"Do you know why I brought you here, Nono?" Queenie approached the center of the plants.Nox shook his head."Because this is my secret garden." Queenie caressed the plants. She planted and cared for them herself. "Not even my parents know of this place. Every time I feel upset or bullied, I always come here alone. You're the first one to enter my secret garden."Nox looked around the room.Suddenly, Queenie pointed at the Carola. "Do you know what this flower's name is?"Nox shook his head, feigning ignorance."Carola, the wishing rose. They're grown in Findella, and the type of rose I love the most. And it carries a great meaning behind it. You can tell your most beautiful wish to it. I heard Findellan royalty loves them, too. Pity they're rare and expensive…"Queenie carefully caressed the rose's petals. "Nono, kneel with me," Queenie blurted."You want me to kneel?" No one ever asked Nox to kneel. Besides his parents and mentors, of course."Yeah. Come on. Get on your knee
Morning came. Queenie came down, all dressed up in professional attire. The black suit showed off her waist perfectly, and a pair of black stockings encased her legs. She looked just like a perfect modern lady."I'm going to work, Nono. Stay home, okay?" Queenie drove to the company, leaving Nox alone at home.Nox saw her off and was about to return to his room, but someone sneered. Nox turned around to see George glaring at him."Just because Dad likes you doesn't mean you can stay in this household all you want. As long as I'm here, I'm not going to let this happen. And my daughter is too good for you. I'd leave if I were you. You're nothing but an embarrassment."Nox didn't even bother. He left for his room."Hey, I'm talking to you! Are you deaf? Hey!" George finally realized Nox was ignoring him, and he almost went berserk with rage.Yvette came out. "What's wrong, George?"George stomped his foot. "I can't believe this!""Who got on your nerves?" Yvette was confused."Wh
A truck trudged down the road and came to a stop before the Sanders Residence. A whole stash of Carola roses was tucked in the container. A group of workers leaped off the truck.George and Yvette came out. They saw the truck and the whole stash of beautiful roses, but they wondered what was up."What are you guys doing?" George asked one of the truckers.The trucker answered, "Hey, we have a flower delivery here.""A flower delivery?""Yeah. We bought the whole city's supply of Carola roses this morning for Miss Queenie Sanders. Is she in?"'What? These are for Queenie?' Yvette and George were stupefied. They couldn't believe these people bought the whole city's supply of Carola just for Queenie."You bought the whole city's roses for my daughter? Who sent you?" Yvette asked in shock.One of the truckers answered, "The Empire Corp. Wait, you don't know?"The answer petrified George and Yvette for a moment, and then they started to buzz with excitement. "The Empire Corp again!
Nox was reminded of Draco. That man had once stood before a mountain of corpses, and yet he still charged ahead with no questions asked. Draco was one of his best friends and his fiercest general.In the Battle of the Ten Nations, Nox dispatched Draco to the western battlefront. As a result, Draco wasn't around when Nox fell in battle.Since his friend was coming to the event anyway, Nox answered, "If Draco is coming, then I can make some time for the event.""Of course. Someone will pick you up on the day of the ball."Nox hung up after that and looked at the overcast sky. He blinked.Queenie's parents led the truckers inside."Slow down. Place the roses here." George was leading the way. "Be careful. That's my daughter's favorite rose. Slow down."And then something struck him. "Hey, wait a minute. How'd your boss even know Queenie loves Carola?"The truckers had no answer for that, so they shook their heads. Nox showed up, and his appearance angered George."Hey, Nox, look
Queenie's parents approached her quickly. "Queenie, you're back."Queenie pointed at the sea of flowers in surprise. "What's with these roses?"With a smile, George said, "Alexander bought these for you.""The same Alexander from Empire Corp?" Queenie was speechless.Yvette chimed in, "Yeah. He's really nice, don't you think?"Queenie did not look happy at all. Instead, she was flabbergasted. She thought, 'Empire Corp bought a sea of roses for me? Why? Are they mad?'Curious, she asked, "But why did Alexander get me so many roses?"George answered with a question, "You still can't see why?""You mean you can?" Queenie asked back."Yes. Because he likes you."Shocked, Queenie spewed and sputtered. "That has to be some sort of joke. I don't even know what the guy looks like, and you're telling me he likes me?"George was grinning. "Just because you haven't seen him doesn't mean he hasn't seen you before. Besides, you know full well why a man would buy roses for a lady."Queen
Queenie stepped away."Hold it right there, girl! You think just because you're the head of this family now, I can't keep you in check? I'll never let you marry that bastard as long as I'm alive!"George was screaming like a madman, but Queenie ignored him. She went back to her room only to see another sea of roses, and her face fell. She loved Carolas, but this was still something someone else gave her.She told the servants to take down all the roses and move them out. The servants couldn't believe their ears. "Miss Queenie, are you sure we're discarding all of them?""Yes, all of them. I don't want them," Queenie answered.The servants had a lot of questions, but they kept their mouths shut and moved the roses out.Nox came in. When he saw the servants moving the roses out of Queenie's room, he frowned. Into the room he went, and Queenie saw him."Just in time, Nono." She approached Nox. "Help me toss these roses away.""Why?" Nox was speechless."There is no why. I just do
