Thalia nodded with a smile. "I see.""Let's go, girl. Draco captured our debtor. Then, we'll ask them to hand him over." Lorelei took Thalia's hand and got out of the villa.And then they vanished into thin air again.…A few military Hummers were going down the wide roads of Riverton's outskirts. Draco ordered his men to take in the remnants of Blackdragon.Aside from Cashmere, many important Blackdragon members were captured. They would be taken to Zone: Draco, where they would be interrogated. After all, they did cross Nox.Aside from the Hummers, the tanks had returned to the military zone. Draco took a helicopter to get back after he left Watercloud Villa.Only a dozen armed soldiers were taking Cashmere and everyone else in. Cashmere and the remnants of Blackdragon were ashen.A few days ago, they were the underground rulers of the River Tri-State area, but then, in less than half a day, their chamber of commerce was pulverized. Even Logan was killed.Everything was like
The girl wasn't afraid of Harold at all. She was licking her lollipop, still standing around.Harold asked, "Why are you out here alone, girl? Where are your folks?"The girl only laughed."It's dangerous out here. You shouldn't be playing alone. Listen to me and get out of here. Go back to your folks," Harold persuaded.He thought the girl would leave, but she was still standing around in silence. Confused, Harold crouched. "Did you hear me, girl? You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous."The girl pointed at the Hummer behind Harold.Curious, Harold turned around. The girl pointed at the car, escorting Cashmere and the Blackdragon remnants. "Mister, I need one of the guys in there. He owes my family rent. Can you get him out here so he can pay his rent?" asked the girl.'Rent?' Harold was flummoxed. He looked at the girl again. She was about six or seven years old, and her hair was tied in pigtails. 'It looks like she just got out of kindergarten, and she's already collecting ren
The moment Lorelei's voice echoed, Thalia smirked, and she retreated. "You're done for. Lorelei will kill you for what you tried to do to me!"Everyone was grim."Who goes there?""Come out here!"There was no one around. Just when the guards wondered what they should do, a crone appeared before Thalia. Everyone pointed their rifles at her."Who are you? Why are you stopping us?"Lorelei didn't even look at the armed forces. She patted Thalia. "Stay back, girl. I'll deal with these pests."Thalia nodded and moved away. Lorelei then turned around and scanned the armed guards. She approached them."Freeze!""One more step, and we'll open fire!"The soldiers held up their rifles against Lorelei, but the crone didn't even dodge. She licked her lips and challenged darkly, "Open fire, then."Furious, a guard said, "Open fire!"The soldiers fired off incessantly, but before the bullets could hit Lorelei, she vanished. The bullets flew through the air, but Lorelei was nowhere to be
Cashmere and the other captives blanched. They kept quiet and stared at the crone outside. Lorelei looked at Cashmere venomously. She then scanned around and asked, "Where's our slave, Logan Royal?"The captives froze. They didn't expect the crone to ask about a dead man. They were wondering why that was, but Lorelei extended her arm and grabbed a Blackdragon member.She crushed his neck before he could fight back. "I'll ask again: where is our slave, Logan Royal? Answer me, or you shall die!" threatened Lorelei.The captives just saw the crone kill someone like it was nothing, and they were terrified. A member said, "I'll speak! Mr. Royal… is dead!" He was shaking like a leaf."The slave is dead?" Lorelei frowned."Yes! You can ask the Enlightened!" The captive pointed at Cashmere.Lorelei turned to Cashmere.Shivering, Cashmere quickly answered, "Yes, Mr. Royal is dead!"Lorelei harrumphed. "That slave died before he paid his dues?"Cashmere couldn't believe what he was hear
At the same time, a silhouette appeared at the base of the mountain. The man was in a yellow robe, and he had beady eyes. He was none other than Jebediah White.Nox almost killed him, but Jebediah surrendered, and Nox brought him under his control with his Death Seal. At this moment, Jebediah was staring at the fog-covered Dragoncourt in hesitation. He wondered if he should see Nox.A long, long time later, he gnashed his teeth. "Alright, let's do this." Jebediah entered Dragoncourt.The moment Jebediah stepped into the fog, Nox was notified of his presence. The look in his eyes grew cold, and he flew up into the air.Jebediah was but an Attuned Realm sorcerer. He was trapped in the formation the moment he stepped into it. Eventually, he was led in circles and breathing raggedly.A voice asked icily, "You insect. How dare you breach my formation?"Scared, Jebediah felt his legs go limp and plopped on the ground. "Have mercy! It's me!"The voice was familiar. Nox waved his hand,
Jebediah saw the Frostpills, and he froze for a moment. His eyes then gleamed with worship. Pills and elixirs were the treasures sorcerers could refine, but not many could do that.Refining pills required a great understanding and mastery over sorcery, and they had to be at least Attuned Realm sorcerers to do it. Nox was at least as powerful as a Grandmaster, and he even knew Jebediah's patriarch. Jebediah only had respect for him now.He stood aside, quiet as a mouse. Nox kept making Frostpills, leaving Jebediah alone. Nox placed expensive herbs in his palm, and he ran his inner energy through his veins. A short while later, a wave of scorching energy shot out. The herbs were refined into liquids.Jebediah watched as the liquids became pills, and he stood in awe. An hour later, Nox had made a few Frostpills. Once he was done, he tucked the pills away.Jebediah was still standing like a good little pup.Nox suddenly turned to him. "You really want to work for me?"Jebediah droppe
Nox looked at the book and smiled. Jebediah handed Kingdom's Ranking to him. "Look. This is the Heavenly Ranking and Earthly Ranking of Faeast's strongest in the last hundred years."Nox took the book and flipped it open. The first page read 'Heavenly Ranking Top Ten Martial Artists.' Under that was a name. It read 'Lord Nox.'Nox then flipped to the top ten of Earthly Ranking. The first page still read 'Lord Nox.'When Kingdom's Ranking was announced, Nox took the top spots in martial arts and sorcery as Lord Nox. Such remarkable feat had never been achieved by anyone else but him.Seeing this ranking again made Nox lament the past. Jebediah, however, had no idea Nox was the one and only Lord Nox. Like all people of Faeast, he thought Nox had died in the Ocean of Death.Jebediah said, "Sir, that's Lord Nox, once the top man of Faeast. He's always been the strongest in sorcery and martial arts. Even our patriarch said Lord Nox's power outstripped anyone in the last hundred years."
