1054-1062

Chapter 1054: Scarlet Young Moon

Rhode had to admit that when he heard Lydia's words, his heart skipped a beat. It wasn't because he fell in love, but as a player born in the Munn Kingdom, Lydia had always been the lover of their dreams. In fact, there were no small amount of various pure, sexual, and fantasy stories with her as the protagonist as though she were one of the popular idols fantasized by fans. Although Rhode had no lack of women after transmigrating to this world and didn't really consider having an overly intimate relationship with Lydia, in reality, humans often fantasized about having a romantic encounter with the popular girl idol one day and both of them would roll on the bed and watch the stars together. However, players kept talking about it only or perhaps they knew that it was impossible, which was why they could only speak about it. It was the same for Rhode. Even though he had only been an insignificant character in the past, he was the Void Dragon now. In terms of status and everything else, he didn't have an insurmountable gap with others like in the past. Even so, he had never considered this possibility as he never thought about it before.

It was as though one asserted that after one won a lottery worth millions, one would buy two bowls of soybean milk, drink one and toss one. But one didn't expect to actually win millions from the lottery. When that happened, one couldn't care less about soy bean milk! At this moment, Rhode suddenly felt something soft and aromatic on his lips. He lifted his head in surprise, only to discover that Lydia had stretched out two fingers and placed them on his lips. She retracted her arm and winked cheekily at him.

"Huhuhu, I'm just kidding; I hope you wouldn't mind, Your Majesty."

I knew it.

Gazing at Lydia who smiled like a sly fox, Rhode shook his head. He knew that Lydia wasn't one who enjoyed doing such a thing, but as it was too sudden, he couldn't help but feel surprised. Fortunately, his disguise with the emotionless face came into great effects and he didn't display a lecherous expression, which saved him from some embarrassments. Of course, deep down he felt rather dissatisfied as he gazed at Lydia who smiled so proudly.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind, Your Highness Lydia."

Rhode said, stood up from his seat, and sauntered toward Lydia. As he approached her, Lydia's beautiful eyes swirled dubiously. But before she reacted, Rhode stooped over and pecked her on the cheek, before lifting his head up. Lydia's expression changed slightly. The smile on her face turned into a fluster by this unexpected ambush. Rhode placed his hands behind his back and proudly admired this rare expression of hers, before reminiscing the warm, soft, and wonderful feel on his lips and nodding to the young lady.

"Even though this is only a joke to you, it is indeed a decent choice of a reward for me, don't you think so?"

Rhode said and bowed leisurely to Lydia.

"All right then, I have to attend to something; I shall make my leave now."

He turned around and left, leaving Lydia gazing blankly at his back. After a few moments, she curled her lips in discontentment. This archangel who always seemed gentle and calm had as though turned into a little girl who didn't get the toy she wanted, curling her lips and glaring at him.

"Really! What an ambush..." Lydia mumbled under her breath. She extended her arm and caressed the cheek that Rhode kissed. Then, her eyes glinted as she let out a sigh. At this moment, a slim, slender figure walked out of the forest and toward her.

"Your Highness, you..."

"Say nothing, Gaya; I'm not in a good mood now. Hmph, let me curse him a little first."

"..."

Upon hearing Lydia's childish grumbles, Gaya pondered in silence before turning around and gazing at the forest trail ahead where Rhode was no longer visible. But even so, Gaya displayed a dubious look and only after a few moments, she mustered her courage and said, "Your Highness, you really don't need to do this. Isn't Miss Lize already... Besides, you're one of the three archangels..."

Gaya knitted her brows and closed her mouth to speak no further. She knew that Lydia wouldn't change her mind no matter how much she dissuaded. But to Gaya, it was totally unnecessary because she knew clearly why Lydia did that—the reason involved the current state of the Country of Light.

Even though Casabianca was destroyed, the entire state of the Light Mainland was unprecedentedly well. The opposing voices against the Light Dragon from the past were no longer heard. On the other hand, Lydia gained a huge amount of authority and the Munn Kingdom also increased in strength after annexing the residual land in the Country of Light. It could also be said that currently, the Country of Light was undergoing a political reform and thereafter, the Munn Kingdom might possibly return to be a part of the Country of Light. But the more powerful one was, the more responsibility one had to shoulder. The Munn Kingdom was an independent country. Even though she possessed complete and perfect systems, it wasn't easy for a snake to digest a whole, dead elephant, after all. Besides, the Country of Light was in a state of chaos and before Lydia received any benefit, she had met with some challenges. She had to send manpower from the Munn Kingdom to protect the Country of Light's territories that she took over. Although local defense forces were available, most of the soldiers were heavily injured in the war against the Country of Darkness. Moreover, in the Chaos Gate incident, the Country of Darkness also launched an ambush which led to the huge loss of the Country of Light's armies. This could be considered as having their backbone broken and in this case, it was imaginable how weak the defense forces were at this point in time.

In this situation, the Munn Kingdom used up their resources to assist other regions while they faced a manpower issue. But this wasn't acceptable for everyone. Gaya was aware that many nobles in the Munn Kingdom hoped for the country to rely on a more powerful strength. If it were in the past, they wouldn't have such thoughts. But now, among the three archangels, one was missing and the other was injured. Moreover, the Country of Darkness was also eyeing covetously, which wasn't surprising that the nobles felt concerned. In this case, all Lydia had to do was to appease the nobles and find an alliance who could live and die side by side with. But this wasn't a simple task as there was only one person who had the strength and ability to go up against the Country of Darkness.

"In this world, there is no hate for no reason; neither is there love for no reason, Gaya."

Lydia spoke, no longer looking like an angry and childish little girl whose toy was snatched away. Instead, she showed the calm, gentle, and peaceful smile of hers once again. She narrowed her eyes and lifted her head, gazing at the scenery. Then, the corners of her lips perked up slightly.

"One has to give in order to gain; it is the same for everything else. Besides, to me, this is a somewhat challenging game."

"But I still think that with your precious body, this method is inappropriate..."

"He accepted."

"Huh?"

Gaya was taken aback by Lydia's baffling response. Lydia turned around and smiled at her dearest subject. "Just like you said, I don't like to do this. One gets as much as one gives, so if I vainly seek help using nothing, it proves just how powerless I am. So I gave up in the end. But His Majesty Rhode apparently figured out what's going through my mind. It seems like even though I've decided to give myself a route of retreat, he doesn't seem to want to give me one." Lydia said, lowering her gaze to the ground. Then, she curled her lips in dissatisfaction.

"That is why I said His Majesty Rhode is too cunning to force a virtuous lady into doing something she dislikes; that wasn't any gentlemanly gesture."

If Rhode were to hear Lydia's remark, he would be sure to tell her that he was never a gentleman. In fact, after Rhode realized the conflicting emotions in her reaction, he immediately knew that Lydia wasn't only trying to 'tease' him. Although Lydia decided to treat it as a joke, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Rhode! In the past, he had never thought of hitting on Lydia, but it didn't mean that it was still the same for him now. To him, if he were to let this godsent opportunity go, it would be a total waste. Therefore, after Lydia held back, he shamelessly chose to seize the opportunity. He had to admit that he felt a sense of accomplishment in teasing an archangel.

Rhode didn't feel like Lydia was in the wrong to approach him with some motives. Also, he didn't think that she tarnished the pure, innocent impression of herself in his mind. Since ancient times, the relationships between men and women were always like this. Perhaps people preached the cross-class love between a princess and knight, but there was definitely a reason for a woman to be attracted to a man, be it money, strength, or other ridiculous reasons. However, it definitely was something women lacked and desired. Since Lydia had this need, Rhode didn't mind reaping some benefits. Anyway, going against the Dark Dragon was an established matter to him. If he could use this chance to get hold of Lydia, it wouldn't get better than this.

But now, Lydia wasn't his main goal. Right now, his main focus was Angelina.

At this moment in Grandia, Angelina was facing a dilemma.

Throughout her days spent in Grandia, Angelina didn't feel horrible. In this place, she was neither mistreated by anyone nor was there any fighting and scheming against each other like in the Country of Darkness. Be it Rhode or others, everyone gave her a relative amount of trust. But to Angelina, this life wasn't what an insignificant royal vampire wished for. To her, she wished for her own authority, as well as to restore the honor of the royal vampires. But she couldn't achieve it in the Void Territory as Rhode had decided against her establishing a royal vampire family here. This put her in a tough spot. She enjoyed life here, but was clearly aware that she couldn't fulfill her dreams. Although this place let her live as a vampire, Rhode disapproved of her turning people into slaves and building a new vampire family. She was in an extremely complicated mood, or could even be said to be devoid of hope. But to the insignificant royal vampire, she didn't have any other solutions. At this point in time, this letter from the darkness on the other side swayed her decision.

It was a confidential envelope from the vampire family, sealed up using a unique method to vampires. The content of the letter inside affected her emotionally because she clearly witnessed the possibilities of her restoring the honor and glory of her family.

But... should I take this gamble?

Clutching the letter in her hand, Angelina couldn't make up her mind. No one was aware, but she knew clearly that she couldn't leave the Void Territory freely. The day she arrived at Grandia, she signed a soul contract with Rhode, which became her biggest worry as regardless of whether she was willing, she could not leave the territory as she pleased to chase her dreams. But at the same time, she felt like it would be a pity to miss this opportunity if she stayed here. Admittedly, everything in the Void Territory was decent. Besides, she didn't need to be cautious all the time unlike in the Country of Darkness, where she was as though walking on thin ice. But to vampires, not committing mistakes was as though humans needing food and water. It was in their nature and not only that, but the vampires were also experts in inducing others to make mistakes and she rarely had to do it in Grandia.

Angelina had asked herself repeatedly. Am I really going to submit myself to this life and live as the most devoted servant of a Creator Dragon?