Queenie locked herself in the study and searched up everything she could about Empire Corp and Alexander. A while later, she saw the information about that company and its owner.She stared at Alexander's photo and huffed angrily. "Holy smokes, this guy is old enough to be my dad. I can't believe he wants to date me. And he also has a daughter about my age. The perv!""No way," she said. "No way I'm letting this perv woo me. I need to meet up with him and clear things up." Queenie closed up her notebook and tried her best to calm down."And I can't believe Nox isn't at least mad or jealous. Another guy is trying to woo me. Unbelievable." Queenie was getting angrier and angrier. She whipped up her panda plushie and started punching it like it was Nox.…For the whole day, Queenie ignored Nox. She was really mad.Nox felt aggrieved. He gave her a whole city's supply of Carola, but Queenie thought it was a gift from Alexander.The next morning, George came to Queenie. Queenie thoug
"Why not? A lot of companies would kill just to get one of those invitation cards.""I don't want to see that old git," answered Queenie."Why? He's never treated you badly. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be Sanders Pharmaceuticals' owner." George didn't understand why his daughter was so reluctant."And they helped us out. A lot. You should thank Alexander in person, even if it's just out of courtesy."Queenie fell silent. She didn't want to see Alexander, but her father had a point. It was all thanks to Empire Corp that she could stay in the Sanders family. Besides, Queenie had to get a chance to meet Alexander and tell them they were an impossible match.Queenie took a deep breath. "Fine, you made your point. I'll join the ball and meet Alexander.""Really?" George was excited that Queenie would go."Yeah.""That's great. Alright, you have to get ready for the ball. Lighten up your skin, make yourself pretty, and get some gowns while you're at it," said George.Queenie
"Though you have committed the crime of treason, as long as you safely escort your charge and make enough noise, Faeast will not punish you. They need to make sure their image is upheld, after all," said Black Tortoise. That was why he was annoyed. Aphrodite no longer had the advantage, yet she still pulled one last gambit."What about the mistress, General? She said she has a plan. She no longer needs our protection, so does that mean…" The leader realized something. Their mistress was going to die, so she didn't need them anymore."She finally did one thing right, and it was right before her death. Pity it's too late for regrets." Black Tortoise snorted. He had no idea that Nox was risking his life to save Aphrodite. He thought Nox was going to kill the witch.And now the other suicide squad members realized that their mistress was dying. She sent them back home and set up one final play so they could survive. The members cried for their mistress, and the leader bawled. He pulled
Nox told Black Tortoise about how Aphrodite has sent her men to escort the Greenshades back to Imperia. Black Tortoise had just taken out Poseidon's troops on Eropa's coast. His wounds were all thanks to Poseidon. After killing him, Black Tortoise went back to Faeast and traveled to Seacoast as fast as he could.And now he was facing these suicide squad members. Aphrodite's most loyal men were her bodyguards, and they were all ex-Nox Army people. Nox ordered them to remain perfectly loyal to Aphrodite and carry out all her orders.Back then, he and Aphrodite were the perfect match, but then she betrayed him, much to everyone's shock. Even after she betrayed the country, these people still thought she did it on purpose, so they followed her lead. And then they realized that Aphrodite had betrayed the nation for real.The bodyguards couldn't turn back anymore. The only thing they could do was follow Nox's orders. After the incident of Nox's apparent death and Aphrodite's own exile, th
Then, a voice boomed, "If anything happens, I'll handle it!"Everyone looked shocked, and they turned their attention to the newcomer. It was a wounded man, and he was slowly approaching them. The air around him was thick with bloodlust, as if he'd just returned from a bloody battlefield. Everyone bowed to him, and the fanaticism in their eyes was almost palpable. The air was electric.The people captured videos of this scene and posted them online. Some of the sharper guys recognized the newcomer immediately. The generals were bowing to the man, including the one talking to the Mousses' guy. He quickly approached the newcomer.Even the Mousses' guy was looking at the newcomer fervently. Out of habit, he bowed to the incoming man. "General Black Tortoise."The soldiers were stunned. They might not be part of the Nox Army, but they were the military, so they had the right to bow to Black Tortoise. 'But you're just a traitor. You're insulting the Great General!'Black Tortoise seeme
"Tell them to eat shit, guys! We're taking this for ourselves, and if they pull anything funny, we're taking them out!" one of the swordsmen's leaders shouted, and his comrades agreed."Dammit, the bastards. We're going in as well! We got orders from the Shadow Division. If they attack us, they're traitors!" The sects' cultivators gnashed their teeth. The soldiers were stunned. Their people were fighting among themselves even when the mission hadn't begun.It was ridiculous to fight over who would get the credit. Then, someone inside the governor's estate came out with their hands held high. The swordsmen and cultivators were about to move, but a general said, "Hold it! I'm the commanding officer here! I'll talk to him!"He strode ahead. At the same time, hundreds of guns were trained on the alleged remnant of the Olympians. The general looked at the man and asked solemnly, "You don't look like an Olympian. Are you a Faeast citizen?"The man nodded. The general asked, "The Mousses?
