1255-1260

Chapter 1255: Dark Arena (1)

Rhode found himself in a different environment after the brilliance dissipated. The former Crystal Forest was gone and in its place stood a huge, Roman Colosseum-like structure. However, no one occupied the audience seats on both sides. At a glance, one could witness dark clouds hovering over the sky, with dazzling lightning flashing from time to time.

What's going on?

Rhode looked around him but didn't spot any enemies

This place should be an arena, so shouldn't there be someone here to fight me?

At this thought, Rhode couldn't help but feel curious. He circled the arena but there were no strange noises nor the emergence of a BOSS. The flames above the torches pinned around the arena swayed uncontrollably in the howling winds, casting several shadows on the dark arena.

There's no one...

Rhode circled back and forth but discovered nothing new. The arena was only half the size of a soccer field, so it wasn't considered too small. However, it was rundown, unlike the magnificent atmosphere around the arena in the Golden City during the Midsummer Festival. Besides, there wasn't a single audience member and this left him somewhat disenchanted.

"Seems like this is gonna be an internal battle..."

Rhode mumbled under his breath. Arenas like this were common in the game. Normally, if there weren't any BOSSes around, it would most likely be a PK arena between players. Judging from the fact that this trial was treacherous from the start, he reckoned this situation to be the same.

Gather everyone who passed the dragon soul trial for a brawl and only the winner will gain the right to inherit the dragon soul.

At this thought, Rhode couldn't help but curl his lips. This inheritance ceremony for the Dark Dragon was indeed disgusting. But... Would ordinary inheritance ceremonies use the same type of trials? Even though the Country of Darkness was strong, it wasn't likely that so many dragon soul heirs filled the streets. It was already considered a lot to choose from between Ion and Erin. Where could they even find so many dragon soul heirs for a brawl?

Could there be something new about this setup? Perhaps the final trial will start when all challengers arrive? This isn't too logical... There can only be one dragon soul heir. Do they intend to have them kill one another until they crown a winner? If I really have to say it, this setup is truly gross.

Swish!

While Rhode pondered, a white light flashed and a person appeared in front him.

"Ah, Leader!"

"Anne?"

Rhode was surprised at the sight of Anne. Even though he thought of the possibility that only those who passed the earlier trial could come here, he felt astonished to see Anne as the second person making her presence. Because in his impression, Anne had the most unsuitable personality to participate in such trials. This was apparent from her brainless remarks when she observed Erin in the trial. If Anne were to participate in one, who knew how long she would need to clear it.

Due to that reason, Rhode didn't expect Anne to be the next person to complete the trial. He couldn't help but ask her about it curiously. Anne naturally had nothing to hide as she told him all about her experience in high spirits.

It turned out that after she was transported to the Shadow Ravine, she was thrown into an enormous maze garden. She could tell it was a maze at first glance. She found the entrance, searched endlessly, and finally spotted a pond in the center of the maze. Then, she saw a beautiful piece of crystal on the sculpture in the middle of the pond, jumped in to grab it, and was transported to this place straightaway.

That luck...

Rhode didn't even know what to say after listening to her account. He knew the Shadow Garden was part of the largest complex of buildings in Gasolest Manor and also an important quest line in the Shadow Ravine. Rumor had it that the owner of the manor was actually the ruler of the Shadow Ravine—a powerful BOSS that all players were passionate about defeating. But until Rhode left the game, no one was able to break through the forefront of the Shadow Garden because it was simply too distasteful. The maze inside the Shadow Garden wasn't complicated, but the problem was that their structures changed according to the shadows. What was worse was that the changes were completely random and irregular. Many shadowy creatures also roamed the maze. The maze itself was narrow and once a player reached a dead end, shadowy creatures would pour in from all directions. Players also couldn't cast any magical rituals, as the narrow paths were only wide enough for three people to advance in, shoulder-to-shoulder. As a result, being wiped out was their only fate.

If it were in the past, Rhode's heart would definitely skip a beat once he learned that Anne was transported to that filthy place. He understood this young lady too well. She always relied upon her intuition and apart from fighting, she never used her brain. For one like her to be sent to the Shadow Garden, one would either have a narrow escape or eventually die. However, Rhode didn't expect her intuition and luck to actually be that absurd, where she was able to escape from that godforsaken place... This left him entirely speechless.

She can't be another dragon soul heir, right...?

Gazing at Anne who danced and gestured in excitement as she narrated her encounters, Rhode couldn't help but harbor this thought. Frankly, he was also rather curious as to how Anne would turn out if they were in the game. He could mostly guess the ending of everyone else. After all, even though history had its limitations, it also had its inevitableness. For instance, Marlene's identity doomed her to be monitored closely and prone to conspiracies. For Lapis and Lize who were introverted and tender in character, they would naturally fail to blossom in intense environments. But Anne was different. Although she followed Rhode all the way, she relied upon herself to strengthen her power. Even without the awakening of the wind elemental power, she was still a strong shield warrior. Besides, she was sweet-looking, outstanding, had a tall, attractive figure, and possessed a cheerful and lively personality. A mercenary like her was rare in the eyes of players. On the game's forum, Rhode knew there were some players who summarized a list of beautiful mercenaries in each region and some of whom were worse than Anne, but still made the list. However, Rhode had never heard of a mercenary named Anne, which was too strange.

Did she sacrifice herself to protect her companions? Considering her personality, it is highly likely. It is especially so when the Munn Kingdom was demolished by the Country of Darkness. Someone like Anne definitely wouldn't look on without lifting a finger. Maybe...

Rhode couldn't help but feel his heart ache at the thought of this lively, passionate young lady curling up and dying silently in the corner of another world. He instinctively stretched out his arm and stroked her flowy blonde hair. Anne looked at him curiously. But soon, she narrowed her eyes blissfully and enjoyed his touch. Not only that, but she also went and snuggled up against him.

"Meow... Leader... Shall we take a break?"

Even though Anne mentioned taking a break, her large, glinting emerald eyes and two clumps of softness on her chest that were already clinging to Rhode's body exposed her thoughts. In this respect, Anne was totally shameless and there was absolutely no pressure for her to commit daylight prostitution. The reason why Marlene and Lize were afraid to join Anne was because Anne was too aggressive. Meanwhile, Marlene's and Lize's shamelessness hadn't been lowered to Anne's level. Anne even dared to take Rhode out on the street and into an empty alley for a quickie. If it were Marlene and Lize, they would definitely refuse.

So even in such a wide, open field, Anne didn't feel any pressure as long as there wasn't a third person around.

As long as there wasn't a third person.

But it was a pity that while Rhode considered whether or not to pull Anne into the corner of the arena for a quick one, another white light flashed by.

It was Cassidy. She showed up in the arena and was surprised at the sight of the arena. But shortly after, she noticed Rhode and Anne who stood nearby. Upon realizing their interactions, Cassidy turned around and blushed instantly. Anne curled her lips helplessly at the sight of Cassidy and separated herself from Rhode. If it were Angelina or Mini Bubble Gum, perhaps Anne would pull them in for a threesome. But sadly, to Anne, Cassidy wasn't a war buddy who she had slept with, and they weren't that close with each other... Even though Anne didn't mind, Rhode disliked doing so, which was why the former had to let it go.

Rhode wasn't surprised to see Cassidy. Cassidy's strength mainly relied on 'rules' and the limitation of levels didn't affect her much. As the Contrast Deity Warden, she had a fair bit of advantage from that. Rhode asked her about her encounters. Even though she was afraid of him, she still answered obediently.

Unlike the extremely lucky Anne, Cassidy was considered really unfortunate. The latter was transported to the lair of a giant worm that was famously known as the 'King of Caves' in the Shadow Ravine. It looked like a gigantic earthworm between seven and eight meters long. However, its sharp teeth, venom, and the small earthworms that covered the plains pestered Cassidy beyond endurance. Not only that, but the underground was also accessible from many tunnels and she didn't know where she should flee to. Her only choice was to kill it as she escaped, but it ended up being tossed in the dust. Then, unsure if it was due to fear or wrath, a king worm appeared under the escort of the critters to seek revenge. However, Cassidy instant-killed it without sparing its corpse. After the king worm was annihilated, it turned into a piece of crystal. She picked up the crystal and was transported here.

It seems like the key lies in the crystals.

After hearing Cassidy's account that sounded rather resentful, Rhode pondered briefly. Shortly after, he came to a conclusion. He was sent here after defeating the valkyrie and picking up the piece of crystal. Anne was also transported here after finding one in the maze. Meanwhile, Cassidy also killed a BOSS and was brought here. Could there be some secrets hidden within the crystals?

Swish! Swish!

At that moment, two more glimmers of light flashed by. This time, it was Icy Snow and Angelina who appeared in the arena. The former put up her usual, calm expression as though she were strolling after a meal. On the contrary, Angelina looked horrible. Her neat and clean dress was riddled with holes as though she had just escaped a hail of bullets. Upon spotting Rhode and the rest, Icy Snow and Angelina revealed glad smiles and crowded over hurriedly, beginning to narrate their encounters.

Icy Snow was transported to the Death Cemetery, which was considered a relatively wide open space in Shadow Ravine. There was no better place for Icy Snow's crazy projectiles. She relied upon her high flexibility as an archer and engaged in guerrilla warfare with the shadowy creatures. Then, she released a series of arrows that struck the BOSS to death. The entire process could be said to be flawless. With her ability, the shadowy creatures were entirely done for without getting close to her.

The reason was also simple as to why she arrived so late. Even though arrows could hit far targets, it was a pity that she wasn't able to tie herself to the arrows. Although she wiped out the creatures the quickest, she spent most of her time hastening on with her journey... After all, the Death Cemetery was so huge.

