"… Can I help you…?

"Mr. Rhode is not with you?"

"… No … "

Didn't know why, Christie saw a trace of relieved expression when Marlene heard her answer. She puzzledly tilted her head but Marlene didn't wait until she figured out what exactly happened and spoke. Her face was slightly flushed red, and she was a little embarrassed.

"It's like this; there's something I want to ask you… I hope you can give me a picture."

"… A picture?

Hearing until here, Christie's soon eyes lit up and she smiled.

"… If Marlene wants it, then there's no problem. Which one do you want, let me take it for you…"

Facing Christie's question, Marlene showed an awkward expression. She looked to the left and right then whispered something to Christie. After hearing Marlene's words, Christie nodded in surprise. She ran towards her desk to take the picture and gave it to Marlene afterward. Seeing the picture, Marlene smiled. She carefully took the picture and folded it into her bosom.

"Thank you… Christie."

"… You're welcome… Marlene."

Christie nodded her head lightly in the response of Marlene's thanks.

"… This is the only thing I can do … I am very happy that you like it… "

"Of course I like it, so…"

Marlene's words hadn't yet finished, because, at this time, a voice suddenly sounded.

"Ah, Marlene, here you are."

Hearing Lize's voice, Marlene quickly closed her mouth. She turned around and looked at Lize in surprise, her hands unnaturally placed behind.

"What happened, Lize?"

"It's like this."

Lize did not notice Marlene's slightly strange movements. She trotted up and took a deep breath before continuing.

"A visitor came looking for you and said there is something that needs to be discussed with you."

"Visitor? Looking for me?"

When she heard her answer, Marlene slightly frowned.

"Who is it?"

"She claimed to be the eldest daughter of Nancy family, Ellenson, your best friend…"

Having said that, Lize showed an awkward expression. It's no wonder; even though they were intimate childhood friends, it's been a long time since Marlene had seen her. It was understandable that Marlene had found a new friend. However, she still felt that it was kind of weird because Marlene never mentioned such a person in front of her and if she really was a good friend of Marlene's, Marlene's reaction wouldn't be like this.

Moreover, the attitude of that Miss Ellenson…

"I understand; I'll go and see her."

Marlene was actually aware of Lize's weird expression, so she did not say much. Soon, she turned around and walked into the living room. Lize and Christie stood still, looking at her back for a while, then hurriedly following her from behind.

As they walked into the living room, Marlene saw a girl who was slightly younger than her dressed in a noble maiden's dress with her hands clenched on her knees, anxiously waiting. Seeing Marlene's arrival, the girl who was originally somewhat panicked immediately showed a reassuring expression. She warmly smiled and stood up and ran to Marlene's side.

"Elder Sister, I finally meet you!"

"Ellenson?"

Looking at the girl standing before her, Marlene slightly frowned. An unhappy expression flashed across her face.

"What are you doing here? I remember that I told you that I am very busy now; if there's anything, can't you just wait until the end of the Midsummer Festival?"

"But… I miss Sister so much…"

The girl called Ellenson bit her lower lip and showed a puppy-eyes expression.

"Sister has been away from the Golden City for a long time; I have always missed you, and now I heard that sister has finally come back. I certainly hope to be able to meet with you as soon as possible… By the way, sister, you should have nothing to do this afternoon, so why don't we go for a cup of tea together? Because of the Midsummer Festival, there are a lot of precious commodities recently, ah, there's also sister's favorite black tea…"

Seeing Ellenson's excitement, Marlene held her forehead. She wanted to reject her, but she couldn't find the right moment to speak.

Ellenson Nancy was Marlene's best friend in the Academy.

It was not exactly accurate to say that they were best friends. The Nancy family and the Senia family were friends, so since Ellenson was young, she had admiring Marlene as an elder sister. However, Marlene's attitude towards her wasn't as intimate as her attitude to Lize, and because of Ellenson's humble attitude and admiration towards her, it was difficult for Marlene to treat her as a friend. After she entered the academy, because of her proud attitude, it was also difficult for her to interact with others. It was only because the relationship between Nancy's family and Ellenson's admiration towards her, that they had gotten closer. Although her relationship with her wasn't as close as Lize, but she still thought of her as a younger sister.

However, Ellenson's actions sometimes made Marlene feel a little bit helpless, like now.

She wanted to refuse her invitation because now wasn't a good time for tea and chat, but she also found it difficult to say no since their relationship was indeed good. Marlene also needed to consider her as the eldest daughter of the Nancy family, so she would need to maintain the relationship between two sides. However, she was the heir of Senia family after all, so it would be impossible for her to act according to her own preferences.

This was how nobles interacted with each other.

Thinking of this, Marlene sighed. These few days in the mercenary group, she felt alive and relaxed. Because in here, she didn't have to worry about her identity and others' identity; she could just freely express her likes and dislikes.

But now, since she was already back in the Golden City, Marlene felt that she lacked this freedom of the past.

There was always a loss in a gain.

Since Ellenson had personally invited her, then it would be bad if she refused it. As Ellenson had said, currently, there was nothing particularly important for her to deal with. Anne only knew how to eat and sleep; she had completely forgotten about her heavy injuries after she slept. This place's security was also very tight, so there's no need for her to worry. As for her own safety, she didn't really consider much. If it was in the Deep Stone City, people who didn't know her might try to look for trouble, but in Golden City, basically no one dared to do that.

What's more, if they really wanted to do so, they wouldn't have the power. She was a middle circle mage, after all.

After thinking for a while, Marlene thought that there wouldn't be any problem, so she decided to agree with her invitation.

"Alright, if it's just tea… I think I can spare some time."

"Really! That's great!"

