I’m surprised things turned out this way.
Siena and Nalea gazed silently at the letter on the table. The latter brought upon her usual innocent and unaffected smile, while the former knitted her brows tightly and her depressing aura flooded the entire room. Even without reading this letter from Marlene, they knew the situation was far from good. From the start, the battles between the Void Territory and Country of Darkness were still under control. But as days passed, the Country of Darkness intensified their attacks and the Void Territory didn’t seem to have the intention of backing down. This gave Siena a huge headache, but she didn’t need to worry about it any longer because the most troublesome thing just happened.
Charlie, one of the legendary generals of the Country of Darkness, led an army into battle, aggravating the conflict into a war. Not only that, but he also attempted to destroy Order, which violated the rules of Order. And now… the situation had developed in an irremediable direction that no one wished to see. If the twin sisters didn’t do anything about it, perhaps the issue might turn out even more critical.
“We can’t remain silent anymore, Big Sister. We have to take actions to ensure the safety and Order of the Dragon Soul Continent. This is our responsibility and duty. If this continues, who knows what will happen!”
Siena put away the letter in her hand, stood to her feet, and gazed sternly at the other young lady who gnawed at a biscuit like a hamster. Upon realizing her gaze, Nalea dropped the biscuit awkwardly and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
“I know, Siena… Indeed, His Majesty Ion has gone too far this time. No matter what, he was up against the deity wardens…”
In comparison to Ion and Lilian, Siena and Nalea had existed for the longest time. The twin sisters had been quietly watching over the continent and as a matter of fact, the Country of Law had the least number of replacements for its rulers. Up until this moment, only three Judgment & Ruling Twin Dragons had been replaced. Of course, this was also related to the nation itself. The Country of Darkness had night wyverns, the Country of Light had angels, and the Void Territory had man-made humans. Similarly, the Country of Law had their unique race—the elf dragons.
However, the so-called ‘elf dragons’ weren’t referring to elves residing in the forest. The ‘elf’ was only a collective term. As a matter of fact, apart from white elves, what made up most of the current elf community were moon elves and earth elves. But the ‘elf dragons’ were entirely different beings from them. They didn’t have descendants by means of breeding, but were ‘born’ from the fruits of the Spirit Tree enveloping the sacred grounds by gathering the power and essence of the sky and earth instead. Judging from this fact, the ‘elf’ was more like that monkey which Rhode had read about from a supernatural novel, where the monkey jumped out from the crack in a boulder and was ‘born’ from a tree.
Besides, no one knew if it was a coincidence as there were always two lives born whenever the fruits of the Spirit Tree ripened. This went to show that twins were part of a tradition in the Country of Law.
It was due to this reason that Siena and Nalea could withstand more dragon soul powers than ordinary humans and other dragons. Their bodies would also not deteriorate with age or be damaged due to expending too much dragon soul power. That was why in the Dragon Soul Continent, the twin dragons of the Country of Law lived the longest. Perhaps it was also due to this reason that the five Creator Dragons decided to put the Country of Law in charge of managing the Creation Code and not other countries. If it were the Country of Light that were responsible, no one knew what would happen to the Creation Code after the generations of inheritance.
For that reason, Siena and Nalea were the dragon soul heirs who understood the most about what sort of beings the deity wardens were. They knew that it was all a facade despite the deity wardens acting humbly toward them. In fact, with the status and strength of the deity wardens, Siena and Nalea could only accept the criticisms if the deity wardens were to shout abuse at them. After all, they were the deity wardens. They were on a totally different level above the dragon soul heirs who were only born later than them.
Besides, the Country of Darkness had indeed gone overboard this time. As a matter of fact, when Siena and Nalea learned that Ion had actually sent out one of the legendary generals into battle, they were stumped. After all, they didn’t expect the Dark Dragon to disregard them to this huge extent…
“Is there any response from His Majesty Rhode’s side?”
