There was a substantial amount of putrid, sticky air. Nakvard sauntered forward, the thick scent of blood in the air like spider webs sticking to his face and wrapping him around entirely, but he disregarded them and continued to strode without any hesitation. His surroundings were drenched in pitch-black, murky blood. There was also a dark, mysterious, and sinister energy circulating and raging in the air. Scarlet radiance shone from secret spots above and extended several long shadows. No one knew if it was a misconception as the shadows didn’t stand still. Instead, they constantly swayed as though they were strangely alive.
Nakvard stepped onto the platform where several men dressed in the exact same robes as him stood on the highest point. There was a square pool in the middle where a tall, turquoise flame blazed. There were no chairs and tables around the square, not to mention luxurious ornaments or comfortable armchairs. There was only darkness. The walls and ceiling smeared in complete black seemed extremely depressing. The men left a spot among them, apparently prepared for Nakvard. Nakvard remained silent. He narrowed his eyes, went up to his position, and spoke.
“How is the Chaos Gate?”
“Everything is as per normal. We have enough power now. All we need to do next is to wait for the strength of Order to fall to its lowest. Then, we can open the gate and guide the devils into this world and accomplish the noblest and most sacred mission that Chaos has bestowed us!”
“Hurry up.”
Gazing at the exhilarated associate beside him who seemed as though he was about to have epilepsy, Nakvard continued to put up an expressionless face. Even though they were associates, there was no form of friendship. The people qualified to stand here killed their predecessors. There was no need for reputation or wealth, as long as one proved that one had the power to be qualified for this position. It was this simple. Fools often made simple things complicated, while only geniuses treated intricate matters simply.
“The Country of Darkness’s undead army is moving fast. I suspect they may enter Casabianca earlier than we expected. To prevent any accidents, I think we should be prepared beforehand.”
“Heh, heh. Don’t be so anxious, Sir Nakvard.” Another man spoke. His shrill laughter was as though nails scratching on a blackboard that could cause one’s hair to stand. His laughter echoed in the dark, strange space and could leave one shuddering. “Aren’t we prepared already? Even if the undead arrive at Casabianca, they will not be able to destroy our mighty and sacred ritual. Besides, don’t we already have the assistance to resist them?”
“It’s always good to be careful. Besides, there are no movements from the Void Territory up until this point. We need to be cautious of the possible mistakes and problems.”
Nakvard knitted his brows to the man’s words for a few seconds. But before he continued speaking, another relatively frail voice let out a cold snort.
“By the way, about the Void Territory… Sir Nakvard, you had an oversight this time. Frankly, we didn’t expect that young lady to escape under the watchful eyes of your men. We’re all truly surprised and have been waiting for an explanation from you. What do you have to say for it?”
“…”
Nakvard’s eyes glinted in cold flashes. In fact, this left a huge stain on his reputation. Up until this moment, he wasn’t sure how Sonia knew about his plan and led Lilian away beforehand. He thought that by controlling Sonia, he could lure out Lilian and imprison her dragon soul power. He would then destroy the dragon soul protection and weaken the strength of Order. But he didn’t expect to almost fail his plan. If his men didn’t witness how Sonia’s death led to Lilian abandoning herself to despair, which caused the dragon soul protection to crumble, perhaps their plan wouldn’t be able to continue. Even though they succeeded in the end, this was something that Nakvard didn’t wish to hear mentioned.
“There’s nothing to explain; things are going smoothly now. We should accomplish our mission before anything happens!”
“Ha, ha. I hope that’s the case…”
The frail voice responded before letting a sneer. Nakvard sulked slightly, but chose not to retort. As long as he completed his mission, he didn’t need to care about other matters.
That’s right, as long as I complete my mission…
***
“The time has come.”
Rhode said softly, gazing at the sky before him. The corners of his lip perked up into an elegant smile resembling the glowing sun. But for some reason, when Celia and the rest saw it, they couldn’t help but shiver, and even the expressionless Karin twitched her brow. Even though she had only become Rhode’s subordinate for a short while, she learned from the other summoned spirits that his smile usually meant bad business. But this was the first time she saw someone’s smile being so vibrant and sinister at the same time. It felt as though she was standing on the magnificent prairie under the warm, bright sun while embracing the coldness and lifelessness of the tomb. The contradiction made it even more terrifying.
“Are you ready, Lilian?”
Rhode turned around and said. The smile on his face had dwindled. Lilian remained silent before nodding firmly.
“I’m ready, Big Brother Rhode. I will not have any regrets. This is my choice; I will not escape anymore because I know the more I escape, the more those people will bully me. If I don’t want to be bullied, I have to be like you and Big Sister Lydia—defeat them all!”
“That’s right, Lilian. This is the confidence you need.”
Rhode nodded in satisfaction, extending his arm to caress Lilian’s long hair, while the latter narrowed her eyes like a kitten. Rhode blinked at this scene and turned to face the sky. Right on the edge of the starry night, the shattered Light Dragon’s soul protection was raging. Dense layers of cloud enveloped the sky, while thunder roared and rain poured. It could be seen that the people in the Light Mainland were having a difficult time.
“Alright then, let’s begin,” Rhode said, raising his right arm and stretching it forward. At the next moment, his expression changed abruptly.
In the blink of an eye, the rainstorm and roaring thunder vanished. Not only that, but the dark clouds also dispersed to reveal the endless, starry night sky that shifted forward as though some sort of powerful magnet. The fragments of the dragon soul protection were instantly absorbed wherever the starry night sky soared across, causing them to disappear. It only took a while before the sky changed its hue entirely. The dark clouds dissipated and the booming thunders were nowhere to be seen. Up until this moment, Rhode heaved a sigh of relief, placing his hand down and nodding to Lilian.
“Alright, it’s up to you now, Lilian.”
“Yes… Big Brother Rhode!”
Lilian clenched her fists and nodded firmly. Even though she had decided to be as domineering as Rhode and Lydia after Rhode straightened out her mind, for some reason, her ‘dominance’ seemed to be heading in the wrong direction…
But this small problem could basically be neglected.
Lilian raised her arms when suddenly, the shade of the sky in the distance gradually changed. The sky that was pitch-black transformed into a beautiful, dazzling azure. The turbid layers of cloud turned white and fluffy and the bright, glittering sunlight shining from above healed all scars on the surface. Under Lilian’s guidance, the shattered Order once again returned to its rightful trajectory. Up until this moment, Lilian couldn’t help but shiver, putting down her arms and gasping for air. She spoke with a pale complexion.
“S-Sorry… Big Brother Rhode, this is all I can do…”
“You don’t need to apologize, Lilian. You’ve done well.”
Rhode caressed her hair once again before turning around and squinting at the blue sky and white clouds in the distance. The path leading to their destination had opened. It was time for him to strike.
“It will be our turn to move out next. Since His Majesty Ion is so impatient, I don’t mind cooperating with him. It isn’t nice for the owner to keep the guest waiting. Since he wants to be our guest, we should be ready to welcome him.”
Rhode revealed a gentle smile.
“Alright then… let’s do it.”