Although this wasn't impossible, what would happen to her family's honor if she chose to walk down this path? To Angelina, nothing was more important to her family's honor. She worked tirelessly for it and had only one goal in mind: take down Ashvril, make the royals rise, and rule all vampires.

But in Grandia, it was impossible for her to accomplish it.

Do I... really have to give it up?

Angelina held the letter tightly, asking herself this question. She gnashed her teeth, pondering deeply for a decision. But in the end, a ridiculous, but exceedingly tempting idea cropped up in her mind. Perhaps she could convince Rhode to let her return to the Country of Darkness to make it happen?

But shortly after, she denied this thought once again; she didn't believe that Rhode was a doormat. Although they had close, intermediate interactions and strictly speaking, Rhode was Angelina's first man, it wasn't important to a vampire. A physical relationship was weight used to maintain authority and divisions in class; this was the general view of vampires. It didn't suit Angelina to keep in mind constantly of her first experience like a human. Similarly, Angelina didn't think that Rhode would graciously let her go because she had spent the night with him.

But Angelina had to admit that the temptation was indeed huge.

It seems like that is the only way.

Angelina's eyes glinted at this thought. Then, she extended her arm and along with her movement, the letter burned up in blue flames before turning into ashes that faded away in the air. She turned around and left the room. After pressing down the creases on her clothes, she walked along the corridor before arriving at a tall, heavy door. She gazed at the door, took a deep breath, and extended her hand to knock on it.

"Come in."

Shortly after, a voice responded. Upon hearing it, Angelina gnashed her teeth, pushed the door open, and entered. She quickly saw Rhode crossing his arms and seated behind the table. Rhode's eyes glinted dubiously upon seeing Angelina. Then, he changed his pose.

"Is anything the matter, Angelina?"

"... Yes, Your Majesty Void Dragon."

Angelina lifted her head, gazing at the man with her scarlet eyes. Upon sensing the pressurizing look from Rhode, she instinctively shivered as though his gaze was able to see through her soul. But even so, she mustered her courage and continued to gaze at him.

"I have something to report."

Chapter 1055: Queen of The Blood Descendants

Rhode already knew that Ion would send someone to cause him trouble. Besides, he also knew that it would be a huge one. After Lydia's reminder, he was attentive to this matter. But after hearing Angelina's report, he realized that he had underestimated the situation.

"You're saying that there is a group of vampires in the Land of Atonement?"

Rhode knitted his brows, gazing at Angelina who stood before him and sighed subtly before nodding in agreement. Even though Rhode's expression didn't change at all, he cursed in his head after observing Angelina's reaction. Ultimately, there was only one cause of this situation—Angelina.

Angelina was a vampire; a royal vampire that held the most ancient bloodline in the empire of darkness. Of course, that was her glorious past and her tough days arrived after Ashvril took over the throne. As the Chinese proverb went, 'a phoenix with its feathers plucked wouldn't be as great as a chicken'. The fact that Angelina survived the fights and schemes from the dark forces proved that she had her ways to handle them. Besides, she wasn't an easy character to deal with either. A long time ago, she began to set out to overthrow Ashvril's rule and sought help from alliances. Although Ashvril had a huge force on her side and was individually powerful as one of the four legendary generals, the internal strife between vampires for power were always brutal and it was common for strong ones to have the last laugh because the weak ones were all slaughtered. Even though Ashvril had become unmatchable after ascending the throne as one of the four legendary generals, there were a huge number of vampire families she offended and eliminated. It was especially so for the families who were hostile against her previously; all of them were seriously injured by her. In this case, it went without saying that there were vampires going against her. It was during this period when Angelina started deploying her tricks. She searched and collected information about families who hated Ashvril and wanted to take her down. Got to say, with Angelina's identity, some people acknowledged her 'legitimate' status, and Angelina used her own hands, plans, and strength to gather a relatively huge group of people to establish a whole new 'force'.

Angelina initially decided to use this chance to surface again, but this secret leaked out to Ashvril's ears. In the end, Angelina was sent to her death to the Land of Atonement, only to be captured by Mini Bubble Gum. That was how the episode came to an end. After losing Angelina, the 'force' was without a leader and to Angelina, perhaps those vampires had secretly gone home to bed after realizing that the situation was out of hand. It was no wonder that she thought of it this way as it was never the vampires' expertise to openly confront anyone. Instead, secretly framing, poisoning, and backstabbing was their talent. If Angelina trusted her subjects' devotion, she would have been played to death by Ashvril before she was even sent to the Land of Atonement.

That should have been the case...

But what Angelina didn't expect was that after losing her 'force', the force didn't disband. Instead, they did the very opposite, seizing the opportunity to ambush Ashvril's hometown, Athos City. Ashvril was caught off guard, which led to Athos City suffering huge losses and two of her powerful subjects were injured and dead respectively. When Ashvril returned to her senses in rage, the ambushers had already gotten away. Of course, Ashvril wasn't willing to let this matter off. Unlike the other three legendary generals, Ashvril didn't possess similar powerful strength and yet, she was able to become one of them. This was the weakness of vampires. No matter how much they strengthened themselves, they couldn't reach the height of the other three legendary generals. Moreover, the reason why Ashvril was able to overthrow the predecessor was because she relied on group attacks to make up for individual vampire's limited battle strength. If it weren't for the outstanding intelligence network of the vampires, perhaps the Dark Dragon wouldn't leave one of the legendary generals' spots open to a vampire. It could also be said that Ashvril's position wasn't as stable and safe as the other three's.

Not only that, but also after Rhode heard Angelina's report, he was caught between laughter and tears as if he were to look into this matter, it was in fact related to Mini Bubble Gum. If Mini Bubble Gum didn't destroy Ashvril's precious weapon during the Order Ceremony, which led to her strength plummeting, Angelina's 'force' wouldn't have dared to mess with Ashvril and attack her hometown, catching her off guard. But after the bashing from Mini Bubble Gum, even though Ashvril seemed fine, she actually suffered a huge loss as Mini Bubble Gum purified the spirits inside her weapon. A huge part of Ashvril's battle strength relied on the powerful spirits that she collected and now, the spirits were gone and she couldn't possibly massacre vampires to replenish her strength. As a result, she was caught off guard by 'little scoundrels' she looked down upon, leading her to fail miserably.

Ashvril was enraged over it. Just as was mentioned earlier, she wasn't weak and attained her position after overthrowing the predecessor. With this criminal record, it wasn't surprising that anyone would attempt to overthrow her too. If it were in the past, Ashvril could effortlessly take down any threats despite how imperfect her strength was. However, Mini Bubble Gum's beating hurt her badly. Her prestige and reputation had fallen to rock bottom after the incident too. Even if those 'little scoundrels' weren't able to overthrow her throne, they successfully revealed her tottering position. If a leaderless little 'force' could turn Ashvril's nest upside down, what about the ancient and powerful forces? How could they let the chance to beat up a drowning dog slip?

Besides, ever since Ashvril had gained her rank, she supported the newly born vampires in order to solidify her place, strengthen her power, and oppress the ancient vampire families. No one would believe that these long-living vampires weren't enraged by her!

Therefore, in order to restore her strength, Ashvril besieged the vampires who attacked Athos City. On the other hand, the vampires were indeed smart. Perhaps because they knew that they were unable to bear the consequences of failure after attacking Athos City, they quickly retreated thereafter. No one knew how they got the information about Angelina as they sneaked past the borders and arrived at the Void Territory to seek protection from Angelina!

Not only that, but the forces Ashvril sent out also apparently caught their tails. This time, Ashvril had to succeed. If she let those vampires escape, her position as the Blood Countess might possibly be given to some mad uncle or dignified young lady. Or perhaps, it could also be said that the word 'possibly' would be removed entirely.

"..."

After learning the causes and effects of the situation from Angelina, Rhode's expression remained unchanged despite cursing Ion as an unscrupulous b*stard in his head. If Rhode didn't hear from Lydia that Ion was making a move on him soon, perhaps he would think that this was just Ashvril's personal motive after hearing Angelina's report. But now, he was sure that Ion approved and supported Ashvril in sending her forces over. Besides, her forces were definitely not here to just capture a 'fugitive' and they might even cause a ruckus in the Void Territory before retreating. If that were the case, Rhode would be totally embarrassed! Besides, what angered him more was that if it really happened, he couldn't declare war against the Country of Darkness because at this point in time, the Void Territory lacked sufficient strength to attack the Country of Darkness. The most he could do was to lead some of his subjects and stir troubles there. But even so, the effects wouldn't be huge as the majority of the population in the Country of Darkness was undead creatures who were extremely loyal and dedicated to the Dark Dragon. If Rhode took it too far, he might agitate the Country of Darkness further into declaring an all-out war against him. But if he took only small actions, his act would be treated as a monkey show. No matter which it was, neither of them were great choices!

On the contrary, the damage on Rhode's side would be much more. If the civilians were to learn that the Country of Darkness could enter and leave the Void Territory freely, his reputation as the Void Dragon would be tarnished! Where could he hide his face after his territory turned into a public bus for anyone to board?

If the situation turned out that way, Rhode would have no choice but to suffer in silence and from excessive internal heat of anger!

But now, since Rhode was prepared beforehand, he wouldn't allow them to humiliate him. He was sure that since Ion wanted to teach him a small lesson, the forces used to capture the 'fugitive' were bound to be powerful. It wasn't too long ago when Ashvril was beaten up by Mini Bubble Gum, so she should still remember that Rhode had a group of formidable beings by his side. Therefore, he was confident that perhaps even the four legendary generals would show up personally with their armies, with Ashvril definitely being a part of it. Besides, she wouldn't be the only legendary general arriving at the Void Territory! Although Rhode's base was no longer located in the Land of Atonement, he was still attentive of that place. If the undead creatures were to cause trouble in the Land of Atonement, they would surely do it quickly and escape his capture before he arrived. It would be impossible for them to do it without the support from powerful beings!

