"They're coming!" Queenie's face drained of color as she instinctively stepped back.Two figures emerged behind her. One was older, distinguished, and handsome, while the younger one affectionately ruffled her hair like a protective older brother. Sam couldn't speak, so he signed for her not to worry.Devon was also there, but no one could see him—except Queenie. Her eyes widened as she turned to Landon and whispered, "It's not just the Krowonian soldiers... the ones who once protected us are here too."As they reached the church, a flood of memories overwhelmed Devon. "I remembered everything!" Devon's eyes were red. "The Krowonian soldiers are still here because we failed to protect everyone. The children and the women of Nymeria suffered horribly."They took Nymeria for themselves, doing whatever they wanted. They even captured Soren for their experiments. Soren, Mr. Shoeman, and I... we all died together."Mr. Shoeman... He taught me how to read and write. He said the only w
Immediately, the officer glanced back, and the Krowonian soldiers snapped into a line, plunging their long knives into one of the worshippers.The group erupted in laughter. "These fools are worshipping us. Hahaha!"They reveled in their cruelty, breaking into a traditional dance. With each step forward, their blades thrust at the praying people.It was absurd how some pro-Krowonians could ever find their dance magnificent. The soldiers, now spirits, made no effort to conceal the malice festering in their hearts."It's this little wench again," one soldier sneered as he danced toward Queenie. "Missed my chance to pierce her last time. This time, I'll make sure. If not, maybe I'll take the old woman next to her to the grave instead. What do you think?"His eyes gleamed with vile intent as he spoke."She kept messing with us in her past life. She may not remember our Krowonian empire, but we remember her. I didn't expect to find her like this after reincarnation. She deserves t
"You can't touch me with so many worshippers on my side," the Krowonian officer said arrogantly.Most fortune tellers would tread carefully, slowly dismantling the web of this deadlock manifestation. Yet, before Aria, such caution was folly. She could take her time to tease apart its intricate layers, but if urgency gnawed at her, she would obliterate it with the force of her dark resolve.She raised her eyebrows, preparing to launch a full-on assault. It would cost her a bit of blood and energy, but she was ready. However, before she could act, someone grabbed her wrist. It was Landon. His gaze fell on the Krowonian soldiers, cold and bottomless. "If your eyes serve no purpose, there's no need for you to keep them."As he spoke, the statues around them seemed to tremble.The Krowonian soldiers suddenly felt their eyes burn, the pain unbearable as they curled up, their bodies on the verge of exploding.The officer's face turned ashen. No one had dared to harm them in the prese
Aria remained vigilant, keenly aware of her surroundings as she listened to him speak. Her fingers tightened into fists, realizing the truth in his words.They had mentioned a mastermind pulling the strings. Stopping worshippers through the internet was a simple task, and if she could unravel the key to this entire situation, she could resolve it effortlessly.Noticing Aria's silence, the Krowonian soldier chuckled mockingly. "Dream on if you think you can win. Even if we vanish, we'll take your filthy ancestors with us!"Devon quickly grasped Aria's hands, understanding the implication behind the soldier's taunt. "Ms. Carver, we cannot let them disappear. Their fate is intertwined with Mr. Shoeman. If they vanish, she and Soren will go with them!"At Devon's words, a ripple of movement surged through the shadows of the Netherrealm. The Krowonian soldiers writhed on the ground, groaning in agony from Landon's brutal assault, their defenses shattered, and the area left unguarded.O
Devon sensed Terry's impending disappearance. Terry had used all his merits to send Devon away from the underground.Initially, Terry was the least likely to fade among them. Even Soven and the others were expected to last longer than Devon. But they had exhausted their accumulated merits and blessings on him, ensuring Devon would survive.After being trapped underground for so many years, they had forgotten the sight of the surface. Their only sustenance came from the church's leftovers, and the Krowonians would even drive nails into their heads if they felt displeased.Terry shielded Devon from that suffering, often smiling and saying, "Devon is the youngest among us. He deserves a chance to see the future."Terry's desperation to locate the Carver family stemmed from the disappearance of Camden Dorado, one of their members.The Krowonian soldiers grew stronger the more they were worshipped. The heroes trapped underground had no means to fight back. While they could use explosiv
The Krowonian officer remained calm. After all, Farshyans valued relationships with each other the most. He was confident Aria wouldn't forsake the heroic spirits and attack them.Despite the intense pain coursing through him, the Krowonian lay on the floor, his voice laced with malice. "Do you think you will feel better once the heroic spirits are gone? No wonder you seem familiar; the Carver family is our greatest adversary."Do you believe your ancestors will forgive you once you die and descend to the Netherrealm? We will ultimately prevail."He started laughing loudly.Aria chose to disregard his taunts, her gaze drawn back to the statue of God. Logically, the spirits could not receive worship intended for Him.The officer's mention of ancestors reminded her that prominent families typically maintain proper memorials with their names engraved.With a determined expression, Aria summoned Maverick. "Is there a memorial where people can honor your ancestors? Tell me where it is