On the other hand, Angelina had it worse. She was the weakest among them and unfortunately, she was transported to Spring of Light, a place that was considered to have the strongest light element in the entire Shadow Ravine—even more than the Crystal Forest that Rhode was in. Not only that, but Angelina was a vampire who wasn't a big fan of the light elemen, to begin with. As a result, not only was she in discomfort, but she was also chased by tens of thousands of light elemental creatures, which was an utter tragedy. However, she had survived mountains of daggers and seas of flames in the past. Back then, she had no lack of duels against Ashvril either. The light elemental creatures might seem troublesome to deal with, but they couldn't compete against the four legendary generals, after all. That was why Angelina used her unique techniques to sneak into the middle of Spring of Light. She was even dismembered twice before successfully obtaining the crystal and transporting here. She was also almost done for earlier. If it weren't for the fact that she was fast enough, her head would have rolled again.

"Where are Bubble and Erin?"

Rhode knitted his brows at the incomplete group and couldn't help but feel dubious. After all, it was too surprising for him that Bubble and Erin weren't here yet. Even Angelina had passed the trial, so logically speaking, Bubble shouldn't be trapped either. As for Erin, she had already begun the trial before Rhode's group entered the trial grounds. Logically speaking, Erin should be the first to arrive at this arena.

"Has anyone seen them?"

Facing Rhode's query, the group exchanged looks with one another. Then, Icy Snow and Angelina responded. While in the Death Cemetery, the former witnessed large columns of dazzling light toward the southeast direction when she was slaughtering the shadowy creatures. Based on her familiarity with Bubble, she knew it was definitely Bubble's doing. However, as she was too far away from the commotion, she focused only on her own situation. Moreover, there was a cliff between the Death Cemetery and that particular area, so Icy Snow couldn't head over even if she wanted.

On the other hand, while Angelina was being chased by the light elemental creatures in Spring of Light, she did catch a glimpse of Erin at the window of the dark tower in the distance. It was a pity that Erin didn't notice her presence. Angelina was so excited that she yelled out, only to be caught by the creatures. She intended to head to the dark tower and complete the trial alongside Erin. But she discovered that the entire Spring of Light was enveloped in a magical barrier and she couldn't leave. Without a choice, Angelina pulled a long face and continued with her trial. Fortunately, she eventually passed it.

And now, only Bubble and Erin were left.

After narrating their encounters, the group stood there, waiting for the last two members' arrival. According to the rules, even though the dark arena was built for dragon soul heirs to fight for the dragon soul, it was a pity that perhaps the Dark Dragon who designed the arena didn't expect Rhode and the rest to be in the same gang, resulting in what was supposed to be a blood-soaked stage to be in perfect harmony.

But after yet another hour, none of them showed up. This left the group rather concerned. Rhode did some calculations. Previously, it was said that the trials must be completed in 36 hours. Then, due to the mistake of the two dragon young ladies, Chaos infiltrated and shrunk the time limit to just over 20 hours. And it had been nearly 10 hours since they were transported in.

Could it be that something has gone wrong?

Facing this situation, there was nothing Rhode could do. They couldn't possibly leave the arena. And even if they did, they didn't know where to go. They could only wait to see whether Erin and Bubble would reach the same destination as them.

Swish!

And just as the crowd waited in anxiousness, another white light flashed by.

Chapter 1256: Dark Arena (2)

Swish!

The group couldn't help but turn to the column of light. After taking a closer look at who was inside, they heaved a sigh of relief because it was Erin who walked out of the light. It wasn't surprising that everyone felt so nervous. No matter what, they came here to meet Erin, after all. At the end of the day, if they completed the trials while Erin wasn't done yet, it would all be wasted effort. Upon witnessing Erin's arrival, Rhode finally set his heart at rest.

On the other hand, upon meeting Rhode and the rest, Erin was bewildered. She stared at them dubiously, totally unaware of why they were here. This wasn't surprising because after she entered the trial grounds, she lost all contact with them, so she wasn't aware of what happened afterward. She thought Rhode's group was waiting for her to return from the trial. Now that they were here, it confused her even more.

"Your Majesty Rhode, what are..."

Halfway through the sentence, Erin took a few steps back as though she remembered something and stared at the crowd in front of her in disbelief. Rhode also smiled bitterly at her reaction. It seemed like Erin was indeed beleaguered by the endless tactics of the trial. She probably thought that Rhode and the rest were also illusions created by the trial. But it wasn't astonishing if Erin thought so. Rhode shrugged helplessly, before gazing at the moon princess and said.

"Alright, Erin, I know what you're thinking. But it's a pity that we're not illusions created by the trial."

"Huh? I-Is that so?"

After her thoughts were seen through by Rhode, Erin blushed, looked at them somewhat apologetically, and inched toward them. Despite that, she didn't stand too close to them. It seemed like deep down, Erin still harbored doubts in her heart about the crowd before her. Upon witnessing her reaction, Rhode didn't tease her any further, but restored his usual expression and sternly relayed the outside situation instead.

After listening to his words, Erin's wary expression finally dwindled and disappeared. Even though Rhode didn't provide any evidence, Erin also noticed something wrong. Although she couldn't fully confirm the situation, she finally began to trust him a little. And taking this opportunity, Rhode also inquired Erin about what happened to her later. After all, they only witnessed the point when she was attacked by shadowy creatures, before being transported into Shadow Ravine. As for what Erin did thereafter, none of them knew.

Erin responded to Rhode's doubt quickly. Even though she was caught off guard by the enemies' ambush, she calmed herself down after the continuous battles and steadily repelled them, while advancing deeper into the maze. Erin also realized that the creatures in the maze weren't the same as those who ambushed her earlier. There were a few times when she was rescued by maze guards after she was ambushed. Besides, it seemed like in the eyes of the maze guards, the creatures captured more of their attention than her. Upon realizing this point, Erin decisively took advantage of the hostility between them, led those creatures into the deep maze, and sneaked into the lowest floor in the maze, leaving them to fight against one another. Then, she defeated the great lich that guarded the crystal and was transported here after picking up the crystal.

Seems like the whole situation really has something to do with the crystal.

After hearing Erin's account, Rhode pondered deeply and nodded. It seemed like the key to the trial was the pieces of crystal. And now that they were here, logically speaking, they should be in a struggle for the crystals.

"Alright, we're clear of the whole story now and only Bubble is left now... Why isn't she here yet?"

Not only was Rhode unsure, but the others also exchanged confused looks with one another. The situation was indeed strange. Angelina had already arrived and yet, Bubble hadn't. Rhode also specially opened up the system interface to check on the situation of the Phantom Guardians. Bubble wasn't eliminated from the system interface and was still leaping and frisking about. But... Where exactly was she?

"She couldn't have forgotten about time, right? This isn't her first time doing that."

Icy Snow curled her lips and grumbled in displeasure. Judging from her annoyed expression, it was apparent that it wasn't the first time her precious time wasn't delayed by Bubble. Of course, the possibility of Bubble forgetting about time wasn't low. With Bubble's personality, if she were infuriated, she would only stop after feeling better, be it the end of the world or a cosmic explosion. Rhode tried to contact Bubble again, but to no avail. The space here cut off all contact between him and his card spirits. If not, he wouldn't need to wait here to inquire Cassidy and Angelina about their encounters.

"All in all, seems like our only choice is to continue..."

Rumble...

But before Rhode finished his sentence, a loud rumble echoed. Shortly after, an iron cage of steel fences emerged from the perimeter of the arena. The steel fences rose gradually and in the blink of an eye, the entire arena was sealed in the cage.

What in the world?

Looking at this scene, Rhode was dumbfounded. He thought that according to the nature of the trial, those who passed would enter the arena and start their brawl straightaway. It made Rhode even more certain, especially after learning that everyone held a piece of crystal and was transported here. After all, there was no shortage of such competitions in the game, where two players fought to snatch the piece of crystal from each other. During the competition, enemies from third and forth parties would join one after another... The tussle would then repeat itself...

It shouldn't be that simple.

At this thought, Rhode curled his lips. It seemed like this part of the trial was also premeditated. If there were more than two challengers, the trial wouldn't be that foolish to open up the cage. Instead, in order to prevent a situation where neither of both sides won and allowed the third party to benefit at their expense, the third party couldn't join in the battle immediately even if he were to enter the arena. Perhaps they would face off until everyone arrived at the arena...

Isn't it similar to our situation right now?

At this thought, Rhode lifted two middle fingers at the Dark Dragon in his mind. Then, he gestured to his group, turned his wrist, and a white, holy sword appeared in his hand. Upon witnessing his hand gesture, the group focused their attention in forming a circular defensive formation, staring at the surroundings in alertness. After all, nothing happened earlier and now that a cage suddenly trapped them inside the arena, any ordinary person knew that something was up.

At that moment, the old, deep voice that they heard when Erin challenged the trial sounded again.

"Brave challengers, congratulations on making it here. Now that all challengers who passed the trial have gathered here, you shall take on the final trial!"

"What?! What about Bubble?!"

"Huh? Bubble didn't pass the trial? How is that possible? Even Anne already passed!"

The first to grumble was Icy Snow, who clenched the bow and her delicate face turned ashen. At the same time, Anne jumped and shrieked. Even though what Anne exclaimed didn't exactly make sense, it was just like she said; since she had passed the trial, how was it possible that Mini Bubble Gum, who was second only to Cassidy, failed?

However, that old voice didn't seem to have the intention to respond to Icy Snow and Anne as it continued to speak its mind.

"Next, you shall face an extremely tough challenge—defeat the unprecedented enemies! Kill them! Demolish them all!"

Rumble...!

Along with a loud rumble, the ground shook all of a sudden. Shortly after, Rhode's group realized the arena beneath their feet began to rise. In just a few moments, the outer walls that were five to six meters tall rose to a dozen meters. Up until that moment, Rhode discovered there were seven enormous gates kept out by iron fences below the arena! The gates were five to six meters wide, and a dozen meters tall. There was an instant when Rhode thought they were in the fairytale of 'Alice in Wonderland', like Alice who drank the shrinking potion and saw the gigantic furnitures... Wait, exactly what creature in the Dragon Soul Continent required such enormous gates?

At this thought, Rhode pondered for a few moments. Then, he sulked.

It can't be...

"Roar———!"