"How'd Nono and Mr. Weeks do it? They dealt with Blackdragon in less than a day." Queenie racked her brain, but she couldn't find any explanation."Forget it. As long as Nono's fine, I'm alright." She started missing Nox again. "I wonder where Nono is. Wonder if he's doing okay."Queenie took her phone out and called the phone she left with Nox. A while later, she heard his voice. "Nono, what are you doing?""Nothing," said Nox."Can you come out, then?" Queenie asked."Come out? Right now?""Yeah. You have a problem with that?"Nox was quiet for a moment. "No.""Good." Queenie chuckled. "Give me your address. I'll pick you up.""Sure." Nox hung up, and he gave Queenie an address.When Queenie saw that Nox was at Dragoncourt, she was bewildered. "Why's Nono at Dragoncourt?" She was curious, but she didn't think too much about it.She put on some makeup and got changed. When she was done, Queenie picked up her bag and went out. George was watering his plants. When he saw Quee
But he swore his loyalty to Nox. "Listen up, Aphrodite. I am the leader of the Inkdarks! They did try to take my divine bones away, and I did slaughter them. Someone like me doesn't deserve love, much less something that runs this deep, but I don't regret what I did. If it was my family that wanted to kill me, I would sacrifice myself for it."But the path of the ancient divine never was going to spare them. They had cast a killing spell on them. I had no choice but to put everything on the line! They'd die a quicker death at my hands! I swore my loyalty to Nox not because of his power. Not because he helped me smash a hole through the mountain."It's because he's the only one who knows me! He can understand how helpless I was! I will die for those who truly understand and empathize with me! What about you? You tried to manipulate him even in your final moments! I don't do that kind of shit! He's my bro, and I'm ride or die!" Kirin growled.Kirin activated his Sacred Beast Seal, and
Though Aphrodite was smart, she could never outsmart the heavens themselves. If she wanted to pass their trial, she must step into the game. The price to pay was her life, regardless of the outcome. After she stepped into the game, the cube started to turn, and a sea of evil spirits pounced at Nox and his team.Kirin was about to make his move, but Nox stopped him. "You do your job, I do mine. Leave everything to me," said Nox coldly. The look on his face was icy. His heart was burning with rage, and he needed to vent.Of course Nox hated how fate arranged things. If Aphrodite hadn't been born to the Mousses, things would've been different. But she was born to them, and given her personality, she had no choice but to do what she did.Nox cast Eight Techniques, and all eight spheres burned everything in their way. His heart raged for Aphrodite. He loved her once, and he hated her once. He was clear on how he felt about her.The phantoms and spirits wailed in agony as the flames burn
"Oh, for fuck's sake. If you want to die, then die. What in hell was that speech for? You know you deserve that, don't you?" Kirin knew Aphrodite was trying to manipulate Nox again. He was worried his lord would fall for her trick and rekindle his flame for her."Don't fall for her lies, milord. Once a traitor, always a traitor!" Kirin quickly said. He didn't want Nox to trip again."No one knows your name, Kirin, but I do. Nox told me about it. Inkdark, that's your family. You're a prodigy of the path of the ancient divine. You're feral, untameable. Threatened by the path of the ancient divine, your family tried to strip you of your divine bones, so you slaughtered them all and went to Mystia."Someone like you can never understand love! Love doesn't mean you have to control a person! Even if you'll never grasp them, you can still love them! The path of cultivation is a path of no return, but love is not!"Nox will never forget this day, I swear! I will make sure he remembers that
Nox gave her a guarantee, but that wasn't what Aphrodite wanted to hear. She wanted Nox's first promise to her. She wanted him to stay with her no matter what came their way. She stared at Nox, and there was determination in his eyes, but she didn't see the emotion she wanted to.Aphrodite smiled bitterly. Nox had done what he promised her. Looking into his eyes, she said, "The Generals work for you. Though they carry out my orders, they are loyal to you. Vermilion Bird looked into my case behind your back before the battle at the Ocean of Death. You must know something about it."The look in Nox's eyes changed. "What are you trying to say?""You know I'd betray you even before the battle, didn't you? No, you had enough intel, and you had a feeling it was coming," said Aphrodite.Without hesitation, Nox nodded. "Even so, you kept the promise you made to me. Maybe you were prepared to abandon me, and you were just waiting for me to break my oath.""Yes," said Nox honestly. "I alway
