Jebediah almost sputtered. "What are you talking about? We don't hate you.""You guys like me?" Thalia raised her head."Yeah. You're small and cute. Of course, we like you," Jebediah answered honestly.Thalia paused. She heaved a sigh. "I still have to go. Greenie found himself a wife."Jebediah asked, "You sure you're going home?""Yes. I already contacted my family. They should be here in a couple of days." Thalia looked toward the east.Jebediah thought Thalia texted her family. He didn't think it was a supernatural type of contact. "Okay. It's your call. You're still young, and you've been out for a while now. Your family must be worried."Thalia nodded. "If you ever come to Imperia, I can show you my clan. You may not know, but my clan is huge. I have three brothers, and they're awesome. You'll get the VIP treatment." Thalis thumped her chest confidently.Jebediah smiled. "We'll meet up when I get to Imperia.""It's a promise."They talked for a while longer, and Thalia
"Master Kristoff, the Lesterian Chamber of Commerce in Imperia has contacted the Healer Sect. They requested a visit to the family. What is your division?" the mousey man asked."That chamber is only worth 100 billion, and Healer Sect is a declining organization. Request denied," Kristoff said."Yes, sir." The pair backed off while Kristoff kept fiddling with his bracelet.Kristoff was in charge of the family's internal affairs. He was the head of the family on paper. Meanwhile, Lucas was immersed in the martial arts. He kept himself in a solitary room, training all day. No one knew how powerful he was.As for Hector, ever since he joined an overseas organization, he never came back. The Wood family had a lot of powerful people working for them, with The Twelve Zodiacs being the most famous. Standing with Kristoff were Mouse and Ox, the boss and last member, respectively, of The Twelve Zodiacs.They came with Kristoff to search for the missing Lorelei and take Thalia back. The
"We'll have use of him eventually, so just let him have his fun."Mouse said nothing more at Kristoff’s words. The moans echoed in the private jet for ten minutes longer and stopped. Houston said, "Get me some booze, will you."Mouse and Ox's faces fell, but they were ready to oblige. Kristoff suddenly stood up. "I'll do it.""A military guy isn't worth your time, sir," Mouse protested."He's a guest, Mouse." Kristoff took a bottle of expensive wine and approached the cabin. Mouse was disgruntled.The cabin was a bedroom, though it was messy, with women's apparel and lingerie strewn across the ground. A hideous man lay on the bed naked while a pair of beautiful air stewardesses lay in his arms."Your wine, Mr. Pear." Kristoff came in."Ah, Kristoff. You shouldn't have." Houston quickly sat up."It's an honor, Mr. Pear. Don't mind me." Kristoff smiled."The honor is mine. Didn't think I'd have you serving me wine." Houston took the bottle of wine from Kristoff.Kristoff didn't
Kristoff only smiled. He had no right to talk about the Shadow Division. They were part of the military's strength and the guards of Lord Nox. Under his leadership, the Shadow Division had delivered bloodshed to the ten nations.During the spy wars of the ten nations, they had made incomparable contributions. When Lord Nox was around, the Shadow Division was the military's top division. They could act without orders should they deem it necessary.Ever since Lord Nox's fall, the Shadow Division had been the target of many attacks from the military. In the last meeting, some generals even proposed the disbanding of the Shadow Division, but it was objected to, all thanks to the contributions they made.Still, that didn't change the fact the Shadow Division was isolated in the military."So, what brings you here to Riverton, Kristoff?" Houston took a sip of his wine."Personal reasons. My sister snuck out of home, so I'm here to pick her up," Kristoff answered."I see. If you have ti
Thalia rested her chin on her hands and stared into the distance. A whole day went by just like that.The next day, a couple of cars stopped at the mountain's base.Kristoff asked, "This is where her signal came from?""Yes, sir," Mouse said.Kristoff looked at Dragoncourt. He opened the car door and hopped out. Mouse, Pig, and the Wood family's guards followed."Get up there and take Thalia home," Kristoff said."What about shitface, sir?" Mouse pointed at the drunken Houston in the back of the car."Let him sleep," Kristoff said."Yes, sir."Kristoff led a pair of warriors up the mountain with him, but the moment they stepped onto the path, the formation started working. Mouse felt something change, and his face fell. "Careful, sir. There's a formation here."Kristoff stood still, his eyes narrowed. He was staring at the shifting formation. "Interesting. What place is this? Why does it have a formation? Mouse, break this formation.""Yes." Mouse touched his forehead, where
Only then did the trio manage to stop the terrifying formation, but barely. At the same time, a disembodied voice boomed, "Who dares intrude? You will pay with your lives!"A blast of pressure as heavy as a mountain slammed down on Kristoff, Mouse, and Pig. At the same time, a dashing figure came down from the skies and landed heavily on the ground.The moment Nox appeared, his regal aura crashed onto the intruders. Kristoff and his team felt chills down their spines. As one of the top three fighters in his family, although he wasn't the strongest, he was still a prominent figure.Even so, when he saw Nox, his heart raced with fear. His mind screamed at him as though Nox was a god, not a human."Who are you?" Mouse asked. He was a Rank Five Grandmaster, but even he felt fear at the sight of Nox. He tensed up. His eyes gleamed green, trained on the enemy before him.Nox didn't look at him. Icily, he said, "You barged into my domain but have the gall to ask me who I am?""Don't was