At the same time, as though confirming his suspicions, numerous snarls reverberated from behind the iron fences. Upon hearing them, everyone except Angelina and Annie turned grim. Rhode and Mini Bubble Gum who were experienced in battles were familiar with the loud bellows. As for Erin and Cassidy, they couldn't be more familiar with them—especially Erin.

Those were the bellows of dragons.

Shortly after, the iron fences lifted and seven humongous, pitch-black dragons flew out of the gates. They expanded their wings and surrounded the group swiftly. Upon witnessing the enemies, Rhode was oddly speechless. Even though he wasn't familiar with the enemies, he couldn't be considered to be unfamiliar with them.

"Your Majesty Rhode, what are they?"

On the contrary, Erin sized up the huge dragons in disbelief and asked in doubt. It wasn't surprising that she behaved this way. After all, those dragons were similar to night wyverns, so Erin thought they were of the same race as her. But shortly after, she realized that the dragons didn't have physical bodies and seemed like beings coalesced from thick fog. Despite that, they still very much looked like dragons...

"Don't mind them, Erin. Even though they look, roar, and even taste like dragons, it's a pity that I have to tell you—they aren't dragons at all, but are elemental creatures instead."

Taste like dragons?

After hearing Rhode's response, this doubt cropped up in Erin's mind. But shortly after, she threw this question to the back of her head because Rhode's answer shocked her more than the dragons' emergence.

"Elemental creatures?"

"Yes, Big Sister Erin."

This time, it was Icy Snow who explained to her. In terms of strength, even though Icy Snow wasn't as powerful as Erin, in terms of knowledge regarding creatures in the game... It was an entirely different matter.

"You know that elemental creatures can transform into various forms, right? In fact, every elemental creature uses a projection on the main plane and turns into elemental life forms; the same goes for these shadow dragons. Even though they look like dragons, they are still elemental creatures by nature; it's just that they show up in the form of dragons... Of course, they are still powerful. If not, they wouldn't be able to take up the dragon form."

I see...

After listening to Icy Snow's introduction, Erin put her mind at ease. She was truly startled before and thought that they would be taking on seven night wyverns. Normally, Erin wouldn't be so worried, of course. But now that her strength was limited and she couldn't transform into her dragon form, it would naturally be a tougher battle than before. But...

"What should we do?"

"Everyone, listen to my command!"

Gazing at the shadow dragons who crowded with evil intentions, Rhode felt his head aching. In the game, he had led parties to battle shadow dragons. As a matter of fact, in terms of strength, shadow dragons were inferior to night wyverns. In the game, Rhode basically led a 10-man-party and wiped out the shadow dragons. Apart from spitting dragon breaths and swinging their mighty tails, the shadow dragons were basically non-threatening. However, they had a unique characteristic... And a really troublesome one...

Bubble is missing just when we need her...

At this thought, Rhode let out a sigh, arranged his thoughts, and took a quick look at the surroundings.

"Angelina, after the battle begins, I need you to cast an AoE skill to weaken the enemy's vitality. Cassidy, I will give you further directions later. Once you hear my command, activate your power of contrast straightaway! Erin, follow me to lure the enemy's attacks."

Rhode gave his commands in an instant, before turning to Icy Snow.

"Little Icy, how many light arrows can you create?"

"Five, Big Brother. My strength has been limited and without additional buffs from my equipment, five is my maximum."

"Got it. Now that Bubble isn't around, I will be relying on you to fire the light arrows in scattered formation."

Rhode said and turned to Anne.

"Anne, guard Icy Snow and activate the King's Protection shield and sacred barrier. Understand?"

"Yes, Leader. Leave it to Anne!"

"Good!"

After ensuring everyone heard his orders, Rhode nodded. Then, he glanced at the shadow dragons that were closely approaching. His eyes glinted in a mysterious flash. At the next moment, he raised his left arm high and swung it down.

"Little Icy, attack!"

Along with Rhode's command, Icy Snow instantly raised her bow. In the blink of an eye, an incredibly dazzling light arrow appeared on the bowstring. As she released her fingers, the arrow swished across the air and exploded in a loud bang.

"———!"

In an instant, a blinding brilliance like the sun emanated in the originally dusky sky. The blazing, piercing rays exploded in all directions, enfolding everything. Upon witnessing the glaring radiance, the shadow dragons were caught off guard. They retreated in a fluster and raged.

"Now, Erin, follow me! Angelina, do it!"

Rhode was apparently ready for the exploding light arrow. The moment the flashes erupted, he gripped the holy sword, yelled out Erin's name, and pounced on the shadow dragon before him. Even though Erin was almost stunned by the 'flash bang', she still reacted swiftly. Upon hearing Rhode's voice, she flitted across and followed him closely to attack the shadow dragon.

Under the blinding light, the enormous shadow dragons were weakened drastically. The shadows that composed their bodies dissipated in the light. In the blink of an eye, the shadow dragons were like chickens with their feathers plucked, gradually shriveling from their initial plump bodies.

This was the one and only biggest weakness of shadow dragons and also of the elemental creatures. Shadowy creatures were most afraid of light. Therefore, as long as an environment of light was created, the threat of the shadow dragons would fall to the lowest. If Mini Bubble Gum were here, Rhode and the others would have a much easier time. After all, Mini Bubble Gum was of the light attribute, which was the natural enemy of shadowy creatures in the Shadow Ravine. It was a pity that no one knew where that little fella ran to and was actually judged to have failed the trial. Without a choice, Rhode had to rely upon Icy Snow to salvage the situation.

As Rhode and Erin pounced on the shadow dragon in front of them, it detected their arrival. It ignored the strong light, snarled, and extended its razor-sharp claws at them!

Chapter 1257: Dark Arena (3)

Upon facing the shadow dragon that was charging at him, Rhode felt relieved. Shadow dragons were elemental creatures that couldn't be killed 10,000 times if one used ordinary methods. But as long as one targeted and restrained their attributes, one wouldn't face any issues. The nemesis of these shadow dragons was the light attribute. To put it bluntly, the key in taking down these shadow dragons was to break them up completely!

Swish!

The shadow dragon raised its deadly, razor-sharp claws, swinging down at Rhode. At that moment, Rhode and Erin launched their attacks at the same time. They raised their swords and two glaring blade rays erupted in an instant, enfolding the shadow dragon entirely. The shadow dragon's claws were ripped apart like sliced cakes, before being devoured by the dazzling brilliance. The shadow dragon let out an agonizing howl. The duo's combined strike utterly destroyed the magical powers that stabilized its body. As its claws shattered, its forelimb was also shattered into black dust like a crumbling sand tower. The black dust fluttered for only a split second, before vanishing in dazzling rays of light. But at that moment, the shadow dragon widened its jaw and spat a pitch-black, fiery breath on the duo. Facing this menacing attack, they didn't fluster at all. One was experienced in annihilating dragons, while the other was a true dragon herself. As a result, before the shadow dragon spat flames, the duo had already dodged to the left and right. Rhode turned around, sprung up, and raised his right arm, where a shiny green card appeared in his hand. At the very next moment, the spirit bird showed up behind him!

"———!"

Along with a crisp cry, the spirit bird expanded its wings and released countless lightning bolts from the sky, striking heavily on the shadow dragon. According to the level of the spirit bird, although it couldn't deal too much damage to the shadow dragon even after Rhode had risen its level to the maximum, its 'electric' attribute was part of the key to defeating the shadow dragon!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A string of lightning bolts blasted the shadow dragon. Even though it was almost harmless, the constant flashes thinned layer upon layer of its dense, shadowy body.

"Now, Angelina! Weaken them!"

"Yes, Master!"

Angelina was long prepared for this moment. Facing the shadow dragons who pounced on her, the young lady didn't panic in the slightest. Perhaps she was used to being dismembered so she wasn't afraid of the razor-sharp claws that slashed at her. She chanted an incantation under her breath and abruptly slammed her palms together after a few seconds. Along with this action, a huge, scarlet magical ritual extended with her in the middle. Shortly after, a dozen shriveled arms composed of scarlet smoke extended from the magical ritual, gripping the shadow dragons' bodies. Although the arms seemed harmless, the shadow dragons turned sluggish and lifeless instantly.

Meanwhile, Icy Snow also seized the opportunity to fire another light arrow. In the blink of an eye, a blazing, glaring sun appeared over the dark arena once again, illuminating everything in brightness.

"Woah... It's so glaring..."

Looking at this scene, Anne couldn't help but narrow her eyes and grumble. As a matter of fact, it was just like she mentioned; the dark arena wasn't 'dark' at all. Icy Snow's light arrows, Erin's and Rhode's spiritual blade rays, the spirit bird's constant lightning flashes, Angelina's scarlet magical ritual, and the brilliance from Anne's 'King's Protection' shield lit up the arena like an idol concert hall. The entire place was enveloped in flashing, blinding lights. Rhode had to do this because if Bubble were around, he could make her release a 'light realm' and toss all the shadow dragons into it. When that happened, it would only be an issue as to how they would go about fighting the shadow dragons. But now that Bubble wasn't here, Rhode had no choice but to create a knock-off 'light realm'. Despite that, the knock-off wasn't genuine, after all, which resulted in the arena turning into a shiny ballroom. One was easily dazzled after looking at the twinkling lights for a long time. But right now, this was the best strategy that Rhode had in mind.

He could only take one step at a time!

Along with the explosion of the second light arrow, the shadow dragon that suffered a pincer attack from Erin and Rhode turned miserable and desperate. It attempted to retreat from the arena of blinding lights, but Rhode wasn't that kind to fulfill its desires. Because he clearly knew that if the shadow dragons were to return to the shadows, they would absorb the power of shadows and regain their strength in mere minutes!

"Erin, don't let it escape! Hurry!"

"I got it, Your Majesty Rhode!"

Upon hearing his command, Erin was alarmed. She wasn't a fool either. After witnessing the shadow dragons turning weak in this brilliance, she knew that light was their weakness. And coincidentally, Erin's attribute was the moon! Although she couldn't summon moonlight here, her blade consisted of powers of the light element too!