At this thought, Rhode made up his mind. But the other troublesome issue wasn't resolved yet.

"All right then, Angelina. What do you intend to do?"

Rhode had always been aware of Angelina's intention and never agreed with her as vampires were a group of beings who wished for the whole world to be in chaos. They had strong desires for power and often wreaked havoc wherever they went. The incident involving Ashvril was a living example. The group of vampires were brazen enough to mess with the four legendary generals, so what was there that they didn't dare to do? If Angelina were to solicit this group of vampires to the Void Territory, would Rhode still have a good life ahead of him?

"Your Majesty, if you allow, I would like to take them in. I swear in the honor of my family! I will make them serve, submit, and fight for you wholeheartedly! No matter what you want us to do, we will do our best!"

"..."

Angelina's words sounded beautiful, but it was a pity that anyone could beautify their words. However, it was an entirely different matter whether one could go through it at all. Rhode knitted his brows, scanning the young lady before him who gnashed her teeth and looked back at him. This was the only hopeful chance to Angelina. In the past, the reason why Rhode disallowed her to establish a family here wasn't that he was dubious of her loyalty. Instead, it was that in order for vampires to breed, they had to transform living humans into vampires. This might not be a huge matter in the Country of Darkness, but in the Void Territory, Rhode couldn't possibly offend humans for the vampires. But now, since a group of vampires were seeking shelter from him, he wouldn't have an issue with it anymore. As for whether he could control the vampires, Angelina was confident. In the Country of Darkness, she managed to gather the vampires alone despite the harsh conditions and went against Ashvril. In this case, with the support of the Creator Dragon in the Void Territory, it couldn't get much easier to control the vampires.

"..."

Rhode maintained his emotionless face upon hearing her answer as his right finger tapped lightly on the table repeatedly. He gazed at the royal vampire without speaking a single word. Before Angelina realized it, the atmosphere around her had already turned heavy, and her forehead was drenched in sweat. She sensed a powerful mental energy striking at her heart constantly. If she hung on, she might be ripped into powder! She knew clearly that this was Rhode's final chance for her. But even so, she had no intention of giving up her ideal! Since she couldn't regain the honor and glory of Babylonia in the Country of Darkness, she must do it in the Void Territory!

"... I got it. You may leave now."

Rhode said. He shifted his gaze away and nodded slightly. Upon hearing his answer, Angelina let out a sigh inside her head and didn't say a word. She turned around, left the room, and as soon as she stepped out, she realized her body had become so weak that her legs couldn't support her! She crumbled to the floor, leaning on the wall for support. After a few moments, she gnashed her teeth and stood to her feet. Then, she looked at the heavy, closed door with a complicated gaze before heading off.

At this moment, Rhode was also gazing at the heavy, closed door with a solemn look!

Angelina always had a strong desire for power. After him probing on her earlier, he saw that even until now, Angelina hadn't given up on her ideal; that so-called ideal in revitalizing her family's honor. This left Rhode in a headache. In all fairness, even if it were a Dark Elf like Nell who made this request, he wouldn't feel anything wrong with it. But it was just the vampires that he couldn't accept... They could only blame themselves for having a different reproduction system and consuming blood as their source of food. Rhode couldn't possibly hold humans captive as their slaves and food, right?

But Angelina was adamant about it and Rhode couldn't come up with a solution. It could also be said that this was the matter that gave him the biggest headache. As Angelina had already turned into a card spirit, she didn't need to consume blood like in the past. Unless she had to temporarily provide a buff for Rhode or when she was too hurt, she wouldn't need to consume blood for survival. But this didn't mean that the other vampires could also... Hmm?

Rhode's eyes glinted at this thought as some unique ideas suddenly came up in his head. In this case... he could give it a shot with his unique advantages. If he succeeded, the problem could be perfectly resolved!

As for the next matter...

Rhode reached out for the bell on the table and shook it. Shortly after, the door opened and Agatha opened quietly. She gazed at him, gave a casual bow, and asked: "Your Majesty, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Get Marlene, Alice, Bubble, and Canary here; tell them I have something to discuss with them."

Rhode ordered, the corners of his lips perked up into a gentle, relaxed smile.

It seems about time to consider how we should entertain our faraway guests who are harboring malicious intentions.

Chapter 1056: Victims Under the Night Sky

The Void Territory.

As night fell, the bustling scenes of daytime vanished completely. The quiet night enveloped the silent streets, while the moonlight and Holy Maiden Statue's gentle radiance enfolded the border altogether. Even though Rhode's group had moved, it didn't mean that the fortress here was no longer in use. Instead, it became the shelter of the Astral Temple's heroic spirits. No matter what, that small temple wasn't suitable to be used as a lodge.

A petite, slender person wrapped in a robe lifted its head from the alley, looking at the most conspicuous building in the Land of Atonement with a complicated gaze. Right over there, fully-armored Elf Knights scanned the ground from the high walls above, angels flapped their beautiful wings and flying back and forth in the sky, and demons strolled in large strides on the ground, making blustering howls from time to time. These beings who were born to give their lives in the fight against Chaos treated one another without much prejudice. Perhaps demons loathed the angels' hypocrisy, elves disliked the demons' clamors, or the natural opposition between angels and demons caused arguments from time to time, but just like how an army had good and bad people, the conflicts from both sides didn't reach an irreconcilable degree. Currently, in the fortress of the Land of Atonement, angels were responsible for the big picture, elves provided support, and demons were in charge of being hired thugs. One had to admit that facing the tall, sturdy built of the demons, not everyone dared to go against them.

Why are the different races able to coexist in harmony here?

Gazing at the beings from a distance, the person hidden in the alley let out a sigh. At this moment, one of the demons seemed to detect something. Its nose twitched as it turned toward the alley. Its scarlet eyes erupting in bright radiance like searchlights. Upon witnessing this scene, the person hidden in the alley retreated quickly. Its cloak fluttered in the wind as it drifted across the darkness lithely. As the demon's line of sight shifted, it spotted nothing.

This is truly an incredibly dangerous city.

The fluttering cloak appeared in the shadows once again like an elongated reflection transforming under the night sky into the form of a human. The person wrapped in the cloak let out a sigh of relief before taking off the cloak. It was a young lady who seemed to be around 16 to 17 years old. She wore a crimson, elegant dress and a thin, sleek sword hung on her waist. Her blonde, twin ponytails swayed in her movements. Judging from her appearance, her exquisite facial features, slender, alluring figure, and noble presence would make her seem like a wealthy young lady. However, little canines revealed from the edge of her lips and pale complexion exposed her true identity—vampire.

At this moment, the young lady was flitting across the forest under the night sky like a ghost. A trail of afterimages followed behind her, before silently disappearing and reappearing in the depths of the forest. After a few moments, she arrived at the entrance of a cave, took a few steps forward, and stroked her arm across the darkness before her. Along in her movements, a crimson radiance flashed. Invisible waves of air burst from the peaceful cave entrance, before cracking into an opening. The young lady threw a look at the left and right. After confirming that there was no threat around, she stepped into the space crack.

As soon as her foot stepped inside, the scenery surrounding her changed immediately. The views of nature vanished completely, only to be replaced by a cheerless cellar-like place. Dim, glowing torches hung on the cold walls. The short cave became a wide stone hall. The young lady descended the steps and quickly saw six to seven people approaching her from the side, gazing at her anxiously.

"How was it, Carol?"

"It's tough."

Carol answered her companion, before shaking her head with a worrisome look. She gazed at the other young ladies. Even though they were noble vampires in the past, the long days of escape left them exhausted, with some of them suffering injuries from the chase. At this moment, they no longer exuded the arrogance and pride of noble vampires. Instead, they were seemingly down and frightened. Looking at this scene, Carol let out a sigh. Then, she cleared her head and asked.

"Is there news of Madam Angelina?"

"..."

Everyone shook their heads in response and Carol sighed in her head. They couldn't be blamed because even she didn't expect the Land of Atonement to be such a dangerous place. She originally intended to sneak into the city, capture some humans as slaves and food, and get in touch with Madam Angelina. But it was a pity that despite having a calculated plan, these vampire ladies were scared to death by the Elf Knights shuttling through the forest, Battle Angels soaring in the sky, and demons patrolling the area. Every one of these three races were a so-called nemesis of the vampires. The holy power of the Battle Angels left the vampires running for their lives. On the other hand, the demons' ferocity and cunningness were far above the vampires'. In terms of agility and speed, elves dominated the vampires. Due to these unforeseen circumstances, these vampires had no choice but to give up on their plan and act cautiously. From the start, they couldn't help but to attack humans, only to be nearly captured by the Battle Angels and demons. If it weren't for the fact that Carol possessed the ability to tear through the plane of existence and create an alternate dimension, they wouldn't have survived the chase.

At this moment, Carol's group realized that the Void Territory might be even more dangerous than the Country of Darkness. However, they expended all their energy crossing the border and finally arriving here. Besides, there was still an advantage for them in this situation. The pursuers from the Country of Darkness most likely wouldn't cross the border to find trouble with them here and this left Carol feeling reassured. But it wouldn't work if this went on. After all, they needed food. Although they barely survived on animal blood during this period of time, it wasn't the solution for the long term. Unless they managed to find and kill a powerful demonic beast, they couldn't gain enough energy from animal blood. This was also why the vampires favored humans as the source of their food instead. Human blood was sweet, delicious, and contained a strength of life that vampires needed urgently. Not only that, but human blood was also nourishing and able to strengthen the vampires. This was why in the vampires' eyes, humans were as though precious tonics.