Siena let out a sigh and asked. Facing her question, Nalea carefully picked up another biscuit and tossed it into her mouth. Then, she shook her head.
“Nope… but his soul is doing fine. I suppose there aren’t too many troubles…”
Even though Rhode had left the continent, his soul was still connected to the dragon essence. If Rhode were dead, the dragon essence would dissipate and look for a new heir. And now, the dragon essence was in normal condition, which meant that Rhode was still alive and kicking.
“Alright then, I’m going to have a chat with His Majesty Ion.”
After hearing the response from the elder sister, Siena pondered for a few moments before making a decision. She felt like the situation had indeed gone out of control. But as for what the exact issue was, she wasn’t sure. That was why she had to check it out herself.
But shortly after, Siena realized that the situation was worse than she had imagined.
“His Majesty Ion refuses to meet me?”
She widened her eyes at the old man, Garcia, who was pale and speechless. According to official etiquette, the Dark Dragon absolutely had to welcome any dragon soul heirs who visited his territory—which, in this case, was one of the twin dragons who managed the Creation Code—so Siena didn’t expect to be refused entry at all. She had never experienced something like this before.
“No, that isn’t the case, Your Majesty Siena.”
Garcia showed a bitter look on his face. But he had no other ways around it. He had notified Ion that Siena was heading over way before she arrived, but Ion brushed him off instead. No, it was more like ever since that defeat, Ion locked himself up in the room and didn’t step out of it. Up until now, Garcia still recalled that scene. Upon witnessing everything that happened, including Charlie’s death, through the crystal ball, Ion seemed to have made up his mind about something. He raised his arm and was about to command when suddenly, Charlie snarled, clutched his sword, and black flames erupted from his blade to collide heavily with the white magical torrent.
The dazzling radiance flickered from the crystal ball and as soon as the radiance dissipated, the image on the crystal ball vanished entirely. Garcia and Balende exchanged looks and even though none of them spoke a word, they clearly knew that from then onward, another seat for the legendary general was emptied. But shortly after, Garcia and Balende discovered something terrifying and that was Ion’s expression.
Garcia swore that ever since he devoted himself to the Dark Dragon, he had never witnessed such an expression. Ion stared blankly at the crystal ball without any emotions. That behavior from him wasn’t meant to protect his dignity or anything. At that moment, Garcia felt like the Dark Dragon’s head was in a complete blank as though the one standing there wasn’t a mighty king, but was a stone-carved statue instead. This left Garcia speechless and trembling with fear. In an instant, Garcia, Balende, and Ion fell into a dead silence. After some time, Ion laid down the arm he raised from a few moments ago, turned around, and left the room quietly. Gazing at his back, neither Garcia nor Balende said anything because even they were at a loss for words.
It was thereafter that Ion locked himself up in the room and didn’t attend the routine morning meeting. Up until this moment, no one knew what was going through Ion’s head and exactly what he wanted to do. At the same time, Garcia reported Siena’s arrival to Ion, but Ion didn’t respond at all. Garcia felt helpless, but what else could he do? After all, he was only one of the legendary generals and not the Dark Dragon…
“Alright, I got it.”
Siena anticipated that Ion would be in a horrible mood. After all, the Country of Darkness had rarely fallen so terribly against the Void Territory. Aside from that, two of the four legendary generals also died in the hands of the Void Territory. During the Creation War, only one of the four legendary generals was dead. But now, two of them were killed in a short period of time. But, even though Siena sympathized with Ion’s feelings, she had to do what was necessary. That was why she nodded and retrieved a golden scroll from the fold of her pocket. Upon seeing the golden scroll, Garcia’s expression changed instantly. Of course, he knew what that was.
The declaration of the Creation Code!
Garcia knew little about it. The twin dragons were always in charge of the Creation Code. Whenever anyone violated the Creation Code, the twin dragons would make a verdict. What made matters worse was that verdicts didn’t require lawyers, appeals, retrials, and summoning of the plaintiff and defendant to court. As long as the Judgment & Ruling Twin Dragons judged that the party violated the Creation Code, that would be sufficient.