After hearing Rhode's command, she gripped the sword, aimed at the shadow dragon, and swung her right arm forward!

Shing!

Along with this attack, a dazzling blade ray erupted from her blade. The blade ray that was almost 10 meters in length divided the darkness and slammed into the shadow dragon's wings. In the blink of an eye, the shadow dragon howled in grief as its left wing was cut off from its body. Upon losing its balance, the shadow dragon collapsed onto the ground in a loud boom, losing all of its strength and was unable to escape. Not only that, but the instant it slammed onto the surface, its body also dissipated greatly. When it struggled to lift its head to deal the final blow, Rhode had already transformed into a bolt of lightning with his sword and punctured its skull upon descending from above!

"Roar...!"

Under the meteor-like, dazzling brilliance, the shadow dragon gave its final cry. Rhode pierced a major hole in the middle of its skull. But despite that, the shadow dragon continued to lift its head to deal its final attack! However, it didn't notice that at the same time, Icy Snow had released the light arrow from her bow.

The long, white trajectory penetrated the darkness, into the incredibly thin body of the shadow dragon. At the next moment, a vibrant brilliance exploded from inside its body. The light torrents that burst out of its wounds devoured the weakened body completely. In the blink of an eye, the shadow dragon vanished before their eyes.

"Way to go!"

Rhode nodded in satisfaction as the shadow dragon vanished completely. He gestured to Erin and the duo turned around and pounced on the remaining shadow dragons.

As a matter of fact, the way to deal with the shadow dragons was simple. They just had to manipulate light to weaken them, deal physical attacks to their cores, and let Icy Snow obliterate them with the light arrows. The most important factor was light. With the presence of light, anything was achievable. The dark arena was completely enfolded in bright, flashing lights. As the shadow dragons, who were surrounded by Angelina's blood curse, struggled to break free from the bright arena to start all over again, their speed decreased greatly under the effects of the curse. In addition to Rhode's and Erin's pincer attack and Icy Snow's light arrows that erupted from time to time, two to three shadow dragons were wiped out in mere seconds. During the fight, some shadow dragons tried to take down Icy Snow, but Anne wasn't one to be trifled with either. The instant they brandished their claws at Icy Snow, Anne leaped and hurled her shield. The 'holy' attribute of the King's Protection was incredibly strong. After the shadow dragons were crushed by the shield several times, they feared approaching Icy Snow.

"Three left! We need to hurry!"

After another shadow dragon was devoured by a light arrow, Rhode swept a glance at the remaining three shadow dragons and yelled out his command. He lacked forces on his side. Angelina and Icy Snow had to take control of the battle situation, Anne was responsible for protecting Icy Snow, while he and Erin had to chase and slaughter the weakened shadow dragons. They weren't quick enough. If he were able to pull in 10 people for this fight, perhaps the shadow dragons would have already been defeated. But it was a pity that most of the card spirits in his arsenal didn't possess the light attribute, so they would be almost ineffective against the shadow dragons. Not only that, but they might also, in turn, strengthen the shadow dragons instead. This was why Rhode didn't summon Celestina, Little Five (the specter young lady), and Shira into battle. If they were to deal with the shadow dragons, their attributes would only make matters worse. Not only would the shadow dragons not be weakened, but they would also become stronger, worsening the situation.

As for the members of the Ultimate Army Deck, they were part of the 'Casali under the night sky' venue card, which was also of the darkness attribute. Not only that, but their attacking powers were also weak. If the shadow dragons were to devour them for strength, Rhode's effort would be wasted.

Due to that reason, Rhode had no choice but to deploy this time-wasting strategy. At that moment, he sharply detected that as time passed, the torches pinned on both sides of the arena began to extinguish. It wasn't because they were impacted by the attacks; it was more likely that they were countdown timers. Rhode was certain that once the flames extinguished entirely, the range of darkness shrouding the arena would expand, making their battle an even tougher one!

"Roarrrr———!"

The moment Rhode and Erin linked up to attack the three remaining shadow dragons, the three shadow dragons let out furious snarls and drew close to them. Looking at their retaliation, Rhode's scalp tingled. In an instant, he realized what they were up to!

"Everyone, attack! Angelina, Anne, cast all the blinding spells you know! Icy Snow, release the explosive light arrow!"

"Yes, Big Brother!"

Upon hearing his command, Icy Snow nodded in agreement immediately. She was one of the many players who traveled extensively with him in the game, so she naturally knew what the three shadow dragons were up to when they gathered in one spot. Icy Snow pulled the bowstring without any hesitation. Along with her action, a pure white arrow manifested on the bowstring, emanating bright spots of light. Not only that, but a dozen translucent, gorgeous, and mysterious runes also circled the arrow. But Icy Snow wasn't in the mood to be mesmerized by them now. She squinted at the shadow dragons and released her bowstring.

As though Chaos was shattered and heaven and earth was split, and darkness and light were divided in a clear line. The moment she fired her arrow, the dark arena was split into dark and light. The smear of dazzling brilliance shot straight ahead, dyeing its path in vibrancy. The arrow was like a tiny boat braving the winds and billows, barging into the dark seas and bringing light to the world!

The moment the light arrow penetrated one of the shadow dragons, all three of them were done for.

Boom———!

The pure, white light was like a snowy spot of radiance with a circular light band that expanded in all directions. The arrow-struck shadow dragon let out an anguished wail, disappearing into dust after being crushed by the ring of light. Looking at this scene, Rhode couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. But shortly after, a string of loud bellows made him tense up.

"Roar——— Roar———!"

Along with the snarls, a pitch-black column rose from the flat ground, charging straight into the expanded ring of light. In just a few moments, the pitch-black column shattered in a loud explosion and a shadow dragon with two skulls and twice the size of the ones from before appeared from within, pouncing on the group in rage.

"Damn it!"

Looking at this ridiculous scene, Rhode cursed in wrath. The most annoying part about shadow dragons was that they could randomly fuse with one another into an even stronger individual. That was why when he witnessed the three shadow dragons leaning closer to one another, he knew that the situation was far from good. Despite that, he didn't expect to fall short of success at the very last moment. He couldn't help but gaze at Icy Snow. The fatigued young lady looked pale and was a spent force right now. The explosive light arrow had consumed almost all of her strength and now, she didn't have any more power to engage in battles anymore.

Looks like we need to meet force with force now!

"Angelina, Anne, protect Little Icy. Leave the shadow dragon to me and Erin! Everyone, draw close to the remaining torches!"

Rhode knew that the fused shadow dragon was much more challenging and closer to a true BOSS in strength. Besides, what was equally annoying about it was that it would summon critters into battle like any other BOSSes. That was why an individual shadow dragon wasn't terrifying in Shadow Ravine, but when fused... Even Rhode had a hard time dealing with them.

What gave Rhode a bigger headache was that more than half the torches around the arena had been extinguished. After the halo effect of the explosive light arrow dissipated, more than half of the arena was enveloped in darkness. Only the light in the corner where Rhode's group was in continued to hold strong. But judging from the time the torches took to extinguish, the torches on his corner would last another two hours, at the very most.

And now...

Rhode calculated the time and knitted his brows at the two-headed shadow dragon. At that moment, more than half of its body was shrouded in darkness, and it also gradually increased in size. Rhode knew that this was the shadow dragon absorbing the power of darkness to replenish its strength. Even though Icy Snow's explosive light arrow didn't annihilate the two shadow dragons entirely, they were heavily injured. Now that they fused with each other, they had to heal their injuries. And as soon as they healed their wounds completely, maybe they would launch their attack straightaway. But the problem was that Icy Snow was exhausted. Without light arrows to dominate the situation, what could Rhode's group do to deal with the two-headed shadow dragon?

"Big Brother, let me do it..."

As Rhode considered a way to eliminate the two-headed shadow dragon, Icy Snow's voice sounded all of a sudden. He turned around and witnessed the pale young lady gasping for air, lifting her bow, and gazing at him.

"I can fire two more light arrows with my remaining spiritual energy..."

"No, Little Icy. Two light arrows aren't enough to defeat it. Don't sacrifice yourself for nothing, I'm sure there is another way..."

Rhode shook his head to refuse Icy Snow's suggestion. After exerting most of her strength, Icy Snow's spiritual power was no longer enough to support her in controlling the battle situation. But without her light arrows, the two-headed shadow dragon couldn't be easily defeated. The reason why Rhode and Erin chased after the shadow dragons and chopped them up like vegetables earlier was mainly due to the light element that held them back. And now, in the darkness, even though the two-headed shadow dragon was an elemental creature, it was almost as strong as a true night wyvern!

"What should we do, Rhode?"

Gazing at the two-headed shadow dragon, Erin puckered her brows and asked anxiously. She discovered that after its fusion, it became much stronger. At least for now, she didn't dare to attack brazenly anymore. She instinctively felt a strong sense of danger from it.

"Erin, do you have any other skills that can emit light?"

Rhode ran out of ideas. If he had the 'Casali under the night sky' venue card, he could drag the enemy and Erin into the venue. As the venue had a full moon hanging over the sky, Erin's strength would increase with the power of the moon and wiping out the two-headed shadow dragon would only require minutes. But now...

"Emit light..."

Facing Rhode's question, Erin pondered for a few moments. Then, her eyes suddenly glinted.

"I think... Maybe I can give that a shot..."

Chapter 1258: Dark Arena (4)

"Do you have any ideas?"

Rhode turned to Erin and asked. If they didn't break through the imprisonment forcefully, there was really nothing much he could do. It was always a huge problem whenever the attribute wasn't right and they couldn't restrain the enemy. Unless one was so powerful that one defied everything, none of the restraining would be meaningful. Of course, Rhode possessed such power. But... Sometimes, being too powerful might not necessarily be a good thing.

Upon hearing his question, Erin narrowed her eyes, sized up the two-headed shadow dragon, and replied.

"When I took on the trial, I received a certain extent of dragon soul authority. Even though I can't fully restore my dragon form, I can still use my spirit to coalesce into the dragon form and summon moonlight for a certain period. Perhaps it won't be as powerful as Icy Snow's light arrows, but it shouldn't be an issue as a source of light itself. It's just that the range can't be too huge. Besides, when I summon the moonlight, I can't move."