The idea that priests held a greater holiness than ordinary people had lingered in the minds of the masses for too long. The only way to free those heroic spirits was to dismantle such beliefs.Respect for priests should stem from their compassion for others, not from blind devotion. Immorality in a priest demanded no reverence.With Maverick refusing to disclose the memorial's location, Aria resolved to search for it herself, knowing it had to be somewhere within the church.Logically, the memorial would be situated in the area where people prayed most fervently. Her gaze drifted to the statue's head above. Typically, the statue of God in the main hall was grand and intricately adorned, with its upper portions often hidden from view. Wasn't this the perfect place to conceal a memorial headstone?Without hesitation, Aria ripped down the tape banner draped before the statue of God. With a determined stride, she climbed onto the statue's base.As she ascended, more and more people r
The internet erupted with outrage. What had begun as a human trafficking case had now escalated into something far more sinister. Why were there Krowonian memorial headstones in a Farshyan church?"Have all our prayers gone to them?""I don't trust the church's innocence in this!""They had better take this seriously! Are the higher-ups just going to ignore it?"Angry comments flooded in, one after another. Aria observed the stark decline of faith in the community, but it was still not enough.Queenie appeared in another vlogger's live stream as she pondered the situation. "Miss, are you broadcasting right now? Do you have a lot of fans?"The vlogger, Ellie Portman, was nearly in tears from her fury. "Yes, I have a lot. We need to expose what the church is hiding.""It's not just about that. Could you tell your fans that I witnessed many young soldiers bravely protecting us, only to be ruthlessly bullied by the Krowonians?"Queenie's hands fidgeted with her clothes as she point
When Alaric suggested having a meal with Fiona, the driver was astonished. It was completely unlike anything he had ever known about Alaric over the years. Even more unbelievable to the driver was the fact that there could be a woman in Ludwiten who would reject Alaric.When the car came to a stop, Fiona responded to Alaric, "I don't understand why Owen is involved in this. I'm sure we both know why you approached me."She continued, "I know the Sloane family wields enough influence to shape many things. The market in Ludwiten is small, and many people don't want the Carver family to have a share. But I'm not the weak link you're looking for. You've got the wrong person."With that, Fiona swiftly exited the car. The driver was taken aback. Despite Fiona's delicate appearance, she acted with decisive resolve, without hesitation.The car remained stationary after she left. Although Alaric appeared indifferent, his eyes betrayed his displeasure, as if the meeting he had carefully
"Soup?" Fiona hesitated, realizing Alaric was serious. After a moment, she replied, "I'm afraid I don't have time today. I need to pick someone up from the train later."Upon hearing that, Alaric smiled. "Who's so important?""My daughter." Fiona's tone softened as she mentioned Aria, her gaze turning gentle.Alaric studied her intently before saying, "You really do seem like a mother. It's almost unthinkable."Fiona chuckled, finding his comment odd. "Well, I am a mother."Alaric looked away indifferently. "I never expected you to adapt to motherhood and marriage so well. My impression of you was that you'd never let yourself be held back by trivial matters as such."Fiona frowned. "My daughter isn't a trivial matter."Her voice carried a trace of displeasure. Nobody could truly understand what Aria's return meant to her. She felt a deep sense of responsibility—not just toward her daughter but also toward her sons.Alaric glanced at his hands, a faint trace of mockery in his v
Contrary to the driver's expectations, Fiona remained unnervingly calm, as though everything was perfectly normal. Her beauty was striking, paired with an air of delicate indifference that belied her age. Especially her eyes—pure and unguarded when her gaze lingered. Yet, temperament was not so easily concealed. The driver could tell that Fiona was no naïve woman. She was a sheltered, affluent woman from a prestigious family. But didn't Alaric disdain women like her the most? Why, then, had Alaric asked him to stop the car from a distance?Perplexed, the driver kept glancing at Fiona.Her hair, still damp from the relentless rain, clung to her neck. She turned deliberately, avoiding Alaric's side. "Is there any tissue in the car?""Yes." Alaric chuckled, pulling out a few tissues and handing them to her.The driver frowned, finding Alaric's obliging demeanor uncharacteristic.As Fiona wiped her hair, she inadvertently exposed the curve of her neck—graceful, like a swan's. Its