Just like American-grade ginseng.

It was a pity that everything was just their imaginations. In fact, Carol was starting to feel worried because after days of persistent observations, she found out that the Void Territory treated humans similarly to the Country of Light and Country of Law. In this case, would they be accepted by the Void Territory? Although Carol had thought of seeking shelter from Angelina back then, in this case, even if she relied on Angelina for help, would the legendary Void Dragon be willing to accept them? Carol knew her place. The vampires weren't vampires by choice, but this didn't change their nature. It was a fact that they needed to consume blood as food to gain energy and human blood was their most preferred.

But come to think of it, it seemed like the humans, elves, angels, and demons were able to leave behind stereotypes and live together in peace. It was impossible for Carol to not feel a little envious. Vampires weren't afraid of social class divisions because if they were, they wouldn't have set Ashvril's town on fire. It could also be said that deep down in their hearts, they more or less had their own expectations and prides. If they could be like these beings, able to coexist under the same sky, it wasn't entirely impossible for them to stay here for the rest of their lives...

"How about we head to Grandia instead? We can look for Madam Angelina and discuss it with her?"

A vampire knitted her nice, arched eyebrow and asked. However, her suggestion was faced with objection.

"Are you kidding? Grandia's the city of the Void Dragon. Do you really think that we can wrap around Athos City and swagger on the streets in the Darkness Capital? Besides, I heard that Grandia is a city floating in the air, so even if we manage to sneak in, we may not be able to escape if we are spotted!"

Another vampire rebutted immediately. It was apparent that she didn't agree with her view.

"But there's no news of Madam Angelina yet..."

"..."

Everyone fell into silence. At this moment, they had a similar thought: Angelina might have possibly abandoned them. But this wasn't rarely seen among the vampires as abandonment and betrayal were the main theme of the darkness nobles, while trust was invaluable. But Angelina was different. Back then, she managed to gather these vampires under Ashvril's immense pressure, which proved that she and her subjects formed a relationship of trust. This was also why the vampires came all the way to the Void Territory. If Angelina had truly abandoned them, the vampires would be at the end of their ropes.

"Hmph!"

All of a sudden, a crisp grunt sounded in their ears. The vampires were startled. They turned toward the voice quickly and saw a petite figure appearing out of thin air, landing on the ground firmly.

"It has just been a few days and all of you have become so weak. I'm utterly embarrassed!"

Carol was instantly overjoyed.

"Madam Angelina!"

Chapter 1057: Glory of the Vampires

It was Angelina who appeared before them. She pulled a long face, staring coldly at them. Shortly after, everyone detected the dissatisfaction in her eyes. They closed their mouths quickly, lowered their heads, and gazed at the ground in uncertainty. This scene seemed a little strange, at least in the eyes of outsiders. Angelina was considered as having the smallest built among them but now, she displayed an unprecedented and powerful presence. The dense, ice-cold aura exuding from her was as though a boulder falling from above, crashing heavily on their hearts and turning their pale complexion as white as a sheet. The bloodline senses between vampires was extremely powerful, especially due to their unique reproduction method, causing them to trace back to their origin. In this case, the vampire who was closer to the ancestor would have more power over the vampires below. This was also why Ashvril had so many enemies below her and this was also an important reason why she wanted to get rid of Angelina. If Angelina became mature and grew stronger, Ashvril wouldn't stand a chance against her, being a vampire who transformed from a human. If Ashvril didn't get rid of Angelina, she would be in huge trouble after Angelina became stronger.

"How daring of you all. Do you still remember what I said back then?"

Angelina reprimanded, totally unlike the vampire who behaved like a docile cat in front of Rhode. Right now, she was like a wolf queen standing on the peak of a cliff, staring down at the pack of submissive wolves with her fierce, green eyes. No one dared to raise any questions or doubts. There was only submission.

"I wanted all of you to stay calm, but what did you do? Burn down Athos City? Since you have the guts, why didn't you burn down the Darkness Capital?"

Angelina crossed her arms, staring at the group of vampires. Her voice was calm and ice-cold. Even though they were important subordinates to Angelina, it didn't stop her from lecturing them. In fact, Angelina was aware of their weaknesses. All in all, they might seem cautious, but they were full of adventurous spirit. Although they appeared careful when executing the plan, they lacked the ability to assess the situation. The fact that they ambushed Athos City was a perfect example. Even if Carol and her group didn't own up to the fact that it was their doing, Angelina knew what was going through their heads. They must have decided to backstab Ashvril while she was weak and escape from the consequences. Anyway, even if they weren't involved with what happened afterwards, they were sure that other vampire families would 'assist' them in rocking Ashvril's rule. Then, they could look for Angelina in the Void Territory later on and start all over again. Perhaps when that happened, Ashvril would be entirely doomed and they could take advantage of it... Well, this daydream wasn't bad at all.

But it was only a daydream, after all. They didn't think of the fact that Ashvril wasn't as powerful as she was when she first took over the throne. Besides, the new and rising noble families hadn't risen yet back then, while the ancient, well-established noble families still existed now. Moreover, many vampires were discontented with Ashvril for overthrowing the predecessor and secretly caused a lot of trouble for her. During that period of time, Ashvril was in a rocky position, but didn't she still manage to survive? And now, this group of rascals thought that they could easily attain their goal by watching the fires burn across the river? Surely they wouldn't think that the other vampire families were only there for show!

In fact, Angelina didn't wish to see Ashvril's power weaken too much because if Ashvril continued to maintain her authority, Angelina could take over her position and authority as long as she defeated Ashvril. The strongest point was also the weakest. As long as Angelina overthrew the Ashvril who 'nobody could waver', Angelina's image among the vampires would improve dramatically. When that happened, it was still possible for her to reappear in glory, merging with the well-established noble families with her royal bloodline. It could also be said that this was Angelina's ultimate goal. But on the other hand, if Ashvril's position was unstable, it wouldn't mean much if Angelina knocked the weakened Ashvril off her seat as that would just be Angelina waiting for others to overthrow her too. It would be the difference in sequence at the very most. This was the difference between the perspective of a ruler and her subordinates. Carol and the other vampires could only see what was before them, but Angelina was already considering her moves after she took over...

Even though Angelina couldn't execute her plan like she could in the past with her current identity, gazing at these inexperienced vampires left her fuming, so she used this chance to lecture them.

Although Carol and the vampires were criticized fiercely by Angelina, they didn't display any dissatisfaction on their faces. Instead, they listened silently without gasping for air. When this 'force' was first established, Angelina used her outstanding ability, conspiracy, and determined belief to compel the vampires into obeying her completely. These vampires were born into families suppressed by Ashvril and some of them had even thrown away their pride to become her slaves. They shuddered in lingering fear under the Blood Countess's threat and didn't dare to refute. It was Angelina who released them from their nightmares and gave them the courage to resist this terrifying enemy. Although there was seemingly no trust among vampires, in this small 'force' of Angelina's, there indeed existed a 'relationship of trust' that was rarely seen among the nobles of darkness.

"... No matter what, you all are rather capable, to burn down Athos City and come all the way here without getting caught..."

After bawling out on her shallow subordinates, Angelina calmed herself down. She lifted her head and gazed at the young ladies with knitted brows. Her eyes glinted in an undetectable sigh.

"Why are there only a few of you? Where are the rest?"

"Madam, after you came to the Land of Atonement and lost contact with us, some of us left the force, while most of the remaining ones... died during our attack on Athos City. Some were also killed by pursuers, and only us are..."

Upon hearing Angelina's question, Carol answered softly. Even though the other vampires remained silent, they continued to lower their heads deeply, using this unique behavior to mourn for their fallen comrades. Angelina's eyes glinted with complicated emotions. But she quickly gnashed her teeth and threw the feeling of melancholy to the back of her head. Well, this was a decent ending, wasn't it? At the very least, she didn't fail as badly as the other vampires who found themselves utterly isolated and eventually vanished forever. And now, some of them were still willing to follow her all the way here... But it was a pity that the others...

"All right. Since all of you are willing to come here, I don't have to say much."

Angelina said before falling into silence. The vampires who heard her words lifted their heads curiously. Then, they were baffled to see Angelina extending her slim, tender right index finger forward. They were agitated because they knew what this meant. However, they didn't expect to receive such a rare honor...

"Since all of you came here and showed your loyalty to the mighty Babylonia Family, I hereby give you a choice of honor and supreme glory: are you willing to accept my blood and become my dependents?!"

Angelina gazed at the remaining seven subordinates before her, gnashed her teeth, and asked. Upon hearing her question, Carol and the vampires were startled despite being mentally prepared.

It was mentioned in the past that due to the unique 'biological structure' of the vampires, 'blood' occupied an important, sacred position in their culture. Taking Ashvril's parents, for instance: they were a pair of high-class and low-class nobles, whose blood fused in a human. As a result, it enraged the vampire race. This went to show how important 'bloodline' inheritance was to vampires. And now, what Angelina was about to give them was as though the highest honor of vampires! If they accepted her blood, it meant that they would be dependents of the once most glorious and ancient vampire family! This was a supreme honor to all vampires!

Of course, this wasn't without disadvantages. Ancient bloodline possessed powerful strength over the younger vampires. If Carol and the other six vampires became Angelina's dependents, it would mean that their lives were in Angelina's hands. Not only would their thoughts be known to Angelina, but they would also obey her commands even if she ordered them to commit suicide. Judging from this point, it was more demanding than the soul contract that Rhode had with his card spirits.

"I'm willing, Madam Angelina!"

Carol was the first to step forward. She half-knelt on the ground, lifted her head, and her scarlet eyes gazed unwaveringly at the young lady before her. She had never thought of this in the past but now she wouldn't give up this chance, even if she had to become Angelina's dependent!