"I see..."

Rhode knitted his brows to Erin's response. As a matter of fact, this wasn't good news at all because the only forces the group had against the two-headed shadow dragon were Erin and Rhode. If Erin were to step down from the battle to summon moonlight, Rhode would be taking on the two-headed shadow dragon alone. He could give it a shot if he were up against an individual shadow dragon. But now, the two-headed shadow dragon was stronger, so much so that he couldn't defeat it effortlessly. Moreover, the two-headed shadow dragon would also summon shadowy creatures from the shadows as soon as it was under attack. Not only that, but Icy Snow was also fatigued and defenses were only up to Anne and Angelina. Anne was fine and Angelina could also take on one or two shadowy creatures. But if there were too many of them, perhaps she would end up dismembered like when she was in the Spring of Light...

Rhode puckered his brows and went through his summoning cards once more, only to helplessly discover that he had a lack of cards with the light attribute. Most of them possessed either the darkness or water attribute. The only one who had the light attribute was Celia. As for the other holy sword cards... They were clearly 'holy sword' cards, but why were they 'darker' than ever? They were either demons or specters or undeads... That didn't really make sense.

Apart from those who were related to the source of darkness, Karin was the only one with human attributes, so she wasn't useful for this battle. On the other hand, Gracier and Madaras were in the Elf Forest right now and Rhode couldn't contact them the slightest. Of course, even if he could... well, there wasn't any use in thinking about that since they were so far away right now. In that case, there was only one person who he could rely upon.

"Cassidy, how are you doing?"

"I can't hold on much longer, Your Majesty. I can only activate the power of contrast once more, provided the range isn't too far apart."

Upon hearing Rhode's query, Cassidy who stood on the other side wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead and responded. As the Contrast Deity Warden, even though she was doing better than the rest, it was a pity that in a place like Shadow Ravine where darkness dominated, the power of contrast that she could utilize was also limited. Just like Erin's moon rule, there could only be shadows with the presence of light. This was the meaning of contrast. But on the other hand, if shadows occupied 80 percent of space, while light took 20 percent, it couldn't be considered a 'contrast' at all. For that reason, the amount of rule power that Cassidy could draw upon was also lessened drastically. Furthermore, she had expended a lot of strength earlier and was exhausted right now.

Rhode had initially decided to keep her as a trump card, but her power of contrast was a double-edged sword. Besides, according to her, she had a hard time manipulating the rule of the power of contrast. Moreover, the arena was lit up in brilliance earlier and if she were to activate the power of contrast, maybe the arena that Rhode and Icy Snow spent a whole lot of effort to illuminate would be darkened instantly. That was why he didn't make her do it, but only let her pair up with Angelina to harass the shadow dragons instead. And now, it seemed like it was time for Cassidy to deal the critical blow.

"One time, huh... It's enough."

Upon hearing Cassidy's answer, Rhode nodded, extended his arm, and swung abruptly. Shortly after, as a card flickered in his hand, a group of heavily-armored warriors appeared before the group with highly-raised shields. They encircled the arena wall, forming an incredibly strong barrier.

"Anne, Angelina, Icy Snow—stay back and protect yourselves. The BOSS will summon shadowy creatures whenever it is under attack. If the shadowy creatures attack you, you just have to defend yourselves—don't attract their attention. There will be an endless amount of them; you girls don't have the strength to go against them, so just do your best in holding them back."

Rhode said, threw a meaningful look at Erin, and turned to Cassidy.

"Cassidy, follow me. Remember, listen to my orders. As soon as I give my command, no matter what situation you're in, instantly activate the power of contrast on the two-headed shadow dragon."

"Activate the power of contrast on the two-headed shadow dragon..."

Cassidy couldn't help but twitch the corner of her eye.

"Are you sure it will be fine, Your Majesty? I can't guarantee their safety if anything bad happens, alright?"

"We need to take a risk. If we continue to waste time, we will all be dead anyway."

Rhode knew that Cassidy's worries weren't unreasonable. After all, no one was certain what would happen after activating the power of contrast on the two-headed shadow dragon. The situation would be as though when Cassidy activated the power of contrast on Rhode and his younger sister, where their genders switched. It would be for the best if the two-headed shadow dragon were annihilated directly. But if it turned into a two-headed light dragon or whatnot, the situation would become more challenging. But now, Rhode didn't have any better ideas. Currently, the two-headed shadow dragon was healing its wounds. If he didn't seize the opportunity and allowed it to recuperate fully, it would be too late!

"Erin, summon the moonlight!"

"Yes, Your Majesty Rhode!"

Upon hearing his command, Erin nodded swiftly and raised her sword high. Shortly after, the group noticed glimmers of bright, gentle, silver-whitish moonlight emanating from the young lady's body. In the blink of an eye, the brilliance rushed toward the ceiling like surging flames, expanded, and coalesced, transforming into an enormous white dragon! Glaring at the two-headed shadow dragon, the white dragon widened its jaw, lifted its neck, and let out a deafening bellow.

"Roarrrr———!"

Along with snarls, a pure ray of moonlight descended from above like a spotlight on a stageplay, enfolding the two-headed shadow dragon entirely. The two-headed shadow dragon couldn't help but howl in grief, while the shadows circulating its body melted away like snow under the blazing sun. Not only that, but the instant the two-headed shadow dragon was illuminated by the moonlight, its massive body also sank and crumbled onto the ground!

Moonlight works great!

Rhode was overjoyed at this thought. He brandished the sword instantly as he sprinted toward the two-headed shadow dragon.

"Cassidy, take the left. I'll go from the right and we'll attack their eyes!"

"Okay, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing his command, Cassidy responded swiftly. Shortly after, the duo dashed toward the two-headed shadow dragon in two trails of afterimages from the left and right. The two-headed shadow dragon also seemed to notice the arrival of danger. It lifted its two heads high, glaring at the two humans flitting toward it. The moment Rhode and Cassidy entered its field of vision, the two dragon heads snapped their jaws open and bit down on the tiny prey!

Swish!

Facing the dragons' mouths that bit down toward him, Rhode had no intention of evading. On the contrary, he picked up speed from the almost invisible string of afterimages. He made an upward leap at a 90-degree angle, dodging the devourment of the huge, menacing mouth. Not only that, but he also flashed by at the same time and landed above the dragon's nose! After completing the series of challenging maneuvers, Rhode had no hesitation in the slightest. He turned his sword around and brandished it from above!

Blade rays glittered. The two-headed shadow dragon's mouth was punctured and in an instant, its body composed of shadows collapsed, while the front of its mouth was also thinned.

"Roarrr———!"

Upon taking this deadly attack, the right head wailed and dangled on its neck. But at the same time, the left head turned over abruptly, widened its mouth, and pitch-black dragon flames coalesced within it. In just a few seconds, a deadly beam of darkness would enfold Rhode completely. But...

"Don't look down upon me, you foolish dragon!"

Along with a furious snarl, Cassidy burst forward like a nimble elf. She flourished her sword, penetrating the eye of the left head ruthlessly. Shortly after, razor-sharp spiritual radiance erupted from her blade, ripping apart its right eye. The ambush left the two-headed shadow dragon in agony. It raised its head and the pitch-black dragon breath that was supposed to blast Rhode was released into the air instead, hurting no one. At that moment, Rhode also seized the opportunity and struck the left eye with his blade!

——!

This time, even though the two-headed shadow dragon was well prepared and closed its eye, Rhode's all-out attack shouldn't be belittled. Moreover, he aimed his attack at the target's only weakness. Even if the two-headed shadow dragon closed its eyes, his sword punctured the eyelids mercilessly. Along with the eruption of spiritual brilliance, the left eye was demolished. Countless light blades shot out from the wound, tearing the perfect shadows into chunks. Despite that, Rhode didn't feel proud of his achievement yet because he was clearly aware that elemental creatures were only simulated forms and not real living things. Even though he and Cassidy blinded the dragon's eyes respectively, as long as the dragon had enough time, its eyes would recover completely. Apart from blinding the dragon by piercing its eyes, there weren't any other useful benefits. Furthermore, Rhode wasn't only aiming to temporarily blind the dragon, but looking to eradicate it instead!

"Roar——— Roar———!"

But at that moment, the two-headed shadow dragon that was constantly under attack blew its top. It struggled, rocking its heads, letting out deep, furious growls. Along with its fierce bellows, the surrounding darkness shook as shadowy creatures of all shapes and sizes crawled out one after another, swarming toward the two-headed shadow dragon.

I knew it!

Looking at this scene, Rhode's chest tightened. He turned and swept a glance at Anne and the rest of the group immediately. But what assured him was that the shadowy creatures didn't encircle them, perhaps because the young ladies were enveloped in the radiance of the torches, or maybe because they followed his order and didn't attack the shadowy creatures. On the contrary, the shadowy creatures in the part of the arena that was shrouded in shadows darted toward the two-headed shadow dragon instead. What was more bothersome was that not only were there only land creatures, but there were also a dozen shadowy creatures that flew across the air!

That was going to be a problem. Not only would the shadowy creatures coordinate with the two-headed shadow dragon in their attacks on Rhode's group, but the wounded two-headed shadow dragon could also replenish its lost strength by taking them in. When that happened, this battle would be endless!

"The other eye!"

Rhode arranged his frantic thoughts and yelled. He withdrew the sword that pierced the dragon's left eye and rolled aside to dodge the razor-sharp claw that swung from above. He shuttled to the other side of the dragon and slashed his sword from above!

——!

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

The two heads howled almost at the same time. This time, even though the two-headed shadow dragon was an elemental creature, it couldn't handle the pincer attack from Rhode and Cassidy. It rocked its heads frantically, lifted its body, and swung its claws around its heads, aimlessly swatting the annoying 'flies' of Rhode and Cassidy. But Rhode had already anticipated this move. After blinding two of the dragon's eyes, he jumped off from its head. However, he didn't land on the ground; the moment he leaped, he stared at the exposed neck of the dragon!