"They had a reason. From what I know, the most ancient form of words was created to commemorate an event. Like sacrificial rituals, the ancestors believed that words carry mysterious power. They connect us to the world and the gods themselves," said Queenie. One word carried a lot of information within, so it was natural they would be complex.Aphrodite solved another surface in the meantime. Everyone could guess the meaning behind that rune. "Loads of sacrificial ritual items. Sacrifice?" Nineve pointed at the rune.Queenie was speechless. "Not that simple. Ceremony, I think.""Ceremony? Human? Compassion?" Nox muttered. Whether their guess was right, no one knew. They needed Aphrodite's explanation. She was going faster and faster. Not too long after that, she'd solved five out of six sides, but she slowed down on the final side.Nox knew her enough to see her confusion. "She's starting to doubt her judgment. I knew it. There's more to this cube."Though Aphrodite doubted her ju
"I don't know, but it's worth a shot," said Aphrodite. She then tried to solve the thing like it was a Rubix cube. Every surface had three hundred squares. Solving it was a huge project. Patience alone wasn't enough. They need brains. No one in the team but Aphrodite could do this.Nox used to play standard Rubix cube when he was a kid. That thing had a formula to it. Master the technique, and it could be solved easily, but unless someone took the time to learn it, solving it without any help would be hard. If Nox had to do it, they could never solve the puzzle.He didn't even memorize the runes' arrangements. He could spend his whole life solving the cube, and he would still fail. Everyone knew how difficult this thing was, so no one pushed Aphrodite."Good thing you saved her, milord. No one could have solved this cube otherwise," Kirin said telepathically.Nox answered, "Perhaps, but if she wasn't around, I'd brute force my way through. Anything man-made can be destroyed through
Something inside the cube rang out. The explosion didn't even make it do anything, but Nineve's kick got a response out of it. Everyone wondered why, but then the sounds of gears turning came from the cube.Kirin gasped. "Maybe the empress is hiding inside. Or maybe the cultivators locked her in there." No one knew the real reason. Not even Nox's divine sense could see what was inside the cube."No idea, but the cube's big enough to hold one person," said Nox."A prison. That's the best you can come up with. She did not lose the battle, you know. To an extent, her spell worked. If she spreads it across the world, she'll be its one and only ruler, but I don't believe a spell that perfect exists. An unimaginable price must be paid for it, and it's a price we cannot afford," said Aphrodite.Kirin was about to bristle, but Aphrodite approached the cube and touched it. Blinding light reflected from its surface. The light rippled outward, and crisscrossing lines split the cube's surface
"Even if you're the Nine-State Lord's woman, your treason is still punishable by death!" Voltaic glared at Aphrodite. If it weren't for the founder's order and her connection to Nox, Voltaic would've killed her.Aphrodite did not look happy either. Power meant everything. Voltaic was a powerful man, and he had nothing to worry about. Even during her family's zenith, she wouldn't dare cross him."Just go, Voltaic. I have my reasons. If you want to stay, then you and Mufasa get out of Celestial Domain and wait for me outside. When I get through this, the path of the ancient divine's coming after me. You can help me when that happens," said Nox.Voltaic gnashed his teeth but eventually decided to do as Nox told him to. "Fine, if you say so. But be careful. We don't get a Sovereign every day. Your life is not just yours. Faeast's people depend on you." He then hollered a Mufasa and left.Mufasa bowed to Kirin. "I shall take my leave now, sir." And he left with Voltaic. No one stopped t
Kirin grabbed the ladies and regrouped with Nox. Not too long after that, Voltaic and Mufasa arrived. Voltaic wasn't in his best condition. Fending off the aftershock of that Saintly technique took too much of his life essence. Mufasa was in so deep a shock, his pupils dilated."I thought you'd leave Mystia's bastards to me, lad! But you took them all out!" Voltaic complained.Mufasa bristled. "Will you shut up? If he hadn't used that Saintly technique, I would've died!" Mystia's cultivators were handing his ass to him. He almost died.Nox said, "That wasn't me, but it doesn't matter now. The true test begins now. You can't do anything beyond this point. You can leave now," said Nox."What? But I haven't had fun!" Voltaic swung his swords. He was far from his limits. Since he was here, might as well see the empress. Better yet, he wanted to fight her."Leave. No one knows what's going to happen. Besides, the founder only told us to come. He didn't ask anyone else to. You can't han