Unsure if the countries were simply fortunate or not, after the Creation War happened, none of them were handed the declaration of the Creation Code. And now, this was considered a ‘historic breakthrough’ for the Country of Darkness… which was something that Garcia definitely didn’t want to achieve.
“This is a warning. I suppose you’re aware that one of your four legendary generals, Charlie, broke the stability of Order in the battlefield. His actions have violated what an inhabitant of Order is allowed to do…”
Upon hearing Siena’s remarks, Garcia tense up instantly. He listened with a solemn look while gazing at the declaration. Shortly after, Siena changed the topic.
“… But since he is no longer alive, we will not hand out harsh punishment to your country. This is only a warning, but as the price to pay for violating the Creation Code, we request your country to stop attacking the Void Territory at once. Be it the reason, you’re no longer allowed to dispatch troops again. If not, the Country of Law will intervene in the battle… Please convey the message to His Majesty the Dark Dragon that all his actions have crossed the line.”
“Yes, Your Majesty Siena. I will ensure that your message is conveyed.”
After accepting the declaration from Siena respectfully, Garcia heaved a long sigh of relief and answered. What reassured him was that the Country of Law had spared some humiliation to the Country of Darkness and only issued a warning. If the Country of Law were to attack… he wasn’t sure how the current state of the Country of Darkness could handle it.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Siena nodded in response. Then, she knitted her brows and scanned the surroundings. For some unknown reason, she felt oddly uncomfortable in this particular trip to the Darkness Capital. It felt as though something uncharacteristic was brewing in this capital that was already enveloped in an ice-cold aura of death. Despite that, she couldn’t figure out where exactly it went wrong.
“Your Majesty Siena, is anything the issue?”
“… No.”
Siena thought of asking about the recent happenings in the Darkness Capital, but this thought merely cropped up in her mind for a split second and she shook her head in denial. No matter what, she was a ruler of the Country of Law and intervening with affairs of other Creator Dragons’ territories wasn’t appropriate of her. As for the discomfort she felt, she reckoned it was the instinctive reaction of a living being toward the aura of death permeating throughout the air of the Darkness Capital. After all, the Country of Law was exuberant all year round, while the Country of Darkness was basically a synonym for cemetery and death. The aura of death diffusing across the air was so ice-cold and bone-piercing that not even Siena was immune to them.
Maybe that’s why I feel uncomfortable…
At this thought, Siena nodded at Garcia and turned around. Shortly after, a dazzling green radiance flitted across Garcia’s vision and Siena disappeared without a trace. As soon as she was gone, Garcia let out a sigh, lowered his head to gaze at the declaration in his hand, and was at a loss for words. There was a second when Garcia thought of tossing the declaration away immediately in denial, but it was a pity that… it wouldn’t change the current state of the situation even if he did.
It was imaginable for Garcia what sort of uproar it would cause if the news of them receiving the declaration was made known to the public. The Country of Darkness was on the verge of collapse now. Two of the four legendary generals had died in a row and this bewildered all the undead creatures. Not only that, but Garcia was also aware that many humans living by the border of the Country of Darkness began to head to the Country of Light and Void Territory to seek shelter. It was apparent that the current Country of Darkness could no longer rely on their deterrence to keep the humans around, especially after Charlie’s death, which brought upon a bigger hit to their confidence. If it was said that Ashvril’s death led to the start of a power struggle between the ancient and new generation of noble families, the annihilation of Charlie and his elite army shook the undead creatures completely. Garcia was also aware that some ancient noble families had begun to consider breaking away from the Country of Darkness! Ever since the establishment of the Country of Darkness, this had never happened before under the rule of the Dark Dragon!
But Garcia also understood the reason behind this move: the ancient noble families lacked confidence in Ion.