That was the weakness of the dragon race!

This was the main reason why Rhode penetrated the dragon's eyes. The biggest weakness of all dragon races was their head and neck area, and one had to hit where it hurt. However, it wasn't easy to target the weakest points. As dragons normally shrunk their heads, their weakness wasn't exposed to players. And in order to make dragons reveal it, they had to raise their heads.

And now, the two-headed shadow dragon who rocked its heads finally exposed its weakness to Rhode.

This is the final chance!

"Cassidy, go all-out!"

Rhode yelled and gripped the holy sword. A dazzling, sacred brilliance erupted from the blade, enfolding him entirely. He zoomed ahead, metamorphosing into a glaring white ray that shot straight at the dragon's neck! At the same time, Cassidy also went all-out. She aimed the sword at the other neck and slashed from above. The eye-catching radiance turned into a mighty blade that penetrated the neck.

Boom!

A brilliance that was a thousand times brighter erupted in the neck, blending with the moonlight as one. The two-headed shadow dragon's heads shook, trembled, and were torn apart. Its enormous body crumpled onto the ground, seemingly to have reached the end of its life. But Rhode was aware that this was just an illusion. After all, it was an elemental creature! He could only weaken its strength temporarily by attacking its weakness and couldn't eliminate it entirely. But to him, what he needed was this moment of opportunity.

"Cassidy: power of contrast!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing his command, Cassidy responded swiftly. She stared grimly at the two-headed shadow dragon, raised her sword, and pierced its body with force. Shortly after, an array of colorful brilliance flickered around her, flowing from her arms to the tip of the blade and onto the dragon.

"———!"

It only took an instant.

The pitch-black body of the two-headed shadow dragon emanated a dazzling, white radiance. The dim, deep blackness vanished, only to be replaced by an eye-catching whiteness that fused with the moonlight that shone from above. After a few moments, the trembling dragon stopped moving, before turning into spots of light and disappearing into thin air. At the same time, the moonlight that enfolded and imprisoned the dragon dimmed and vanished in the darkness.

"Phew..."

At that moment, Rhode stared at the battlefield and heaved a sigh of relief. The shadowy creatures returned to where they came from after their summoner vanished. Earlier on, Rhode took a chance to see whether the two-headed shadow dragon would be demolished after Cassidy activated the power of contrast. And now, it seemed... Rather successful.

Seems like the gamble worked.

At this thought, Rhode nodded at Cassidy in satisfaction. The latter also gazed at him, but didn't say a word.

"Good job, Cassidy..."

But as Rhode decided to continue speaking, the earlier voice echoed all of a sudden again.

"Well done, brave challengers. You've completed the first test. Next, you will face more terrifying enemies!"

What the heck?!

Upon hearing the ridiculous announcement, Rhode cursed loudly...

Chapter 1259: Soldier From Heaven

"What happened, Leader?"

"Did we do something wrong?"

Not only was Rhode furious, but Angelina, Anne, and the others also turned to him dubiously. The current situation was far from good. Everyone expended almost all their strength in the earlier battle. They thought the battle was about to end after eliminating the shadow dragons. But now, it wasn't considered completed yet? Upon hearing the announcement, not only did Rhode almost extend his middle fingers, but his group also pulled long faces. It seemed like this made them personally experience how annoying and depressing the trials were...

As for Erin, she was so exhausted that she couldn't speak a word. Even though she learned the skill to use her spiritual powers to coalesce into dragon form, she didn't expect it to be so exhausting. A few moments ago, she had almost used up all her strength. She didn't have much strength for battle for now.

Where exactly went wrong?

But unlike the rest, Rhode puckered his brows and pondered deeply. They arrived here and started a battle against the shadow dragons... This was a part of the trial? No, it shouldn't be that simple. The Dark Dragon was cunning and shameless, so a trap wouldn't be this obvious. Every inheritance ceremony was related to the dragon soul power; this stage was no exception either. Besides, this stage shouldn't be testing the strength of dragon soul heir...

Hmmm?

At this thought, Rhode's eyes glinted.

Firstly, the Dark Arena was definitely used for battles. Secondly, there were at least two participants, which meant that when the former Dark Dragon designed this trial, it predicted that there might be more than two dragon soul heirs. But in the end, only one of them was able to inherit the dragon soul. According to this theory, there should be one final winner after the massacre.

But... Is it really logical?

At this thought, Rhode couldn't help but glance at Erin who stood by the side. She was also a dragon soul heir. Besides, even if she didn't inherit the Dark Dragon's power, she still possessed strong battle strength. She didn't rely upon the dragon soul power to gain her intelligence, but Ion and her treated each other with respect. Rhode understood Erin well. Even if she knew that she was a dragon soul heir, she most likely wouldn't snatch the position from Ion. Hypothetically, if it were Erin and Ion in this arena, in what ways would they confirm who would be the rightful dragon soul heir? It couldn't possibly be through verbal commitment, right...?

Could it be...?!

At this thought, Rhode lifted his head suddenly.

"Everyone, hand over your crystals to Erin. Now, hurry!"

"Huh?"

Anne and the rest were stunned. Despite that, they didn't hesitate for long. They reached into their pockets and passed the crystals to Erin quickly. Even though Erin didn't know why Rhode gave such a command at that moment, she also knew this wasn't the time to be questioning his decision. As a result, Erin didn't give it much thought, but stretched out her arms to accept the crystals from everyone instead.

Ding———!

The moment Rhode handed over his crystal to Erin, a crisp sound echoed. Shortly after, the crystals on Erin's palms began to revolve, float, and flutter in midair. A silver-whitish light column descended from above, shining on the spot in front of her. The crystals flew into the light column, fused, and coalesced into a brand new form gradually. The unknown crystals that were in their possession merged and transformed into a beautiful, white scepter!

"Leader, you did it!"

Looking at this scene, even though Anne didn't know how Rhode did it, it was apparent that he succeeded. Anne couldn't help but raise her arms and cheer in excitement. Meanwhile, Icy Snow who stood by the side gazed at him in astonishment, before asking curiously.

"Big Brother, how did you come up with that?"

Upon hearing Icy Snow's question, Rhode forced a smile, extended his arm to stroke her long hair, and said.

"As a matter of fact, my guesses were right from the start. Since we arrived here upon receiving the crystals, it is almost certain that this stage is related to those crystal fragments. As the trial is too despicable, it didn't give us much time to consider the situation, but released the shadow dragons as soon as we arrived here instead. Facing the shadow dragons, we definitely need to get rid of them. But in the Shadow Ravine, it is impossible to annihilate them all. Besides, the true goal of this trial isn't to battle. Dragon soul heirs are the rulers of the lands under the dragon soul protections. As a ruler, the priority is to gain the confidence and the respect of everyone. Be it respect or fear, people have to surrender to the dragon soul heir unconditionally. Therefore, the true goal of this dark arena is to see whether the dragon soul heir who arrived here is capable enough to gain the recognition of other dragon soul heirs!"

"I see... No wonder I feel like something is wrong."

Angelina nodded in agreement. In fact, this trial fitted the characteristics of the undead. That was why from the start, she felt like the methods were really familiar. But it was a pity that she didn't have much time to ponder. With her strength, it was tough enough for her to ensure that she wasn't dismembered by the shadow dragons, not to mention considering trivial matters. However, it didn't matter to her. Erin should have been the dragon soul heir of the Dark Dragon and Angelina had no intention of getting involved. As for the rest, they weren't mindful either. They were followers of Rhode, so they didn't care about the Dark Dragon's inheritance. But... The situation wasn't that simple.

"Big Brother, we're lacking one crystal!"

At that moment, Icy Snow yelled. Upon hearing her voice, Rhode was startled. He lifted his head and looked at the light column. Indeed, the crystal fragments had fused completely, but the tip of the white scepter was still lacking one crystal!

Dang it!

Rhode couldn't help but curse. It seemed like the crystal fragments were distributed according to the number of challengers. And now that Mini Bubble Gum wasn't around, the last piece of crystal fragment couldn't be fused. Without the last piece of crystal, the scepter couldn't be completed and Erin wouldn't be able to receive the dragon soul power... Rhode didn't expect to fall short at the final moment. Come to think of it, where exactly had Mini Bubble Gum gone to?!

But before Rhode came up with a solution to resolve the issue, that old voice resounded in their ears again.

"Alright then. For the second test, you shall face a stronger enemy..."

Along with that voice, the steel fences enfolding the arena rumbled at the same time, before opening on the left and right. Looking at this scene, Rhode was stunned. The steel cage over the arena was nothing good, to begin with. And now, shadowy creatures were about to descend from above and encircle them? In that case, it seemed like Rhode's only hope left was to activate his 'cheats' and break through the limit on his strength...

Rhode gripped his sword and stared at the darkness in front of him. As expected, an enormous shadow appeared in just a few moments, darting toward his group!

It's massive!

Staring at the enormous shadow, Rhode's heart sank to the bottom. The shadowy creature was much larger than the two-headed shadow dragon. What made matters worse was that Rhode was the only one with battle strength right now. It was imaginable if he were to take on such a gigantic BOSS following a normal strategy, he wouldn't stand a chance.

Seems like I can only rely upon myself now...

At this thought, Rhode narrowed his eyes. He was prepared for battle, but before that, he had to identify the enemy before deciding his next move. Then...

Hmm?

While Rhode observed the enemy and was about to strike, the enormous creature grew larger and came closer...

Why does it seem to be moving really quickly?

"Everyone, retreat immediately!"

Rhode commanded, backing off at the same time. Anne and Erin, who stood by the side, stepped back swiftly and stared at the sky. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the enormous creature charged straight into the dark arena without stopping. In a loud bang, the enormous creature slammed onto the middle of the dark arena, raising a massive cloud of dust.

Damn, the way this BOSS showed up is a little too grand, huh? It also plunged head-first...

Rhode and Icy Snow widened their eyes in shock. As the heavens attested, they fought more than thousands of BOSSes, but this was their first time witnessing such a grand entrance for one. Did they still stand a chance against it? Wouldn't they be wiped out instantly?