"Good."

Upon hearing Carol's determined answer, Angelina nodded in satisfaction. She reached out for a small blade with her right hand, extended her left hand, and gently cut her fingertip with the blade. A stream of extremely pure, scarlet blood flowed out of the wound and down the finger like a precious gem. Carol had already laid out her arms, holding onto Angelina's right hand and sucking on her fingertip solemnly. The fresh, aromatic blood entered her mouth. She shut her eyes, her body shivering constantly as she felt the powerful strength flowing into her blood.

"————!"

At the same time, a scarlet magic ritual appeared beneath their feet and emanated a red, dazzling radiance, enfolding them completely. Shortly after, the red brilliance glowing from Carol's body drifted toward Angelina, coalescing into an illuminating scarlet card. Upon witnessing the card, Angelina's eyes glinted. She extended her hand and along with her movement, the scarlet card lost its shine gradually. Then, it quietly landed on her palm. Angelina let out a satisfied laughter, before lowering her head and gazing at Carol, who knelt before her.

"All right then. From now onward, you are my most loyal dependent," Angelina said.

Chapter 1058: Bait

The bright, full moon enveloping half the night sky splashed on the pitch-black ground with its illumination. The outlines of the leaves in the forest were clearly visible, but all of a sudden, a series of animal howls broke out throughout the tranquil forest. Countless, startled birds woke up from their slumber, flapped their wings, and soared into the sky fearfully to escape the close-approaching death, as well as the holder of the death aura.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

A dozen black shadows flitted across the forest silently, and not even the criss-crossed thorns and lush tree branches were able to stop them in their tracks. They overcame obstacles like fast-moving ghosts and shortly after, rays of flashes shone, interweaving into a net of light.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A series of rasps rang and the shadowy figures landed on a lawn in the middle of the forest. Mysterious soldiers clad in black armor encircled them from the perimeter, wielding swords and staring at their target before them with crimson eyes. It was Carol and the vampires surrounded in the middle. They were covered in blood and injuries. But even so, they maintained their perfect formation. One of the young vampire ladies wearing a pair of glasses clutched the pitch-black staff, chanting under her breath. Then, scarlet shields appeared around the young ladies. The two young ladies standing behind Carol to her left and right held swords in both hands, glaring at their prey before them like raging wolves.

The peace between both sides lasted for only a moment before erupting into a violent battle again.

The dark soldiers by the perimeter pushed forward and flourished their swords. Meanwhile. the young ladies also raised their weapons and rushed toward them. The battle resembled a flower bud blooming its sharp edges. The young lady in glasses standing in the middle slammed the bottom of the staff into the ground. As she recited the dark, mysterious chant, radiances in balls of blood exploded instantly, transforming into sharp spears that flew in all directions. However, facing such an aggressive attack, the dark soldiers continued to march forward fearlessly. But at the next moment, they suffered for their actions.

Clang! Clang!

Carol danced in the flashes of blade rays like a nimble bat. The sword in her hand instantly turned into a bright spot, abruptly jumping over the slashing swords of the dark soldiers. Then, it changed its trajectory and pierced one of the dark soldiers through the helmet's opening. The soldier let out a mournful screech when suddenly, mysterious white smoke exploded from within the helmet. Carol withdrew her sword and retreated back to her original position. Meanwhile, the dark soldier swayed, took two steps back, and his body exploded, blasting his comrades around him. In an instant, their tight formation was smashed. The other vampire ladies quickly sheathed their swords and returned to their positions. But the several corpses before them announced that these young ladies absolutely weren't just fortunate to successfully burn down Athos City and came all the way to the Land of Atonement from the Country of Darkness.

"You think trash like you can stop us? Utterly worthless!"

Carol clutched the sword, lifted her head, and stared at the dark soldier before her. Even though their decision back then resulted in huge damages and loss of several comrades, on the other hand, it was under such harsh conditions that the potential of Carol and the remaining vampires was brought out by a large degree. One of the biggest similarities between them was that they were born into different ancient vampire families. It was due to this reason that they were strongly suppressed by Ashvril, which made them join Angelina's side. On the other hand, the ancient vampire families might not be as powerful as Angelina's royal family back then, but their heritage still ran very deep. And now, after a series of escapes, the strength in their bloodline was stimulated to the maximum, where vampires under the Viscount rank no longer posed any threats to them.

At this moment, an alluring laughter resounded in the air.

"Huhuhu, never did I expect you mice to have such sharp tongues."

The expressions of Carol and the others changed slightly upon hearing the laughter. They lifted their heads and turned toward the voice. Shortly after, they spotted a delicate, slender figure strolling out of the forest. She wore a scarlet, strapless evening gown, exuding a magnificent aura unmatched in her generation. The smile on her gorgeous face seemed ever so moving like she could captivate everyone in the area regardless of gender. Although Carol and the vampires were startled to see her, they quickly pulled themselves together and displayed their wrath and hostility—because this woman was one of the four legendary generals: the Blood Countess, Ashvril.

"How surprising that you came personally, Madam Ashvril."

Carol turned over and raised the sword, pointing it at Ashvril fearlessly. Upon seeing her reaction, Ashvril's eyes glinted in anger. Her enticement ability wasn't as effective on these noble heirs of ancient vampire families. This was also why Ashvril deliberately promoted the new and rising noble families and suppressed the ancient, well-established families. Her rule could only stabilize after she eradicated all threatening ancient forces. The blood relations of vampires was powerful and also a threshold that couldn't be bypassed. In order to overcome this obstacle, Ashvril had taken great pains. And now, the murderous intent in her grew stronger as Carol and the vampires weren't affected by her ability.

"All of you have nowhere to hide; surrender immediately. As a noble vampire myself, I shall give you a decent death!"

Ashvril commanded, stepping forward with lifted head and gazing proudly at them.

"Besides, do you think that I'm the only one here?"

"..."

At this moment, as though responding to Ashvril, the sound of heavy armor creaked. Shortly after, a sturdy knight in thick armor marched out from behind Ashvril. He held a sword, a pair of red eyes revealed from the gap in his helmet, scanning the battlefield. Upon feeling his gaze, Carol and the vampires shivered in fear. It felt as pressurizing and terrifying as a magnificent army with thousands of men and horses approaching them. They didn't even dare look straight into his eyes.

He was one of the four legendary generals: Spirit Chaser, Balende Nefarian.

Carol sucked in a deep breath of cold air, forcefully stifling the uncertainties inside her. Although she seemed calm, her heart was pounding. This went to show how huge the difference in strength was between Ashvril and the other three legendary generals. Ashvril could only rely on her charm to overwhelm the enemies and didn't possess any overpowering strength. On the other hand, the vampires were immediately shook by the massive pressure as soon as Balende appeared.

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At this moment, another voice sounded.

"To think that my foolish subordinates managed to bring both of you here, I'm truly honored, Your Highnesses."

"Angelina!"

Ashvril grimaced immediately when suddenly, the air around them suddenly twisted and Angelina walked out of the void. She narrowed her eyes and gazed at Ashvril in disdain.

"What do you want, lowly hybrid? I heard your town was burned down by my adorable subjects, huh? So which men are you sleeping around with these days?"

"You...!"

Angelina's contempt enraged Ashvril. At this moment, Ashvril had as though returned to the day she had just awakened. The ancient vampire families looked down upon her in disdain just like Angelina did, as though she was nothing more than a pile of unworthy trash. Back then, she once wished that she could vanish from this world forever. However, she pulled through and swore that she wouldn't allow this to repeat. And now...

"... Great, Angelina. I heard you submitted yourself to the Void Dragon? Is that the reason why you dare to spout nonsense in front of me? Do you think you can act so brazenly just because of that?"

"You're the one who's brazen, slut."

At this moment, another voice sounded. Not only was Ashvril surprised, but the silent Balende also turned around instantly. There were three beings to their left, right, and back, blocking their retreat.

Canary, Mini Bubble Gum, and Alice.

Ashvril was baffled upon witnessing their presence. Even though she didn't know who Alice was, she witnessed Canary and Mini Bubble Gum in battle and felt their strength personally. It was especially so for Mini Bubble Gum. The instant Ashvril saw her, an unknown flame of anger lit up inside her. If it weren't for Mini Bubble Gum who destroyed her weapon during the battle in the Order Ceremony, Ashvril wouldn't be in this rocky position now. But she apparently had no time to consider this problem now. Of course, she knew that Angelina relied on the Void Dragon for help and just in case, she came here as fast as she could, attempting to resolve everything before the Void Dragon detected her. Anyway, to Ashvril, these vampires weren't powerful. With Balende's assistance, she was confident in taking them down in seconds. Ashvril thought that her plan was thorough and detailed enough, but now, the appearance of the trio clearly showed that the Void Dragon was aware of her arrival. But before Ashvril came up with a counter solution, the voice that she hated sounded once again.

"You came all the way to the Void Territory to smash our turf? You are so brave, slut; it seems like it was truly a mistake to not punch you to death during the Order Ceremony. Are you ready? Since you're here already, don't even think of going back alive!"

Mini Bubble Gum said with eager excitement, clenching her fists and revealing a sinister smile.

Chapter 1059: Block the Enemy's Retreat & Mop Them up

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of deep, thunderous explosions boomed in the forest. The dazzling white radiance flashed, linking up instantly. The ground shook in fear, while trees flew up before crashing back down to the ground. Then, hurricanes came one after another, rising from the ground recklessly and ripping through the mountain ranges in the distance. The land groaned as it fissured in blazes.

Rhode stood above a hill in the distance, gazing at the battle happening below. The corners of his lips perked up into an ice-cold smile. Marlene stood beside him, sternly observing the battle.