At the same time, the captain of the squad that arrived first on the scene asked his chief, "Chief, the governor's still in there. Should we—"The general shot him with a glare. "Governor? He is no longer a Faeastian governor, and we don't negotiate with foreign enemies. He has a duty to protect his nation and sacrifice for it!"The captain nodded. Faeast's rise to power could not be stopped, especially now. The remnants thought they could threaten Faeast just because they got one hostage. It was a joke. Then, the swordsmen came on their flying swords. The soldiers couldn't believe what they were seeing."I can sense them. They're inside, and they only have one hostage. Probably the governor." The swordsmen came down and greeted the generals. The generals greeted back."We're counting on you."The swordsmen were about to go inside, but then they sensed more aura coming in. "More? No, they're Faeast's cultivators. Finally revealing themselves?" The swordsmen looked around, their w
"I'll mobilize the Shadow Division. We are to take them down," said Keith. They had some Magic Mountain swordsmen nearby. These people demanded to come to Imperia to fight, and now they could be used for this operation.The swordsmen were drinking away at a barbecue shop and complaining about the situation when the news hit them. "The guys who fought in Imperia got a lecture from the founder and got more power from that, but we get nothing at all?"They were a little frustrated, and then through the news, they saw news about the attack on the governor's estate. Just when they were wondering if it might be the work of the Olympians' remnants, Keith's call came."I need you to take out the bastards at the governor's estate. Take no prisoners! If you can save the governor, save him. If you can't, too bad. But if they have taken any civilian hostage, don't act hastily."The swordsmen were excited. "Don't worry about it, kid. Unless they have a Pinnacle Legend Realm with them, they're n
That was blasphemy. They were both Saints, and he was more powerful than Voltaic, yet he was insulted. "You bastard! Don't look down on me! I'm the leader of the Sect Alliance! I'll make you pay!"Tremeus had never been insulted before. He was one of the best cultivators in the world, after all. Flames erupted from his soul, and they crashed into Voltaic. Towering waves flew high into the air. The battle between a saintly swordsman and a powerhouse of the path of the martial was underway."Tremeus is putting in his all. If Voltaic hadn't won in his earlier fight, he might be defeated, but he did win, and his understanding of swordsmanship deepened. His aura's never been stronger. He might not be able to defeat Tremeus, but at least he won't fall." Dominic narrowed his eyes.Still, the outcome of this situation depended on Nox. If Nox could come out victorious, then all would be fine. If he couldn't, then not even killing Tremeus could change anything. Nox had cast all Eight Saintly
Voltaic arrived at a critical junction. Dominic suspected that he would be the powerhouse arranged for this plan. Voltaic stopped a distance away. He looked confused, and then he shouted telepathically, "Get out here, you bastard! Damn you, Aphrodite! You lured me out so you could attack Faeast? That's my homeland, you witch!"Dominic wasn't expecting this at all. "Wait, so there's someone else?" He was musing over the matter when he sensed another person's aura in the seas. "He's in the sea!" Dominic unsheathed his weapon. At the same time, Voltaic's divine sense noticed the person as well.He leaped into the seas, and then a hundred-yard ravine split open the waters a moment later. Voltaic's sword energy created a vacuum on the surface of the sea. Before him was a warrior in black, holding up the sword energy with his hand."Tremeus Lifenstein, leader of the Sect Alliance. He's a Saint too, but only his soul is intact. His life must be coming to an end, so he couldn't wait any l
"Yeah, this one's not as powerful as the ones in his tribulation, but it's no pushover either. Endure it, and she lives. Fail, and both of you die." Dominic looked at Aphrodite. "Look at her. She's smiling."Aphrodite had gotten over herself. She'd have stopped Nox if he hadn't tried to take the backlash, but now that he'd gotten himself into it, it was too late to do anything. When she'd freed herself from her chains, Aphrodite could finally be herself again.This was what she'd been waiting for. No matter the outcome, Nox had fought with her. Another lightning bolt fell out of the skies, and Nox took it head on. Only two bolts had fallen thus far, but Nox was starting to feel his strength fail.It was almost as if there was something watching from behind the vortex. It could feel Nox's strength fail, and it quickly dropped another lightning bolt."Eight Saintly Techniques!" Nox knew his body alone couldn't stop the bolts, so he quickly used his spells. However, that enraged the v