The moment that enormous creature slammed onto the ground, Rhode caught a glimpse of its identity. If he weren't mistaken, it should be the same shadow dragon... But if they were the same, crashing onto the ground head-first would snap its neck already.

As Rhode considered whether he should step closer, a pure, white light column descended from above all of a sudden, blasting on the ground.

Boom!

Along with the loud bang, Rhode felt the ground beneath his feet tremble violently. The cloud of dust fluttering in the arena also scattered. Up until that moment, everyone witnessed that it was actually a Skeletal Dragon that landed! However, the Skeletal Dragon's massive body was already covered in scars and cracks. Not only that, but its head was also smashed into a terrible mess. Its neck had also shattered just like Rhode anticipated. But... No matter how he looked at it, it was completely done for. Why did they need to face this creature for the next stage of the trial? That wasn't logical at all. This creature was already dead, wasn't it?

"Master, this Skeletal Dragon was the one trapped in the dragon prison!"

At that moment, Angelina, who sneaked over to size up the creature, spoke immediately. Rhode had never seen this dragon before. However, Erin and Angelina did, so they recognized instantly that it was that dragon who was locked up by the exit. But... What was it doing here?

"Roar...!"

While Rhode and Erin exchanged looks of confusion, the dragon with a battered head snapped its jaw open and let out deep snarls. Everyone took several steps back in fear. Could it be that this was the exact form of the Skeletal Dragon? And it just couldn't be defeated? In that case, this spelled trouble!

Boom!

What exceeded everyone's expectation was that when they were preparing to deal with the Skeletal Dragon, another light column landed from above, striking the Skeletal Dragon's head. This time, the Skeletal Dragon uttered a wail and stopped moving. But for some unknown reason, Rhode thought the light column seemed really familiar...

Almost at the same time, he heard an even more familiar voice.

"So what if you're a BOSS?! How dare you steal my crystal! Are you sick of living already?! Come and snatch it from me again if you dare! Aren't you capable of flying? Weren't you acting all high and mighty? Come on. Get into 300 more battles with me! Just a stupid Skeletal Dragon and you even dare touch my stuff. Touch it again if you dare. I'll break all your bones!"

That voice...

"Bubble?"

Rhode gazed at the Skeletal Dragon and asked. Shortly after, the group witnessed a petite figure jumping out from the side of the huge dragon. Yes, it was the same Mini Bubble Gum who had gone missing!

"Ah, Leader!"

Upon noticing Rhode, Mini Bubble Gum revealed a delightful expression. She jumped off the dragon and scuttled toward him.

"Where is this place? All of you are here already, huh? I'm not late, right!"

"You came... quite quickly. But what's going on?"

Rhode said, gazing dubiously at the Skeletal Dragon. After all, he couldn't contact Mini Bubble Gum and moments ago, the Skeletal Dragon crash-landed, which was really strange. Upon hearing his question, Mini Bubble Gum's eyes glinted. She tugged his sleeve and began to narrate her experience hurriedly.

As a matter of fact, Mini Bubble Gum didn't have it better. She was thrown directly into the ancient battlefield of the Shadow Ravine, an extremely dangerous place. The so-called ancient battlefield was, in fact, the projection of the Creation War. For that reason, that place could be considered to contain the projections of all races in the Dragon Soul Continent and they were all difficult to deal with. If it were someone else who arrived there, they wouldn't be able to survive. Fortunately for Mini Bubble Gum, she was the 'light maiden'. Even though her actions were nothing like a maiden's, player classes were what they were, so no one could do a thing about it...

It was imaginable how the projected shadowy army feared Mini Bubble Gum like mice meeting a cat. It went without saying that the violent Mini Bubble Gum wouldn't let go of this opportunity to wreak havoc. As a result, she devastated the battlefield. The light column that Icy Snow witnessed earlier was also proof of Mini Bubble Gum's glorious battle.

Mini Bubble Gum didn't waste too much time wiping out the critters. In just a few moments, she annihilated all the enemies on the ancient battlefield. Of course, she also spotted the crystal, which was located at the top of the tower in the middle of the battlefield. Just when she picked up the crystal, the Skeletal Dragon appeared all of a sudden, swooped down, and snatched it from her hand. Not only that, but the Skeletal Dragon also taunted her. That was when it stabbed a hornet's nest. In the game, Mini Bubble Gum was so vicious that she didn't even bother about game masters. After the crystal was snatched away from her, she blew her top, gave chase, and beat up the blatant thief. Even though the Skeletal Dragon was ferocious, Mini Bubble Gum wasn't one to be trifled with either. Moreover, her holy power was highly effective against the undeads. They fought their way through and after an unknown period when the Skeletal Dragon was at its last gasp, a magical ritual appeared underneath them and transported them to the arena...

I see...

After listening to Mini Bubble Gum's narration, Rhode couldn't help but lament that the Skeletal Dragon was talented in seeking death, choosing to taunt Mini Bubble Gum out of everyone... But now wasn't the time for that as more important matters were still at the back.

"Bubble... You have a piece of crystal with you, right?"

"Crystal? Oh, right! This one!"

Upon hearing Rhode's query, Mini Bubble Gum clapped her palms together hurriedly and reached into her pocket to retrieve a crystal fragment—the final piece of crystal for the scepter! Upon witnessing the crystal fragment, Rhode and Erin exchanged joyous gazes. Rhode made Mini Bubble Gum hand the crystal over to Erin. The moon princess accepted the crystal and placed it into the light column. As soon as the crystal entered the light column, the light column that enfolded the white scepter shone ever brighter.

Everyone stared at the pure, white scepter. After a few moments, the final piece of crystal finally fused with the scepter completely.

At the same time, the dark arena began to rumble all of a sudden.

Chapter 1260: The New Dark Dragon

Rumble...!

As the ground rumbled, the dark arena began to rise. Under the guidance of the radiance enveloping the scepter, the flat ground revealed stone steps that rose to an altar. After a few moments, the dark arena stopped rocking. The scepter that had fused entirely was pinned in the middle of the towering altar, awaiting its owner.

"Is it done yet? We're rushing for time. Why doesn't the scepter fly straight to us? Why does it need someone to climb the stairs to grab it? Is it right in the mind?"

Looking at this scene, Mini Bubble Gum couldn't help but grumble. Even though Rhode didn't say a word, it was apparent from his expression that he agreed with her. Normally, the group wouldn't be mindful. But the problem now was that they were pressed for time, while the scepter was taking its own sweet time to show up...

They were really in a hurry!

"Erin, it's up to you next."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Erin also heard Mini Bubble Gum's complaints, but didn't comment. She nodded firmly and ran toward the altar at the top. Although Rhode and the rest tried to escort her, they were stopped by an invisible barrier. Without a choice, they waited at the bottom, watching as Erin sprinted toward the altar and scepter pinned in the middle.

"Leader... Nothing is going to go wrong, right?"

Gazing at Erin, Mini Bubble Gum couldn't help but ask. Rhode and Icy Snow glared at her as Mini Bubble Gum sure knew how to touch a sore spot. Perhaps natives like Angelina and Anne weren't aware, but to players, as long as the situation involved ceremonies, rituals, or whatnot, almost none of them would be completed peacefully. The heir would either be ambushed by creatures or get into trouble and need the help of players. It was apparent that Mini Bubble Gum knew this, which was why she asked. But the problem was that Rhode and Icy Snow were equally aware of it!

"Can you shut up, Bubble?!"

Icy Snow curled her lips and glared at Bubble fiercely. Icy Snow had run out of energy. If any 'escort drama' were to happen, she couldn't offer any help even if she wanted to. Not only her, but the others were also exhausted. Apart from a violent person like Bubble, no one wished for anymore problems to arise. At that moment, Bubble also noticed everyone's exhaustion. She displayed a smirk and chuckled at Icy Snow, before turning to the altar as though she didn't say a word earlier. Looking at her expression, Icy Snow turned pale with anger. She bit her lower lip, stared at Mini Bubble Gum in displeasure, and stomped her foot, before turning away to ignore her.

As for the issue between Icy Snow and Bubble, Rhode couldn't care less. This was how the two young ladies got along. Although they were against each other all day, they actuallyhighly respected each other. For instance, even though Icy Snow seemed as though she wasn't close to Bubble, a few moments ago she was still concerned about whether Bubble passed the trial.

But now wasn't the time for that. At that moment, everyone watched as Erin reached the altar at the top. The moon princess wasn't pretentious at all. Perhaps what Bubble said just now gave her a reminder. Due to the terrible experiences, Erin didn't recall her memories with Ion as those of close siblings. At the sight of the scepter, she remembered why he had to destroy his family for the sake of power. On the other hand, she extended her arm and held the scepter before her.

"...!"

Rhode and Icy Snow instantly tensed up. The former observed the surroundings, while the latter stared fixedly at the scepter. They were afraid that some creatures would appear out of nowhere, or some mysterious transformations would occur when Erin grabbed the scepter. Rhode felt like time had frozen in that moment. Erin was clearly moving quickly, but it seemed like slow-motion in his eyes. Rhode was anxious. He couldn't wait to run over to pull out the scepter and push it into Erin's hands.

Two more seconds. One more second...!

Finally, under everyone's watchful eyes, Erin finally gripped the scepter on the altar!

At that moment, the scepter that was shrouded in brilliance began to coalesce. The brilliance descended as though it were attracted by the scepter, fusing with it entirely. Shortly after, the scepter erupted a shiny white light that eventually formed a huge, gorgeous, and circular magical ritual, enfolding Erin within.

"Roarrrr———!"

At the same time, the loud bellow of a dragon reverberated. And soon, Rhode witnessed the silhouette of a huge, pitch-black dragon appeared over Erin, expanding its gigantic wings comfortably, so much so that he thought it was an extension of darkness in this place.

Everything here was under its gaze and nothing could escape.

"Congratulations on passing the trial, heir of the Dark Dragon..."