Alaric Sloane's figure remained as fit as ever, especially compared to his peers. However, he had traded his signature red suit for a more mature dark gray. His demeanor had shifted too—there was an air of indifference in his gaze, a far cry from the carefree man he once was.A laptop rested on his lap as he worked. The light illuminated his sharp features, making him appear serious and composed. He no longer resembled the reckless man of the past.Fiona froze. The last time she saw Alaric was at her wedding. That day, the free-spirited man had called her during her wedding banquet, standing amidst the crowd. His voice had been teasing, laced with the unmistakable slur of alcohol."Hey, listen to me—don't marry him. Look at me. If you agree, I'll stop the wedding right now."At that time, Alaric still wasn't that fluent in Farshyan. Having grown up overseas, his accent gave him a polished, foreign charm. His classmates used to joke that it made him seem like a gentleman from abro
The entertainment industry was a place where people could rise quickly. It was a world where words could be tailored to suit different audiences, where alliances were formed with the popular, and enemies were kept in check before they could make a name for themselves.On the surface, everyone seemed friendly, but beneath the smiles, subtle rivalries festered.Back then, Fiona wouldn't have noticed such dynamics. She had never been interested in competing with other women, even in school. The term "female competition" hadn't existed in her vocabulary. Fiona simply wasn't concerned with who stood out in the crowd, so she remained unaware of the unspoken tensions around her.But now, things were different. After years of observing the entertainment industry, Fiona had become attuned to the subtle games people played. Every word Priscilla had spoken earlier had an underlying agenda.It was then that Fiona realized how much time had changed everyone. She could barely recognize the wom
Priscilla, it seemed, embodied the capitalist archetype that online critics often despised—one who saw people as mere tools for profit. Her approach to problems was straightforward, ruthless, and without compassion.She had used unapproved injections to boost her earnings, and now, when things went wrong, she wanted to shift the blame onto unsuspecting individuals.The girl's parents, though devastated, were not asking for much. They simply wanted their daughter's suffering to end and for Priscilla to cover the basic medical costs. But Priscilla wasn't concerned with such matters. The success of her medispa in Ludwiten wasn't due to any sense of ethics—it was built on ambition and exploitation.If Priscilla agreed to treat one person's botched surgery, it would open the door to countless others. She couldn't afford to make exceptions; these "victims" would only try to take advantage of her.At that moment, Priscilla reclined in the lounge, a face mask on, preparing for a full-bod
Back then, a rumor circulated that everyone desired the Grisham family's daughter. Audriana had thought it was an exaggeration. After all, no matter how beautiful a woman was, she would inevitably age. Fiona, no matter how stunning, would eventually face the same fate.However, Audriana had come to realize that some people could indeed look like fairies. Yet, she couldn't show her envy, as Priscilla was still watching her."Why do I think she looks so average? She's not nearly as ladylike as you, Priscilla," Audriana flattered her.Priscilla merely gave her a passing glance. "You don't have to try to flatter me. I don't care about that. With plastic surgery so common these days, I can have any appearance I want."What's important is for a woman to have her own career. But I have to admit, her face is quite stunning."Otherwise, Fiona wouldn't have remained relevant for so many years. But it didn't matter now. Fiona was already married, with so many children. Once a woman became a
"Who doesn't have a career in this day and age? She's the only one with no achievements to speak of, and she even went crazy. How does she have the nerve to reconcile with the Grisham family? I don't know whether to call her naïve or just plain dumb," Priscilla remarked, her voice dripping with disdain as she spoke to the person behind her. As she spoke, the woman slowly rose, revealing her identity—none other than Audriana."Perhaps she doesn't realize that the Draycott family is almost as influential as the Grisham family in Ludwiten. Especially you, Priscilla. Everyone knows the medispa you operate. "Fiona hasn't kept up with the times. I once thought she was capable, with her title as Ludwiten's Red Rose. But now, it seems she's all show, no substance." Audriana chuckled, clearly taking pleasure in belittling Fiona while subtly praising Priscilla. Priscilla, clearly pleased, took a sip of her coffee. "It's a shame she didn't listen to me and meet Ms. Kent."Audriana raised
Priscilla twirled her long hair and took a sip of her coffee. "I didn't have much confidence back then. I always followed you, never daring to try things on my own. It's only now, after trying for myself, that I've realized some things."She added, "Opening a medispa has always been my dream, and that's how it all started. Now, all the wealthy women in Ludwiten come to me for fillers and anti-aging treatments. If you're interested, you should come by. I can even fix your nose a little."Priscilla smiled. However, her smile was a little off, perhaps from a recent treatment. She pressed her fingers to her eyes. "I can't smile too much, or I'll get wrinkles. I envy your flawless, youthful face, Fiona. What's your secret?""Probably just staying indoors and avoiding the sun," Fiona replied, carefully omitting the fact that her soul had entered a manifestation.Priscilla's expression darkened, her voice tinged with frustration. "It's all Owen's fault! How could he be so cruel? You're no