This was the first person who dared to take that tone with him after he made a name for himself.Kristoff asked, "That's a bit too much, don't you think? You beat up my men.""That's what you think? If I were the one defeated, would they show me mercy?" asked Nox coldly.Nox was right. If he was defeated, they'd have killed him. The Twelve Zodiacs were cruel killers, after all.Kristoff was in a dilemma. He didn't expect a run-in with someone this powerful from the get-go. "A bit harsh. I know my men were in the wrong, and I apologize. If you spare them, my family will remember this. You'll have our favor. Is that alright?""You think the Wood family is enough to threaten me?" Nox looked displeased."W-Wait. How do you know I'm a Wood?" Kristoff was horrified. A moment ago, he was just shocked at Nox's prowess, but now he was scared stiff. His family rarely showed themselves, and no one knew he came to Riverton.Even so, Nox saw through him.Nox said shrilly, "That was Rashomon
"They get on their knees and apologize. Then I will spare them," said Nox coldly.Kristoff had no choice but to tell his men to do as they were told. Mouse and Pig were reluctant, but their lives were on the line. In the end, they went down on their knees and groveled.Only then did Nox say, "Now you can bugger off." He turned around."Wait a minute."Nox stopped. "What? You have a complaint?""No, of course not. I came here to pick my sister up. Please, can you let me do that much?" asked Kristoff.Nox knew these people came for Thalia the moment he recognized Rashomon, and he said nothing. Nox waved his hand, and the fog disappeared. A moment later, Kristoff, Mouse, and Pig saw a petite figure standing in front of them.'Thalia!'Thalia was at the doorway, and she saw her family on the path all of a sudden. "Hm? Kristoff, is that you?" The girl happily bounced over to her brother.Kristoff gasped, "Thalia!"Thalia hopped into Kristoff's arms. "Kristoff, finally! I missed yo
Queenie did as she was told and flew into the mountain. She was met with a gigantic furnace, and Flame Emperor was trapped within, suffering the burn. His astral form was extremely weakened."Look closely. This is not your usual fire. It's making me into an elixir, slowly refining my providence and funneling it into the coffin. The coffin's connected to Celestial Domain, and that place transfers my providence to the witch. She wishes to use my providence to gain greater heights."The empress is now a Five-ring Minor Saint. One step, and she'll be a Great Saint," explained Flame Emperor."She's using Nox to become a Great Saint?" Queenie asked."Exactly. If Nox relents and sacrifices himself for her, she can absorb his providence and become a Great Saint. The moment she does, she will activate Celestial Burtial and absorb the providence of all civilizations around the world. She wants to sacrifice the whole world for her own success."Queenie had her answers, but what confused her
Dominic was fighting with his life, buying time for Queenie. Suddenly, the empress' eye power weakened, and it couldn't even fight Dominic's will-of-the-sword. "What is this? What's Nox doing?"Dominic's will-of-the-sword noticed the scent of death coming from Nox. This mustn't happen. Nothing must happen to Nox, or his sacrifice would've been for nothing. "Stand up, Nox! You're not giving up here!" Dominic called out to Nox with his will-of-the-sword. As a fellow swordsman, Nox noticed the call."I want you to live Nox. I don't want you to die with me. I know this is all fake, but I just want to confirm what my father told me before. If someone's dying here, it's me!" Nineve lunged at Nox and held him tightly."Very well, then we're killing our way out of here!"Nineve nodded. Nox used his eye power to break the formation by force. With will-of-the-sword, he carved a path out of the formation. At the same time Nox and Nineve ran for their lives, Queenie was making her way to the m
"Nineve, Queenie is at risk right now! If I don't stop the empress, she will use her spell to control the whole world! Faeast will be gone! We will never rise again!" Nox said solemnly. He was worried this might happen. He wasn't scared of any illusion, but the rules would change if Nineve was in the picture.Her wish would affect Nox. When Nox brought Queenie up, she cried. "So you care about her the most. Go to her, then! No one loves me! I deserve this! I did this to myself! I should've given up everything to save you! I don't care about anything now. I just want to stay right here and be with my father!"Nineve had given up, and Nox wanted to scream. He wasn't sure how he should explain it to Nineve. Love needed no explanation, however."What do I do, Your Majesty?? I can't give her up for Nineve, and I can't give up Nineve for her. I can't make a choice." Nox was in a dilemma. No matter the decision, he would regret it. From a big picture perspective, he should save Queenie. Ho