At that moment, that old voice sounded once again. Upon hearing the announcement, Rhode felt relieved. It seemed like they were lucky this time and didn't have to face anymore annoying situations. But this wasn't the end yet. The Chaos creatures that infiltrated the trial grounds hadn't shown up, so he and his group had to act cautiously. But after the trial ended, Erin also didn't meet any of them, which was considered good news for them.

But why did Rhode still feel a little uncertain?

While Rhode pondered hard, the radiance over Erin's body dissipated gradually. The moon princess appeared before everyone once again. But unlike before, she now wore an extremely gorgeous and long, silver-whitish dress and on her head was a crown gleaming in a faint glow. In addition to the pure, white scepter in her hands, it gave one the impression that Erin was sacred and dignified. Rhode also sensed from her a powerful and unfathomable strength that was as deep as the night sky and ocean.

Seems like this is the true strength of the Dark Dragon.

At that moment, as the inheritance ceremony came to an end, Rhode discovered that the Shadow Ravine was also transforming quickly. Shadow Ravine should have been divided into black and white, and everything in sight was covered in thick layers of darkness. But now, bright moonlight penetrated the night sky, spilling onto the land that had always been enfolded in shadows. No... Rather than saying the bright moonlight spilled onto the land, one might as well say that the Shadow Ravine was like a planet in the same plane of existence as Earth. As far as the eye could see, it was a pitch-black universe, but the ground reflected brilliance from the sun. In an instant, the sky and ground were divided into black and white regions. However, it was apparent that there was no presence of the sun in the Shadow Ravine, which made the origin of this light a little unbelievable.

"Big Brother, didn't you say that Big Brother Erin is the Dark Dragon? But why isn't she 'dark' at all?"

At that moment, the relieved Icy Snow sized up Erin curiously and asked. Well, it wasn't surprising that she asked such a question. Because right now, Erin wore a pure white royal dress, a silver crown, and even held a holy scepter. She seemed more fitting for the 'holy maiden' identity than Mini Bubble Gum, and just couldn't be related to the Dark Dragon as the ruler of darkness.

"It most likely has something to do with the rule power she possesses."

Rhode didn't feel astonished. Erin's rule power was the moon, while the moon was considered part of the darkness rule. If not, Erin couldn't possibly become the moon princess, and the Dark Dragon's power she inherited would be nothing more than just pure power. Just like Rhode—his rule was the 'void'. So it remained the 'void' and didn't turn into 'space' after he inherited the dragon soul power. That was why his younger sister was able to open up the space channel for transmigration and yet, he wasn't capable of doing so. Even though he was also a dragon soul heir of the Void Dragon, due to the differences in attributes, the manifestation was also different. Regarding this, Rhode was already mentally prepared for it.

But now, even after Erin inherited the Dark Dragon's power, she was still the representative of the moon, which made Rhode heave a sigh of relief. Honestly, even though he wasn't biased against the power of darkness, he didn't have a favorable impression of it either. And now that Erin's moon rule dominated the world of darkness, perhaps this might bring upon a whole new change...

"Finally succeeded..."

While Rhode lamented, Angelina also looked at Erin with complicated emotions. At that moment, the vampire young lady was overwhelmed with emotions. A long time ago, she once fantasized about assisting a dark lord to the throne, thereby returning her family to its former glory. But now, the ruler of darkness had indeed returned. It was a pity that things remained the same, but people changed. Chaos wreaked havoc in the Country of Darkness and also infiltrated the vampires. Even if Angelina were to restore the glory of her family, she didn't have any subjects left. Moreover, she also wasn't an inhabitant of the Country of Darkness anymore...

Compared to the emotional Angelina, Anne's thoughts were obviously much simpler. The latter put her hands together curiously, jumped around, and gazed at Erin.

"Huh-huh-huh? Anne feels like Big Sister Erin isn't any different. Is she considered the Dark Dragon now? In other words, Big Sister Erin is the queen of the Country of Darkness? So should we call her Queen?"

"Moon Queen? Represents the moon to destroy you[1]? Not bad, I like it!"

Only Bubble, who had more holes in her head, was able to follow Anne's frequency. As for Cassidy, she didn't comment much. As a subject of the Void Dragon, her attitude toward other dragon soul heirs was pretty average. But she couldn't be blamed, since the seven deity wardens (then six deity wardens) were subjects who followed the Void Dragon in opening up the entire Dragon Soul Continent back then. If it were other Creator Dragons, perhaps Cassidy would have given them a little more respect. But now, Erin and the rest were only dragon soul heirs. To put in bluntly, the heirs were nothing more than descendants to the deity wardens who weren't worthy of a mention. That was why when Erin successfully inherited the Dark Dragon's soul, Cassidy merely swept a glance and remained silent.

"Your Majesty!"

At that moment, Erin ran down the altar and arrived before Rhode. Rhode initially decided to congratulate her (considering that there weren't any additional problems in the inheritance ceremony, which was worthy of congratulations), but shortly after, he realized something was off with her expression. At that moment, the moon princess, or perhaps the moon queen, looked solemn. The joy that she felt earlier when she was handed the dragon's soul had completely disappeared. Upon witnessing her expression, Rhode couldn't help but feel his heart sink. It was apparent that something terrible happened.

"What's wrong, Erin?"

"It's not going well!"

Facing Rhode's query, Erin answered hurriedly.

"After gaining the Dark Dragon's power, I investigated the Shadow Ravine and discovered that the Chaos creatures that you mentioned have opened up the connection between the Shadow Ravine and the Country of Darkness! They are trying to merge the Shadow Ravine and the main plane together!"

"What?"

Rhode was stunned. This definitely wasn't anything good. Chaos came in strong and apparently, it arrived hungry and greedy too. Not only was it trying to dominate the Country of Darkness, but it also yearned to occupy the Shadow Ravine. As the number of Chaos creatures who invaded the Shadow Ravine were too small, they had no choice but to request reinforcements. Previously, Rhode was dubious as to why he didn't spot any Chaos creatures in the trial grounds even after the supervisors mentioned their invasion. Apart from them launching a surprise attack on Erin and trying to capture her alive, they didn't show up after. Rhode was worried that they would seize the opportunity and strike when Erin was inheriting the dragon soul. However, he underestimated them. It seemed like those Chaos creatures knew that they weren't powerful enough to steal the dragon soul powers, which was why they came up with this dirty trick while Rhode's group was focused on the inheritance ceremony!

These Chaos creatures that came from Earth seemed to be more cunning and harder to deal with.

"What do you intend to do, Erin?"

If it were in the past, Rhode could still command her. But now that she had inherited the Dark Dragon's soul, they were considered on equal footing. Not only that, but the Country of Darkness was also the territory of the Dark Dragon. So be it privately or publicly, it was still up to Erin to make the decision.

"..."

Facing his question, Erin was taken aback. It was apparent that she wasn't used to this yet. But shortly after, she returned to her senses, knitted her brows, and gave a decisive answer after some serious thought.

"Let's return to the main plane and do what we can to eliminate the influence of Chaos in the skies of the Country of Darkness. We'll maximize the retention of the Country of Darkness's strength, then..." Erin paused. But soon, she gnashed her teeth and continued. "... We will conduct a crusade against Big Brother... No, Ion and the followers of Chaos. As for the trial grounds that are influenced by Chaos, I will seal them off completely and abandon them in the dark abyss."

"Alright, let's go."

Rhode nodded to her suggestion. It was obvious that Erin was comprehensive about the situation, so he didn't need to add on with his ideas. Besides, continuing to stay here wouldn't benefit them either, which was why he agreed swiftly. Upon hearing his response, Erin nodded, extended her arm, and raised the white scepter. A white ring of light erupted from the tip of the scepter, enfolding everyone. At the next moment, they were gone in an instant.

When Rhode opened his eyes again, they had returned to the earlier teleportation ritual. The limit of strength that was imposed on them also disappeared without a trace, so the group couldn't help but heave sighs of relief. Although they were still powerful, it didn't feel good to be restrained for no good reason.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth trembled violently once again and the startled Erin rushed out of the trial grounds hurriedly.

"Mother!"

Following Erin closely, Rhode's group arrived at the dragon prison at the lowest floor. As expected, the former Dark Dragon was at her dying breath and laying on her stomach. The surrounding steel chains tugged constantly, dripping with filthy, black blood. The two dragon young ladies stood by the side with stern expressions, staring at the weak, former Dark Dragon.

It is obvious that she can't be saved anymore.

Looking at this scene, Rhode let out an inward sigh. Previously, the two dragon young ladies warned Erin that no matter if she succeeded in inheriting the Dark Dragon's power, the former Dark Dragon who lost the dragon soul power would eventually face an inevitable death.

"..."

Upon hearing Erin's voice, the former Dark Dragon opened her eyes, looking at the former in a daze.

"... The power... of the dragon soul heir... I feel it... Are you Erin?"

"Mother! It's me! Mother! Come to your senses! I'm here, I'm back! I'm right beside you..."

"I had a dream..."

However, facing Erin's calls, the former Dark Dragon didn't respond at all. Her dazed eyes continued to look into the darkness before her as though she were trying to recall something.

"... I dreamed that... Erin inherited the dragon soul power.... and became the ruler of the Country of Darkness... We are... together... until..."

The former Dark Dragon's eyes faded. Her voice also became weaker.

"... Until... Erin... Ion... My children..."

The former Dark Dragon closed her eyes slowly and stopped breathing.

In the end, she didn't regain consciousness to realize that the thing she had been pursuing was right beside her.

"... Mother..."

Erin gazed at her mother and closed her eyes. Although she didn't say a word, Rhode saw her emotions through her trembling, delicate body. Looking at this scene, Rhode couldn't help but shake his head, extend his arm, and hold Erin's shoulder.

"Don't be too upset, Erin. We have more important things to do."

"Yes... Rhode."

Erin took in a deep breath and opened her eyes. At that moment, what remained in the moon queen's eyes was unwavering determination.

"Next, it is time to let Big Brother pay for everything he did."

[1] Catchphrase of Sailor Moon