"Ion, that scoundrel, sure is sly; he sends out only a few of them, but they are all elites. Hmph. Fair enough, this time I will make him suffer. I shall see whether this damn b*stard dares to mess with me again!"

Even though Rhode said with a relaxed smile, his words were filled with deep murderous intent. He learned from Alice that this time, Ashvril brought along 50 dark knights, while Balende was more cautious to bring along 200 high-level death knights. However, they weren't here for a frontal confrontation with Rhode as Ashvril and Balende didn't expect Rhode to be waiting for their arrival, with a trap set up for them!

In fact, with Rhode's current strength, he wouldn't break a sweat eradicating both of them. However, he couldn't do that because he was neither a guild leader nor overlord now; he was a Creator Dragon. Back then, he was personally needed in battle to fight for the world. But it was different now. The battle against the Country of Darkness wasn't as simple as a mafia boss leading his men into the battlefield because Rhode wanted to display the might of his subordinates to the Country of Darkness and warn Ion to not act recklessly. If he were to join the battle, wouldn't it be the same as him telling Ion that he had useless troops who needed his help to clear up the mess?

It was due to this reason that Rhode didn't summon his card spirits. On the contrary, he sent out his three strongest subordinates to shamelessly besiege the legendary generals. Not only that, but also just in case, he readied Marlene by the side. Due to the rich experience the four legendary generals possessed, Rhode was also considering sending Christie into battle. Once three of the six Deity Wardens gathered, he would see how the legendary generals retaliated.

But for now, it was enough.

Alice was in charge of taking down Balende, while Mini Bubble Gum and Canary dealt with Ashvril. Balende was as though rock-hard, stiff bones who couldn't be gnawed at. Rhode used this opportunity to check out the differences in strength between the Deity Wardens and legendary generals. Ashvril was different as her strength was greatly weakened. It was mentioned earlier that Ashvril didn't rely on her strength to ascend the throne. Instead, she mostly focused on conspiracies and group attacks to overthrow the predecessor and wasn't adept at frontal battles. On the other hand, Mini Bubble Gum and Canary were the aggressive type of attackers, which totally restrained Ashvril's moves. In the game, a 10-man party was required to take down Ashvril, but that was in the game, after all. In reality, Rhode refused to believe that this Blood Countess had 1 million health points as it just wouldn't make sense.

If Mini Bubble Gum and Canary couldn't take Ashvril down, Marlene could jump into battle as reinforcement at any time. With two of the six Deity Wardens here, even Ion would have to tuck tail and run back to where he came from. Rhode made up his mind determinedly this time; he would cripple and frighten the Country of Darkness. The best-case scenario would be to leave Ion flustered and let him have a heart attack! Ashvril must die. It would be better if Balende could be killed too as the Country of Darkness's army relied mostly on him. If Rhode could eradicate him, he guaranteed that he would be in the mood for a novel, milk tea, and desserts first before deciding whether he should attack or defend against millions of undead creatures...

In fact, Rhode was surprised when he first saw Balende here as he only expected Ashvril. Rhode had never considered this calm, steady man to be here. He never thought of the possibilities of other legendary generals partnering up with Ashvril. The reason was simple. Garcia was a cautious and meticulous human like a maiden who had little contact with the outside world. On the other hand, Charlie had no interest in anything other than war, so not even Ashvril begging him for help would work. Also, Balende was the commander of three armies, so how could he possibly show up so effortlessly? However, Rhode wasn't worried as he had initially sent out Alice as an insurance. And now, since he had such great targets for battle, he would regret it if he didn't show them his power!

Give them hell!

"Heyah!"

Mini Bubble Gum snarled as she burst out in a dazzling flash. She swung her right hand and along with her movement, a large light blade that was tens of meters long appeared in her hand and swept across the sky. The surrounding trees were uprooted and in the blink of an eye, the dense forest was shaved into a flat land. Ashvril turned pale instantly, her body constantly twisted like a ghost in the face of the white, holy blade. Before she returned to her senses, Canary seized the opportunity and charged in from the other side. The scarlet flames in the hurricane blazed. Then, she brandished the sword coalesced from flames at Ashvril in the aggressive momentum of the hurricane.

If it were someone else, this attack would have taken one's life. However, Ashvril was one of the four legendary generals, after all. Even though her actual health points weren't as high as a million, she wasn't one that Mini Bubble Gum and Canary could take down easily. Facing this pincer attack, the Blood Countess raised her right hand, folded the fan in her hand, and swung it forward.

This movement seemed quick and slow at the same time. When Ashvril unfolded the fan in her hand, she seemed as though in slow motion. But the instant the fan folded again, her movements suddenly became as quick as lightning. In an instant, she burst forward with her right hand in a trail of afterimages, colliding with Canary's flame sword. The instant they clashed, the contrast of light and darkness, and flame and wind swelled and exploded completely. In an instant, the surroundings became dark and ice-cold as a hurricane of negative energy left one shivering like a monster devouring the flames. The glaring, scarlet flames at this moment seemed like a tiny flame swaying in the storm, trembling non-stop, and eventually vanishing to nothing. But Canary had already retreated and dodged Ashvril's next attack.

"Hmph!"

Looking at this scene, Ashvril let out a grim snort. If it weren't for Mini Bubble Gum who caught her off guard and purified the spirits inside her weapon, Ashvril would be confident in dealing a heavy blow to these enemies. However, after the spirits were purified, her strength plummeted. In this case, she didn't have any other solution. But she wasn't in the mood to ponder anymore as Mini Bubble Gum dashed toward her from the other side. The holy radiance in her clenched fists was so blinding that the darkness surrounding Ashvril was like snow melting under the hot, intense sun. Facing the continuous attacks, Ashvril gnashed her teeth, turned around, and quickly dodged the attacks. She streaked a strange arc in the darkness with her fan. Along with her movements, the surrounding darkness started trembling and almost immediately, thousands of dark, razor-sharp swords appeared from the ground and flew skyward, piercing at Mini Bubble Gum.

Mini Bubble Gum didn't feel nervous at all when she saw this ambush. She flourished her left hand and a translucent, hexagonal crystal barrier enfolded her entirely, stopping the lethal, menacing dark swords. Mini Bubble Gum sneered, her hands streaking across strokes of runes in midair. Then, between her spread arms, a miniature sphere of light as blinding as the sun exploded. The radiance was so glaring that even the pitch-black night sky lit up instantly like daytime. Ashvril, as a vampire, had to avoid powerful rays of light. With the sudden burst of dazzling light, she had no choice but to narrow her eyes. Of course, she had her ways to protect her weaknesses. After a few moments, the white brilliance vanished completely, but at the same time, Ashvril witnessed a person hidden in the light curtain, bursting toward her!

Sh*t!

Even though it was only an instant, Ashvril's heart sank as soon as she witnessed this scene. But as one of the four legendary generals, she wasn't someone to be trifled with. She gnashed her teeth hard and a mist of blood erupted from her mouth like a fired artillery shell. Then, she retreated swiftly, raising her arms and gathering crimson energy in her palms. Just a little while more and she could recover from her slump and show everyone her powerful strength as the Blood Countess!

But... at this moment, she suddenly felt her feet sinking. She lowered her gaze in bafflement, only to discover hundreds of circular rituals had appeared under her! She remembered that only one person possessed the ability to cast this skill!

"Angelina!"

As Ashvril yelled in exasperation, Angelina's petite figure appeared behind her. Her slender hand had turned into razor-sharp claws striking straight for Ashvril's heart!

Chapter 1060: Battle of Awakening

This attack from Angelina was the so-called key trick of the vampires' handed-down teachings in battle: backstab—lethal, quick, and accurate. Her fair, slender palm was as though a razor-sharp blade penetrating into Ashvril's body. In an instant, beads of blood sprayed up and Ashvril let out a mourning and blood-curdling screech. But before Angelina felt the joys of victory, she sensed an incomparably, massive force pushing against her palm. Then, she was struck back as though by an enormous hammer. She crashed to the ground, only coming to a halt after rolling continuously. Angelina's expression wasn't filled with astonishment. Instead, it was anger!

"Blood fusion!! You slut!! You sucked my mother's blood!?"

Angelina lifted her head, her scarlet eyes burning in raging flames and she revealed the two, long canine teeth. Right in front of her, the shadowy figures inside the dense blood mist surrounding Ashvril trembled constantly, before eventually erupting an unprecedented, chilly burst of air, where the trees and leaves withered to the aura of death. Not only that, but the sturdy tree trunks also became incredibly fragile in the blink of an eye. Canary and Mini Bubble Gum had no choice but to temporarily back off. But even so, they turned slightly pale.

"How unlucky that she actually awakened. Big Sister, our luck is horrendous. In the game, Ashvril only gets to awaken once every ten raids!"

Looking at this scene, Mini Bubble Gum curled her lips. She extended her arm and shortly after, a dazzling, holy radiance erupted from her hand, aiming at the red mist. But in the blink of an eye, the powerful light beam vanished within the red mist. Not only that, but the red mist also doubled in size!

"Damn it, this is a big problem!"

Not only was Mini Bubble Gum staring sternly, but Canary also turned grim. But they couldn't be blamed because in the game, there was a certain chance for Ashvril to be awakened during her boss raid. After her awakening, not only would she gain much more mysterious powers, but her attack and defense attributes would also increase drastically. It could also be said that right now, she was much harder to take down. However, the chances of her being awakened during her boss raid was really low, with a probability of once in 50 times. Mini Bubble Gum and Canary didn't expect their luck to be so down to trigger her awakening now.

On the other hand, Angelina's anger was for an entirely different reason. Of course, she wasn't aware of the existence of players or the hidden mode of the boss's three-stages transformations. But even so, she knew that at this very moment, the power that Ashvril released was the 'Blood Strength' that only members of the Babylonia Family had rights to!