Dominic's energy formed a barrier, and his sword merged with his astral form. This was a true fusion between man and sword."Do you want to die that much, old man? It's not too late to back out. I can set up an exit, and your astral form can leave. Refuse, and I will snuff you out." The empress' face contorted. She was a demoness, and not an ounce of her beauty was left on her face.Dominic laughed. "Death does not scare me. It is not the end. Glory is what I seek. Generations to come will know me as a saintly swordsman, but none will remember even your name. You failed even after seventy thousand years. You will not get what you want! Give up on your delusions and accept reality!"There was a hint of death wish in Dominic's will-of-the-sword. Should he die in this battle, his name would be known throughout Faeast. He wasn't scared at all."Damn you. I will kill you! None of your faction will live!" The empress' third eye was bloodshot, and then the crimson strings came crawling ou
Aphrodite didn't react much. She said, "If she kills you, it's a good thing. Proves that you're a capable person. It's easy to kill someone. Not so much when it comes to controlling the heart. She doesn't have the power to control your soul just yet.""What the hell are you talking about? Same difference. Just tell me what I should do now. My sacred beasts are running out of energy. I can't ask them to put their lives on the line. They're practically an endangered species! They mustn't die!" Kirin had no choice but to call back the sacred beasts that'd exhausted their energy and dispel them.The Generals weren't sacred beasts, but they were Kirin's friends. He couldn't watch them die here."Oh, pipe down. There's nothing to worry about." Aphrodite snorted."So you have a plan?" Kirin thought they had hope, seeing that Aphrodite was so calm."No. I did everything I could. Everything is in fate's hands now," said Aphrodite."Dammit! What do you mean you did everything you could? I
"We're out." Dominic and Queenie were back in the real world. He saw the demonic mountain and the desolate world around him, and he wondered if this was another formation."We're out, master. This is the real world. Nono said Flame Emperor's trapped under the mountain," said Queenie solemnly."No, it's not the mountain that has him trapped; it's the empress." Dominic gasped. "No, that's not right. She doesn't have the right or authority to do that." He frowned. "And where's Nox?" he asked curiously. He only got out thanks to Nox's guidance, but the guy was nowhere to be found.Nox and Nineve fell into another illusion formation, and this time, they were transported back to Imperia. The formation carved out the whole city, and Nox was surprised it managed that. Nineve's head was spinning. She grabbed Nox's arm and wouldn't stop talking."Are we back in Imperia? You killed that bitch, Nox?"Nox was speechless. "No, we're in another illusion. Dammit, this can't trap me, but figuring
"What is he doing? Is he going to put everything on the line? No, he's trying to take the domain's control from me. How dare he! No, the golden kirin is something much more ancient than I am. If he activates some sort of secret spell, he might actually pull this off!"The empress would not leave this battle to chance. One mistake, and she would lose everything. She had no choice but to do everything she could to stop Kirin. However, using her eye power meant she would be distracted.And an opening was created.Nox was in the mist, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Weird. The mist is growing thin. The empress' eye power is weakening?" This might be a trap, but Nox didn't care."Eight Saintly Techniques, Blazing Holy Eyes." Nox's golden eyes appeared and dispelled most of the mist. Right away, he found an opening. "Heaven's Demise! Shatter this thing!"He cast a Forbidden Art, and flames burned everything. A talisman sprang forth and burned into a crisp. The moment its ashes w
Nox, Nineve, Queenie, and Dominic were in the mist, all worried about one another. Back in Celestial Domain, the spirits' attack was growing fiercer. Some were even close to devouring the sacred beasts. Kirin had to call back the sacred beasts and send them away to keep the bloodline going."There are too many people who have died in this place over the last seventy millennia. We can't hope to kill them all. We can't last much longer at this rate." Kirin himself was bearing too much weight. He couldn't join the fray."I think it's time," Aphrodite suddenly said."What? Is it the final moment?" Kirin asked solemnly."No. I mean the empress is backed into a corner. You might think she's still relentless, but I think she's at her wit's end. Time to give her the final push. She's too tense, and one little distraction is enough to create an opening," answered Aphrodite seriously.Kirin had no idea what she had in mind, but he knew she wasn't lying. She was doing this for a reason. "Wha
Queenie was a little shocked. 'Next time? Please, no.'"I knew something was wrong. Nono wasn't sure if Nineve was Flame Emperor's descendant, but the one in the illusion was certain. I knew it was fake, but I couldn't help myself." Queenie sighed. She still couldn't get over herself.Dominic laughed. "You need some confidence. Be arrogant if you have to. It's better than to be craven. If Nineve is a Sovereign's descendant, then there must be a reason for your being here. Let's see if we can uncover the mystery."Dominic was about to take Queenie into a search for the truth, but Queenie stopped him. "Tell me the truth. Since you're an astral form, does that mean you're a sacrifice too?" she asked solemnly."No, not exactly. I can't break the formation, but I can enter it, though that comes with a price. It can't hurt me, but going out won't be easy." It was pointless to lie now, after all."So the empress can't hurt you for now, but if she wants to drag everyone down with her and