Previously, everything was smooth sailing for Ion, be it internally or against foreign enemies. Thereafter, Ion reformed the Country of Darkness boldly and decisively and no one had any reasons to refuse. But ever since Rhode appeared out of nowhere, the Dark Dragon’s scheme was no longer effective. In all of his battles against Rhode, Ion almost never won, not to mention even being dominant. This caused many ancient noble families to harbor doubts about Ion’s capability. But if this was all, it still wouldn’t be enough to trigger such thoughts. After all, hierarchy in the Country of Darkness was exceedingly strict. But after losing millions of undead creatures and two legendary generals, even the most devoted supporters began to doubt their decisions. Would Ion stand a chance of winning against Rhode?
Not only that, but Ion’s actions also became increasingly insane. Other than Balende and Garcia, the patriarchs of various families were also aware of the happenings. They knew that Ion was pushing the limits of the entire Country of Darkness toward the border of the Void Territory. But the problem was that not only might the Country of Darkness not be unable to win the war, but they might also suffer a crushing defeat. In that case, the patriarchs had to make their own decisions and judgments. As of now, the Void Dragon wasn’t present and yet, the elites of the Country of Darkness suffered defeat after defeat. This result from the Country of Darkness was absolutely unacceptable.
But… What else can we do?
At this thought, Garcia let out a long sigh, turned around, and headed into the pitch-black corridor with the declaration in hand. The view of his back seemed so crooked to the extent that the gathering darkness devoured him effortlessly.
The future of the Country of Darkness seemed just like this sky, full of darkness. No one knew exactly which path it would be heading down.
Of course, Rhode also wasn’t aware of the answer. But now, he wasn’t in the mood to consider this issue because there was a bigger problem for him…
“Where in the world are we?”
Gazing at this barren, quiet, and vast land, Rhode held his forehead helplessly. Standing behind him were Lydia, Erin, as well as Marybelle, who led her subordinates. After settling all the trivia matters on Earth, Rhode activated the Akashic Key and channel to transmigrate everyone back to the continent. But… to his surprise, they didn’t return to where they came from, but arrived at this barren land instead.
“Could it be that our transmigration method was wrong, Leader?”
Shaking her head and listening to the music in her earpieces, Mini Bubble Gum knitted her brows and asked softly. Facing her doubt, Rhode shook his head.
“Impossible. I activated the channel according to the original coordinates. Logically speaking, we should be back in the Dragon Soul Continent now.”
Rhode had taken the necessary steps to confirm this fact before taking actions. But now… what was this ridiculous situation?
“That’s right, Your Majesty. We’ve indeed returned to the Dragon Soul Continent. There isn’t any mistake with the coordinates, I can assure you of this.”
At that moment, Marybelle spoke. She wasn’t as surprised as Rhode and the rest. Upon hearing her comments, Rhode couldn’t help but twitch his brows.
“This is the Dragon Soul Continent? But where in the world are we? I don’t see anyone. Besides…”
Rhode said, lifting his head to gaze at the sky. No, he wasn’t sure if this was even a ‘sky’. Because at a glance, there was a white brilliance shining from above. However, that wasn’t the radiance of the sun. Strictly speaking, it felt like the sky was laid with a layer full of incandescent lights by someone and wasn’t in the form of a dragon soul protection. Not only that, but Rhode also felt like the surroundings were abnormally desolate. There were no signs of life or death at all as though they were inside an imaginary, empty hole of nothingness. This was what Rhode felt. There seemed to only be nothingness and there was nothing else apart from it.
“… I can’t feel any dragon soul power.”
“That’s for sure, Your Majesty.”
Upon hearing his doubt, Marybelle responded softly.
“Because this was a place abandoned by the Creator Dragons and where they were born. Or perhaps, I should say that this was the place of birth for all lives of Order and the foundation of the Dragon Soul Continent—the First Wilderness.”