Babylonia was the most ancient vampire family, and Angelina didn't just use its name to scare others away. There was a mystical strength in her bloodline. As long as the Babylonians sucked the blood of other vampires, they would be able to gain their abilities! Of course, the acquisition of abilities was also proportionate to the growth of their individual strength. If they were to suck the blood of a vampire who was stronger than them, they might even be destroyed by that overly powerful strength. Although Ashvril had indeed overthrown the Babylonia Family and succeeded her position back then, Angelina never thought that she had the ability to acquire the Babylonia's noble blood. After all, if she were to suck the Babylonia Family's blood, there was a high chance for her to be controlled by it instead. After all, Ashvril was a lowly vampire who lacked the ability to resist the strength of a pure, powerful blood. But now, she actually succeeded!

"Huhuhu..."

As the strange burst of laughter sounded, the blood mist gradually faded away and Ashvril once again appeared before the trio. But this time, she looked entirely different. If it was said that Ashvril was an alluring witch in the past, right now, she was like a pure, noble maiden. Her scarlet and pitch-black long dress flowed naturally, blending into the shadows perfectly as one. In an instant, she was as though the supreme ruler of the dark world.

"The Babylonia Family's bloodline is indeed impressive. Back then I sacrificed a lot in order to gain it..."

"Rubbish! It is impossible for you to handle our noble bloodline!"

Gazing at Ashvril who had changed in appearance, Angelina became increasingly furious. She bit her lip and clenched her fists. Upon detecting her gaze, Ashvril covered her mouth and gave a lady-like chuckle.

"Indeed. It wasn't easy for me to contain the 'noble' bloodline, but all I have is time and patience. Angelina, one century; I spent one century to weaken Majors' strength to a level I could accept. But it was a pity that you weren't able to witness it; the painful look on Majors' face when I sucked her blood. She seemed so pitiful, frightened, and furious. Hahahaha, even the noble royal vampire is nothing more than a mangy dog..."

"Shut up!"

Angelina couldn't tolerate it any longer. She snarled, interrupting Ashvril. Then, a scarlet radiance flashed as Angelina dashed forward and arrived before Ashvril, her hands clutching a scarlet sickle that appeared out of nowhere. Then, she flourished the sickle down.

The powerful aggression brought upon a massive pressure toward Ashvril, so strong that the ground beneath her feet erupted and fissured. But facing this powerful attack, Ashvril continued to smile in disdain, placing her arm in front of Angelina and held the sickle blade with her fingers.

"———!"

Angelina instantly realized that the situation was far from good. She didn't expect Ashvril to face her attack head-on instead of dodging. It was too late when Angelina tried to back off as in the blink of an eye, the scarlet sickle in her hand was caught by Ashvril. Then, she felt a massive, powerful force in front of her as Ashvril extended her left hand forward and grabbed her by the throat. Ashvril was so quick that Angelina couldn't react in time. But...

Boom!

All of a sudden, a white light column descended from above, crashing on Ashvril heavily. Even though Ashvril had awakened the noble bloodline, she was still an undead creature by nature and was weak against the holy power. Ashvril shrieked in pain, before gnashing her teeth, giving up her attack on Angelina, and turned around to retreat. But at the same time, the surrounding land shook and scorching magma burst out from the fissures and pounced on the Blood Countess. In the blink of an eye, along with Mini Bubble Gum's attack, Canary launched an ambush on Ashvril once again!

However, the awakened Ashvril was no longer like before. Facing the pincer attack from the two enemies this time, she wasn't as flustered. She swung her arms and the shadows surrounding her surged up like waves that extinguished the ferocious, blazing magma. But Canary had no intention of giving up yet.

"Fir Nalyt!"

Canary yelled. In an instant, a magic ritual enveloped her completely. Her body was covered by the tracks of a circuit board from head to toe and emanated a bright, hot brilliance. Then, a pair of fire wings expanded on her back. In an instant, the sky before Ashvril was completely surrounded by scorching flames. The incomparable flame barrage rained down and enfolded her entirely.

However, this wasn't enough.

"Hafe DanMonde!"

Even though Mini Bubble Gum never liked coordinating with others in battles, as the dedicated cleric in Rhode's group, she wasn't one to be trifled with. The instant Canary launched the flame barrage at Ashvril, Mini Bubble Gum chanted softly under her breath and pointed her left index finger at Ashvril. Then, she raised her right arm and clenched her fist.

The omnipresent dark aura suddenly disappeared, only to reappear quickly. However, it was apparent from the miserable-looking Ashvril that Mini Bubble Gum's move wasn't ineffective.

"You..."

Ashvril was fuming. Although she learned that the two young ladies were powerful during their exchange in attacks in the Order Ceremony, she didn't expect them to be this powerful to go up against her awakened form. Moreover, Angelina was also around to cause trouble for her now. Things wouldn't end well if Ashvril continued dragging this battle on. Even though she had awakened the bloodline, she couldn't hang on for too long with her current body. No matter what, her plan had failed and there was no point in staying here anymore!

At this thought, Ashvril's body distorted slightly and her expression turned grim.

"How is this possible...!"

Upon hearing Ashvril's high-pitched scream, a golden, translucent barrier suddenly appeared in the empty night sky. It was like a round bowl trapping and imprisoning everyone inside entirely. Mini Bubble Gum witnessed Ashvril's flustered expression and chuckled cheekily.

"How's it, old woman? Feel like leaving already? Do you think we will let you?!"

"Hmph!"

Ashvril grimaced upon hearing Mini Bubble Gum's words. Shortly after, along with her movements, the shadows started squirming into a whole new form.

The battle continued.

Chapter 1061: Below the Deity Wardens

Ashvril was in an intense battle, but Balende wasn't in the mood to care for her well being because at this moment, he couldn't even ensure his safety. He wielded the heavy sword in his hand, the crimson radiance glowing from his eyes under the helmet flickering all of a sudden. If he weren't an undead without the ability to sweat, he would be drenched in panicky sweat by now!

As one of the four legendary generals, Balende had witnessed all sorts of mysterious and strange happenings. But now, he swore by his name that he had never seen such an odd battle style. It was especially so for this young lady in front of him, as he sensed an indescribable, massive pressure from her. Although she didn't say a word, she hovered before him, leaning back slightly while a tome floated in front of her. At a single glance, she wasn't any different from the deliberately mystifying spell casters. But Balende remembered clearly the disturbing scene from a few moments ago.

"Who are you?"

Balende asked in a deep voice, gazing at the young lady. He wasn't surprised that Mini Bubble Gum and Canary showed up as almost everyone had heard of their big names before. It could also be said that in the Void Territory, they were seen as the top fighters under Rhode. However, he didn't know who this young lady in front of him was and had never heard of her before. She hovered leisurely before him, separating him from Ashvril. Facing Balende's imposing presence, she didn't even bat an eyelid and this behavior puzzled him. Besides, he still recalled what Erin said about the three powerful beings in Grandia who were stronger than her... Could this young lady be one of them?

"Alice."

Upon hearing Balende's question, Alice responded plainly and didn't go into details. Instead, she lifted her head without looking at him as though he were just a little, unworthy brat. This enraged Balende, but even so, he didn't attack recklessly. He swept a glance to the surroundings. When this battle began, Angelina had already led away her subordinates who sought protection from her. Balende chose to be wise in his decisions as he knew that the Dark Dragon sent him and Ashvril over to give the Void Dragon a little warning. As the saying went, 'a general in the field is not bound by the orders from his sovereign'. No matter what, his purpose here was to besiege the traitors. Therefore, it would be enough as long as he captured the traitors and brought them back for punishment. Even if the Void Dragon was already aware and ready for their arrival, there was no meaning in dragging this battle any longer!

"Carry on with the mission; capture the traitors!"

At this thought, Balende gave a decisive order. He raised the huge sword in his hand, staring vigilantly at the young lady. Upon hearing his orders, the death knights surrounding him responded immediately, quickly dashing forward. Facing the intimidating death knights, Alice remained unfazed as she continued to float in midair, gazing down at the tome in her hands. But at this moment, something unprecedented happened before Balende.

"Ahhhhh!"

The instant the death knights were about to enter the forest, they came to a halt abruptly and let out ear-deafening screams that surprised Balende. He turned around quickly, only to witness an unimaginable scene.

As death knights, they were naturally part of the dead. In fact, even though they wore thick, heavy armor, their bodies were skinny and shriveled like dried corpses. But now, in Balende's eyes, the shriveled bodies were starting to come alive. No, it should be said that the lives that the undeads had lost once again returned to their bodies! The shriveled skin became smooth and ample and their skinny bodies grew muscular with strength. Also, the sharp howls of undead creatures turned into the screams of living humans. Balende gaped in confusion as he witnessed this shocking scene. Not even the church was capable of doing this!

But this wasn't what surprised him the most as what happened next left him speechless. The tall, sturdy death knights quickly shrunk and in the blink of an eye, the pitiful screams turned into the wailing of infants, before vanishing entirely in the dark forest. What remained were the piles of armor that left their wearers. They lined up neatly in one straight line as though the remaining traces left behind by an insurmountable barrier.

Looking at this scene, Balende was flabbergasted. Of course, he knew exactly what happened. It was apparent that a mysterious and powerful force had reversed time for the death knights. Not only did it restore them into living humans, but it also forced them to go back in time until they vanished entirely!

Can anyone do this?

In all fairness, even Balende didn't believe that the Dark Dragon was capable of doing something so ridiculous. And yet, it happened right in front of him. His subordinates, the most elite troops, perished completely in seconds without leaving behind any trace to prove their existence. On the other hand, the young lady named Alice continued to float in midair nonchalantly without batting an eyelid. Her right hand rested on the drifting tome as though she did nothing. In fact, it did seem like she didn't do anything.