Hearing Marlene's answer, Ellenson smiled excitingly and flushed. Even her eyes went teary. It could be seen that she really cared about this invitation. Seeing her expression, she also began to regret being a little uncaring about her at first.

Thinking until here, Marlene turned around towards Lize and Christie.

"Then, Lize, Christie, I'll be going out for a while. Please tell Mr. Rhode that I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Alright, Marlene."

Hearing Marlene's answer, Lize quickly nodded. She didn't notice that at this time, Ellenson was secretly looking at her with a hateful expression. It was only a second when both of them finished speaking with each other, and Ellenson quickly smiled. She held Marlene's hand intimately and both of them walked out together. Lize felt that she was doing it on purpose just to show off.

When they arrived at the entrance, a luxurious carriage was already waiting in the front. Marlene nodded towards Christie and Lize and entered the carriage. Seeing her gesture, Lize and Christie also hurriedly waved their hands to say goodbye. However, Ellenson didn't seem to want them to do so; she looked at the two of them coldly, then she whispered something to the coachman and closed the door carriage.

Soon, the carriage moved and quickly left.

"That sister doesn't seem to like us very much."

Until then, Christie finally let go of her hand and said uneasily. She had been bullied for so many years, so she was very sensitive towards other people's psychological characteristic response. Although Ellenson hid it very well, but Christie was keen enough to perceive the deeply hidden hostility and disdain towards her, which made her felt a little unhappy, not because she hated being underestimated, but she felt that such person did not deserve to be a good friend of Sister Marlene.

"… Let's go back, Christie."

But Lize didn't respond to Christie. She just watched the back of the carriage as it disappeared and shook her head. Unlike Christie, she understood how Marlene felt. Although she had been adventuring for so many years, she grew up as a royalty, so she understood the communication between the nobles and such things. That's why although she had the same thought as Christie, she was more mature than her and was able to understand Marlene's decision.

Thinking until here, Lize took Christie's hand and walked away.

The luxurious carriage came across a relatively remote and secluded neighborhood, which looked beautiful. There were cobbled roads, clear water, greeneries, and beautiful sculptures on both sides of the road. It looked really delightful.

"This is not your house, Ellenson."

Walking down the carriage, Marlene looked at the street view on both sides and frowned. However, Ellenson gently smiled.

"This is my other mansion, dear sister. The environment here is very good, very quiet, and not noisy, so we don't have to be afraid of being disturbed. It's a very good place."

"Indeed, it looks quite good."

Seeing the beautifully decorated elegant building, Marlene nodded. Ellenson walked forward and chuckled. Soon, there were attendants who opened the door and guided them inside.

The interior of the mansion was like the exterior—very luxurious. There was a hint of sweet fragrance in the air, and the red velvet carpet on the floor felt soft and comfortable. The corridor on both sides was filled with exquisite statues and paintings. Marlene admired these exquisite works of art while following Ellenson to the living room from the side. Fine desserts and steaming black tea had already been prepared. Just as Ellenson had said, it was a normal afternoon tea.

"Elder Sister, please come and have a sip. It took me a lot of effort just to get this black tea.

Ellenson attentively stretched out her hand and personally poured a cup of black tea for Marlene, and Marlene also did not refuse. She took a light sip. Soon, the black tea's uniquely bittersweet taste quickly spread on her mouth, making her feel relaxed and refreshed.

"How about it, Sister?"

The girl placed both hands on her cheek while looking at Marlene. Hearing Ellenson's question, Marlene only smile and nodded.

"Not bad at all, Ellenson. It seems like you understand my taste really well.

"Naturally, you are the dearest elder sister I admire the most. Also, try this cake; this was also especially made for you. Please try it, it's imported from the south. Sweet and cold, very delicious."

As always, the conversation between nobles was boring. Marlene absent-mindedly took the cake that Ellenson handed her while instinctively making a graceful response. If Anne had been here, she would have shown a more forthright opinion. Thinking of here, Marlene smiled. Although there's no way that Anne could eat like her and these nobles, but seeing Anne happily eating also made Marlene very happy… She wouldn't be able to experience that kind of feeling in a noble tea party,

"Elder sister, you have changed…"

Just as Marlene was tasting the cake, Ellenson stared at her and sighed.

She lowered her eyes and a trace of despair and anger flashed through her eyes. However, Marlene was still immersed in her thoughts and did not notice it.

"When I heard that you were leaving Golden City, I was very, very worried. I was always afraid that something might happen to you… and now you're back, but … you seem to have changed a lot."

"People always change, Ellenson. We are growing, and everyone will change; I will change, and so will you."

Marlene put down her knife and fork. She looked at the girl beside her, but what she saw was Ellenson's restless expression.

"But I don't want to change, sister. I only want to maintain my previous life, because change is not always a good thing, is it, sister? Why are you so serious when you're with me when you can smile at those lowly people? Can I not be compared to them?"

"Ellenson?"

The surrounding air began to thicken. The originally faint, sweet fragrance had wrapped around Marlene like honey. Marlene shook her head, and her conscious gradually became blurred. Everything around her seemed to be distorted, rotating.

"Sister, why?"

Marlene looked up and saw Ellenson's blurred figure. She stood up and came towards her.

"Why? I have always admired you so much, but why do you prefer to treat those lowly people as your friends, and not me as your friend?

"Ellenson… you…"

Marlene clenched her hands, she had instinctively sensed that something was wrong and wanted to chant a spell. However, on the next moment, she could not even make the slightest sound.

In her eyes, Ellenson's figure had begun to get blurred and distorted. Her body had begun to become hot, and she gradually lost her strength.

"But, its alright sister… Just as you said, everyone will change, and so will me. The current me is no longer longing for your friendship…"

Her vision turned black, and Ellenson's voice was also fading. The endless darkness had completely swallowed Marlene's consciousness…