But now, this was an extremely dangerous situation for Balende.

At this thought, Balende shook his head slightly and threw the absurd scene to the back of his head. He couldn't turn back now. No matter what, he had to figure out the true strength of this young lady.

Anyway...

Balende couldn't help but let out a laugh at this thought. Anyway, he couldn't retreat even if he wanted to now.

Balende had to admit that Rhode was a bold person. If Rhode were to lay hands on the legendary generals here, it would be the same as him declaring war with the Country of Darkness. And now, Rhode had done it. The Dark Dragon was tough, but Balende realized that the Void Dragon seemed to be even more unyielding. Until a few moments ago, Balende finally understood Rhode's intention. Because to him, Rhode's toughness was a kind of crazy ruthlessness, where even if he couldn't defeat someone, he would do all he could to at least leave a bite as though it were no big deal that neither side won and the entire continent was doomed. The dense, fanatical aggression struck Balende in the face so strongly that it left him trembling in fear. He couldn't imagine how the battle would end up if Ion and Rhode erupted in a battle. Ion was a determined and decisive person. At this current situation, Rhode was also the kind of person who was unwavering and would achieve his goal by fair or foul means.

But... even so, he was one of the four legendary generals of the Country of Darkness: the Spirit Chaser, Balende!

Balende lifted his head and gazed at Alice, his eyes glinting with determination and faith. No matter what, he couldn't lose his life here. Her abilities were indeed mysterious, but he also had his very own ultimate move! At this thought, Balende clutched the hilt with both hands and slowly raised the sword.

"..."

This was the first time Alice lifted her head. Even though her stance seemed as bored and carefree as usual, she had widened her half-shut eyes and quietly stared at Balende in front of her, at the same time holding a page with her right hand. This was also the first time curiosity glinted in her peaceful eyes.

But at the next moment, curiosity turned into astonishment.

"———!"

The silent air waves quickly formed a circle that expanded all around. Balende raised the enormous sword and its gleaming blade turned pitch-black as though it had lost its physical presence and only an illusory presence remained! Everything around him became indistinct, be it the sky, land, trees, or mountains. They had as though turned into a certain thick, unrealistic dye dipped in water. Little bits of debris appeared on the blade, flying into the air. Along with his movements, the area by the edge of the blade started ripping apart and shattering. All of a sudden, hurricanes erupted with Balende in the center. The violent air flowed inward and the powerful force of attraction uprooted the surrounding huge trees.

"Power of space?"

Alice asked, slightly surprised. She knitted her brows and stood upright for the first time. At the same time, Balende snarled and flourished the sword!

Chapter 1062: Space Shatter

A single slash of the sword and the sky turned dark.

The illusory, pitch-black sword in Balende's hand started changing shape as he flourished it. Looking from a distance, he was as though swinging the sword in the water, causing ripples and splashes. The invisible space vibrated into a line of boundary; a dark trail extended from top to bottom before pushing forward determinedly and the areas it touched fell apart completely. The land lost its vibrancy and the sky was no longer bright. The violent trembles from the ground let out ear-deafening rumbles as though the destruction of landslides and tsunamis. The land divided, sky wailed, and the pitch-black space expanded and whirled toward Alice like an enormous black hole.

And this time, Alice turned serious. She raised her arm and the shattered objects being drawn into the hurricane restored their original state as though two perspectives of a drama. From Balende's perspective, everything was being destroyed and shattered. On the other hand, everything that was destroyed and shattered were restored to their original state. These two entirely different forces went all the way, clashing in the middle.

Boom———!

As the ear-deafening explosions sounded, the strong, massive airwaves erupted with Alice and Balende in the middle. The entire surface was as though smashed by an enormous and invisible hammer, sinking into a basin that was a few hundred meters wide. Dust fluttered in an instant, but this was only the start. A rough, sharp sound filled the air as the land fissured and bottomless cracks extended in all directions. Countless dust and sand rose from the ground, enveloping the entire region completely.

But this was only the start.

Alice looked on calmly. She extended her right hand and the heavy tome before her moved on its own as the pages flipped quickly. The entire world around her was reshaping at a crazy pace.

That's right, reshaping.

The strength of the torn space was as though raging waves that couldn't be resisted, shattering everything into bits. But everything that was shattered once again restored to their original state. Not only that, but everything also started transforming strangely. The crumbled ground reshaped with green, tender grass and vibrant flowers appearing on the surface like a scene of spring. The snapped tree trunks spinning in the hurricane were also rerooted and the lush shade once again showed vitality. This scene was too weird, especially the tear in space that was like a beast trying to break free from the restraints.

On the other side, Balende clutched the large, pitch-black illusory sword that had lost its physical presence and was distorting and extending forward. He stared at the young lady attentively. His body exuded a gloomy aura that quickly swelled outward.

At the next moment, Balende disappeared all of a sudden.

It was a misconception from the extreme speed that surpassed everything. The storm roared forward, but no one was seen within. But despite that, Alice didn't lose her head out of fear. Her right hand held onto the tome as its pages flipped constantly. Along with her movements, mysterious golden runes appeared around her like loyal guards protecting their master. Then, Alice extended her right index finger, pointing forward.

Even though Alice was one of the six Deity Wardens, Balende also wasn't easy to deal with as one of the four legendary generals. When one reached their caliber, one would have unique rules to protect one from harm. To Alice, if she could effortlessly defeat Balende like the death knights, this battle couldn't get easier for her. But it was a pity that Balende's strength stopped Alice from further penetrating and attacking. He could shatter some parts of space completely, which meant that no matter what Alice tried to do in the broken space, everything would be meaningless. Their battle had quickly upgraded and it would determine who could control the entire battle and be the final winner.

The pitch-black space blades appeared abruptly. Balende passed through the fulcrum of both sides and arrived before Alice. The large sword in his hands slashed at her accurately. However, the golden runes around Alice suddenly expanded and blocked his attack. Balende retreated quickly before flourishing the sword again. Along with this move, the cracks in space started taking shape beside Alice! Looking at this scene, Alice's expression finally changed. Of course, she knew what Balende was trying to do. He had the ability to shatter space and was trying to drag her away from this place, sealing her into another plane of existence!

However, Alice wasn't such an easy target. Facing his ferocious attack, she remained calm, holding the heavy tome in front of her and closing it with force!

———!

The radiance flashed dazzlingly in an instant, forcing Balende to squint. When he opened his eyes again, he realized that everything around them had restored to their original state, while he and Alice returned to the initial confrontational moment. The destroyed surroundings, including the trees, grass, land, and sky had restored to their original state; nothing was different. Balende was standing in his original position. The only difference was that Alice was standing on the ground now instead of hovering in midair, quietly gazing at him.

I don't stand a chance against her at all.

This was Balende's only thought. His strength was considered the strongest among the four legendary generals. The shattering of space was a vulnerable weakness to the other three legendary generals. However, it was totally useless against this young lady named Alice. No matter how he divided and destroyed the space before him, she could restore its state effortlessly. And now, the only good news for Balende was that perhaps Alice had also expended a relatively huge amount of energy. If not, he wouldn't stand a chance if she could nullify his every attack this easily. But now, he realized that she also wasn't completely perfect...

"Sigh..."

Balende let out a long sigh at this thought, clutching the hilt tightly and gazing ahead. At this moment, the illusory darkness attached to his blade had faded out and resembled spiritual flames wrapping the iron blade. In an instant, the chaotic battle seemed to have restored to peace. But this was the most obvious sign before the tsunami crashed.

Because at the next moment, Balende unleashed his strength. At the same time, Alice put away the tome in her hands and clenched her right fist before her. Then, the battle continued.

The enormous blade slashed from above and broke the sound barrier in a sharp whistle, clashing heavily with the invisible force. The land of darkness once again exploded in a series of glaring brilliant lights and vibrant colors. Countless sword blades danced like the blades of a blender, penetrating the entire space and were about to crush the young lady in front of him entirely. Balende was enveloped in the bright sword rays, dashing forward with his sword and tearing through the space again. But even so, Alice didn't counteract at all. Instead, she raised her right arm and swiped her right index and middle fingers together to the side. In an instant, the air around her vibrated and countless air blades flew out like the reflection of a mirror, piercing back at Balende. The collision happened only for an instant when suddenly, the flow of dark energy and strength of hurricane once again dominated the battlefield.

But this was the end!

Balende gnashed his teeth. He felt as though his blade was ridiculously being struck by his own attack. Despite that, he clearly sensed the force, strength, and angle against his blade. It all felt so familiar, as though he was battling himself. It was totally unbearable!

"Heyah!"

Balende snarled. When one reached his caliber, the level of swordsmanship was no longer important. The source of his strength, essence, and rules he possessed were the foundation of battle. Facing the endless blade rays before him, Balende flourished his sword and everything in sight split into ashes, the dazzling flashes disappearing as though they were being devoured by darkness. Shortly after, Balende's sturdy build trembled abruptly. Then, the darkness before him increased in mass. Looking at this scene, Alice raised her brow for the first time. She let out a grunt, clenching the air with her right hand in front of her. Along with her movement, Balende suddenly stopped moving as though Alice was in control of everything. But this time, he seemed to have no hesitation at all. He held the hilt tightly and slashed down from above!

Another series of thunderous explosions boomed. Alice narrowed her eyes, extending her arm before her. Bursts of smoke and dust scattered, enfolding everything within. Shortly after, the billows of smoke concealing all vision dispersed. At this moment, Balende was no longer in front of Alice. The only thing remaining on the devastated ground was a muscular arm. Looking at the severed arm, Alice pondered in silence for a few moments, before turning around and returning to the forest.

On the other side, the battle continued.